Guide to the James H. Laue papers, 1936-1999 James H. Laue C0055

Guide to the James H. Laue papers, 1936-1999

A Collection in
Special Collections and Archives
Accession Number C0055


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George Mason University Libraries

2006 By George Mason University Libraries. All rights reserved.

Processed by: Special Collections and Archives Staff

Repository
George Mason University. Special Collections and Archives.
Collection number
C0055
Title
James H. Laue papers 1936-1999, bulk 1960-1993
URL:
http://sca.gmu.edu/finding_aids/laue.html
Physical Characteristics
43 linear ft.; 100 boxes
Creator
James H. Laue
Language
English
Abstract
This collection contains the working papers of James H. Laue, former professor of conflict resolution at George Mason University. Materials include manuscripts, correspondence, diaries, legal documents, and memorabilia.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions on personal use. Permission to publish material from the James H. Laue papers must be obtained from Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Preferred Citation

James H. Laue papers, C0055, Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Collection donated by Mariann Laue Baker in 1999.

Processing Information

Processed by Special Collections and Archives staff. EAD markup completed by Eron Ackerman and Jordan Patty in April 2009.

Biographical Information

James H. Laue was born in River Falls, Wisconsin, in 1937. Laue graduated from high school in 1955 and went to college in his home town at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where he took a major in sociology. After earning his Bachelor's degree in 1959, Laue was admitted to the Harvard graduate program in sociology with a Danforth Fellowship, where he studied race relations and the sociology of religion under such distinguished sociologists as Talcott Parsons, Gordon Allport, and David Riesman.

During his graduate studies, Laue became involved in the Civil Rights movement, attending lunch counter sit-ins, church "kneel-ins," and protests organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Laue's 1966 doctoral dissertation, "Direct Action and Desegregation: Toward a Theory of the Rationalization of Protest," grew out of a combination of diligent sociological analysis and first-hand experience in the Civil Rights movement. These experiences, along with a pious adherence to the core tenets of Christianity, influenced Laue's approach to conflict analysis, which he described in his 1976 University of Missouri tenure application as "a conscious and explicit linking of scholarship and action."

Combining social theory and practical problem-solving into a new practice of clinical sociology, Laue helped to establish the field of conflict resolution as a distinct academic discipline, and his career reflects both the academic and the activist sides of the field. From 1965-1969, Laue served on the US Department of Justice's Community Relations Service (CRS), an agency established under the 1964 Civil Rights Act to help resolve racial conflicts. After leaving the CRS, Laue held academic positions at the Laboratory of Community Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (1969-1971), Washington University-St. Louis (1971-1974), the University of Missouri-St. Louis (1975-1986), and finally, George Mason University (1986-1993) where he became the first Lynch Professor of Conflict Resolution. Laue also served as President and Executive Director of the Conflict Clinic, Inc., a non-profit dispute-resolution organization, from 1984 - ca. 1989.

In 1976 Laue co-founded and chaired the National Peace Academy Campaign (N-PAC), which sought to establish a national institute for peace research and education. Three years later, President Jimmy Carter appointed Laue Chair of the congressional Commission on Proposals for the National Academy of Peace and Conflict Resolution. The evidence gathered by the Commission at public hearings across the US, along with Laue's testimony before Congress in the early 1980s, was instrumental in establishing the US Institute of Peace and its funding counterpart, the National Peace Institute Foundation, which Laue also chaired during the 1980s.

Throughout his long and prodigious career, Laue participated in dozens of academic conferences, taught numerous classes and workshops on dispute resolution, published scores of academic papers, collaborated with Civil Rights activists and arms-control advocacy groups, delivered sermons at churches and speeches at graduate commencements, and remained active in the field of peacemaking and conflict resolution until his death in 1993.

Scope and Content

This collection contains the working papers of James H. Laue, former professor of conflict resolution at George Mason University. The papers document Laue's development as a sociology student and Civil Rights activist in the early 1960s through his career as a mediator and professor of urban sociology and conflict resolution into the early 1990s. Materials in the collection include manuscripts, correspondence, workshop papers, notebooks, legal documents, photographs, audio cassettes, and memorabilia.

Series 1, Correspondence, contains correspondence between Laue and his colleagues, including Civil Rights advocates during the 1960s and Peace Academy Commission members during the late 1970s and early 80s. The series is divided into two subseries of correspondence, the first arranged by date and the second arranged alphabetically by surname.

Series 2, Conflict Resolution Papers, contains materials from various conflict resolution organizations, initiatives, and workshops in which Laue participated as a leader or active member. The series includes mediation workshop materials, manuscript drafts of books and essays on the practice of conflict resolution, and papers documenting Laue's role in mediating such conflicts as the farm debt crisis of the mid 1980s, the Fort Worth I-30 expansion dispute, and the public memory of the 1970 Kent State shootings. Figuring prominently in the series is Laue's work with the Community Crisis Intervention Center at Washington University-St. Louis in the 1970s and the Conflict Clinic, Inc. at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the 1980s (and later at George Mason University).

Series 3, Peace Academy Campaign Papers, documents Laue's leading role in the campaign to establish a U.S. Academy of Peace and Conflict Resolution. The series includes public hearings conducted by the Commission on Proposals for the National Academy of Peace, which Laue chaired in 1978-1980; Congressional records and hearings regarding the establishment of the U.S. Academy of Peace; newsletters, brochures, and meeting minutes of the National Peace Academy Campaign (N-PAC), which Laue co-founded in 1976; and various administrative, financial, and promotional materials from the National Peace Academy Foundation / National Peace Institute Foundation (NPAF/NPIF), and the U.S. Academy of Peace / U.S. Institute of Peace (USAP/USIP).

Series 4, Civil Rights Papers, documents Laue's involvement in the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s. The series is divided into two subseries. Subseries 4.1, Direct Action and Desegregation, covers Laue's activism in the Civil Rights movement during the early 1960s and includes notes, interviews, and other materials used in his dissertation, Direct Action and Desegregation, 1960-1962 as well as later essays on Civil Rights by Laue and others. This subseries also contains memoranda, pamphlets, and newsletters from such prominent Sixties grass-roots organizations as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Southern Regional Council (SRC), and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Subseries 4.2, Community Relations Service (CRS), documents Laue's work for the CRS under the U.S. Department of Justice in the mid to late 1960s, where he became the head of Program Evaluation and Development. Materials include reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, personnel files, and speeches.

Series 5, Academic Papers, contains materials from Laue's work as a student, scholar, and teacher. The series is divided into two subseries. Subseries 5.1, Student Papers, covers Laue's academic career from childhood in River Falls, Wisconsin through college and graduate school at Harvard. The subseries contains sociology papers Laue wrote as a student, college notebooks, course materials, church sermons, and correspondence with professors. Subseries 5.2, Professional Papers, covers Laue's academic career as a researcher at the Harvard Medical School Laboratory of Community Psychiatry, as a professor of sociology and urban studies at Washington University-St. Louis and the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the 1970s and 80s, and as a professor of Conflict Resolution at George Mason University in the late 80s and early 90s. The subseries contains journal articles and commencement speeches written by Laue, course materials, academic exercises used in workshops on conflict mediation, and biographical materials prepared for annual reviews and tenure application.

Series 6, Conferences and Workshops, contains programs, presentations, notes, and correspondence pertaining to various conferences and workshops Laue attended or administered. The folder dates in this series generally refer to the dates the conferences were held and may not encompass the date range of all materials in the folder. Ranging from small local workshops to large international meetings, the conferences cover a range of themes including desegregation, clinical sociology, community conflict intervention, international arbitration, and peace education. Series 7, News Clippings and Articles, contains newspaper articles collected and assembled by Laue. Themes include desegregation and civil rights, international politics, biographical pieces and interviews with Laue, and the peace academy campaign. The series is divided into two subseries, the first arranged by date and the second arranged alphabetically by subject or newspaper title.

Series 7, News Clippings and Articles, contains newspaper articles collected and assembled by Laue. Themes include desegregation and civil rights, international politics, biographical pieces and interviews with Laue, and the peace academy campaign. The series is divided into two subseries, the first arranged by date and the second arranged alphabetically by subject or newspaper title.

Series 8, Photographs, contains mostly black-and-white photographs of Laue from youth through adulthood. The series contains several portraits as well as pictures of Laue with fellow students, family members, and colleagues.

Series 9, Memorabilia, contains certificates, drawings, posters, and other memorabilia mostly from Laue's youth. Included are several items from Laue's participation in the Wisconsin American Legion Badger Boys civic activism program as a child.

Series 10, Audio Cassettes, contains audio tape recordings of presentations, sermons, and speeches by James Laue, Jimmy Carter, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Series 11, Oversize, contains newspapers and large format magazines mostly dealing with racial issues, protest, and civil rights.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by subject.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1960-1993 (Box 1-3) Series 2: Conflict Resolution Papers, 1967-1993 (Box 3-31) Series 3: Peace Academy Campaign Papers, 1947-1990, bulk 1976-1990 (Box 31-50) Series 4: Civil Rights Papers, 1956-1988, bulk 1960-1970 (Box 50-68) Series 5: Academic Papers, 1947-1999 (Box 69-87) Series 6: Conferences and Workshops, 1962-1992 (Box 87-93) Series 7: News Clippings and Articles, 1936-1992 (Box 93-97) Series 8: Photographs, 1942-1992 (Box 97-98) Series 9: Memorabilia, 1949-1993 (Box 98) Series 10: Audio Cassettes, 1968-1991 (Box 99) Series 11: Oversize, 1960-1980 (Box 100)

Related Material

Special Collections and Archives also holds documents from the George Mason University Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

Index Terms

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

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Significant Places Associated With the Collection

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Contents List

Series 1: Correspondence,
1960-1993

This series contains correspondence between Laue and his colleagues, including Civil Rights advocates during the 1960s and Peace Academy Commission members during the late 1970s and early 80s. The series is divided into two subseries of correspondence, the first arranged chronologically and the second arranged alphabetically by surname.

Back to Top
Series 2: Conflict Resolution Papers,
1967-1993

This series contains materials from various conflict resolution organizations, initiatives, and workshops in which Laue participated as a leader or active member. The series includes mediation workshop materials, manuscript drafts of books and essays on the practice of conflict resolution, and papers documenting Laue's role in mediating such conflicts as the farm debt crisis of the mid 1980s, the Fort Worth I-30 expansion dispute, and the public memory of the 1970 Kent State shootings. Figuring prominently in the series is Laue's work with the Community Crisis Intervention Center at Washington University-St. Louis in the 1970s and the Conflict Clinic, Inc. at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the 1980s (and later at George Mason University).

Back to Top
Series 3: Peace Academy Campaign Papers,
1947-1990, bulk 1976-1990

This series documents Laue's leading role in the campaign to establish a U.S. Academy of Peace and Conflict Resolution. The series includes public hearings conducted by the Commission on Proposals for the National Academy of Peace, which Laue chaired in 1978-1980; Congressional records and hearings regarding the establishment of the U.S. Academy of Peace; newsletters, brochures, and meeting minutes of the National Peace Academy Campaign (N-PAC), which Laue co-founded in 1976; and various administrative, financial, and promotional materials from the National Peace Academy Foundation / National Peace Institute Foundation (NPAF/NPIF), and the U.S. Academy of Peace / U.S. Institute of Peace (USAP/USIP).

Back to Top
Series 4: Civil Rights Papers,
1956-1988

This series documents Laue's involvement in the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s. The series is divided into two subseries. Subseries 4.1, Direct Action and Desegregation, covers Laue's activism in the Civil Rights movement during the early 1960s and includes notes, interviews, and other materials used in his dissertation, Direct Action and Desegregation, 1960-1962 as well as later essays on Civil Rights by Laue and others. This subseries also contains memoranda, pamphlets, and newsletters from such prominent Sixties grass-roots organizations as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Southern Regional Council (SRC), and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Subseries 4.2, Community Relations Service (CRS), documents Laue's work for the CRS under the U.S. Department of Justice in the mid to late 1960s, where he became the head of Program Evaluation and Development. Materials include reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, personnel files, and speeches.

Back to Top
Series 5: Academic Papers,
1947-1990

This series contains materials from Laue's work as a student, scholar, and teacher. The series is divided into two subseries. Subseries 5.1, Student Papers, covers Laue's academic career from childhood in River Falls, Wisconsin through college and graduate school at Harvard. The subseries contains sociology papers Laue wrote as a student, college notebooks, course materials, church sermons, and correspondence with professors. Subseries 5.2, Professional Papers, covers Laue's academic career as a researcher at the Harvard Medical School Laboratory of Community Psychiatry, as a professor of sociology and urban studies at Washington University-St. Louis and the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the 1970s and 80s, and as a professor of Conflict Resolution at George Mason University in the late 80s and early 90s. The subseries contains journal articles and commencement speeches written by Laue, course materials, academic exercises used in workshops on conflict mediation, and biographical materials prepared for annual reviews and tenure application.

Back to Top
Series 6: Conferences and Workshops,
1962-1992

This series contains programs, presentations, notes, and correspondence pertaining to various conferences and workshops Laue attended or administered. The folder dates in this series generally refer to the dates the conferences were held and may not encompass the date range of all materials in the folder. Ranging from small local workshops to large international meetings, the conferences cover a range of themes including desegregation, clinical sociology, community conflict intervention, international arbitration, and peace education. Series 7, News Clippings and Articles, contains newspaper articles collected and assembled by Laue. Themes include desegregation and civil rights, international politics, biographical pieces and interviews with Laue, and the peace academy campaign. The series is divided into two subseries, the first arranged by date and the second arranged alphabetically by subject or newspaper title.

Back to Top
Series 7: News Clippings and Articles,
1936-1992

This series contains newspaper articles collected and assembled by Laue. Themes include desegregation and civil rights, international politics, biographical pieces and interviews with Laue, and the peace academy campaign. The series is divided into two subseries, the first arranged by date and the second arranged alphabetically by subject or newspaper title.

Back to Top
Series 8: Photographs,
1942-1992

This series contains mostly black-and-white photographs of Laue from youth through adulthood. The series contains several portraits as well as pictures of Laue with fellow students, family members, and colleagues.

Back to Top
Series 9: Memorabilia,
1949-1993

This series contains certificates, drawings, posters, and other memorabilia mostly from Laue's youth. Included are several items from Laue's participation in the Wisconsin American Legion Badger Boys civic activism program as a child.

Back to Top
Series 10: Audio Cassettes,
1968-1991

This series contains audio tape recordings of James Laue, Jimmy Carter, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Back to Top
Series 11: Oversize,
1960-1980

This series contains newspapers and large format magazines mostly dealing with racial issues, protest, and civil rights.

Back to Top