This call includes a collection of essays on Nonkilling Literature edited by Jocelyn Wright, Professor of English Language and Literature, Mokpo National University, and Balwant (Bill) Bhaneja, CGNK board member, and a separate edited volume on Nonkilling Activism and Nuclear Disarmament, coordinated by Roland Joseph, Executive Director of the Caribbean Center for Nonkilling, Peace, and Conflict Studies. Details can be found below and potential contributors can contact the editors to propose a chapter.

Nonkilling Literature

Concept

Deliberate killing is widespread globally and manifests itself in various forms (e.g. suicides, homicides, capital punishment, terrorism, wars, genocides). Moreover, the implications compound as the reality and possibility of taking human life is a “source and sustainer of other forms of violence” (Paige 9).

Unlike its counterpart, nonkilling inherently contributes to nonviolence and peace (Bhaneja, Peace Portraits 40-41). Despite the existence of individuals who believe killing is natural, inevitable, and acceptable (Sponsel 269-274), this tangible, quantifiable, and unambiguous phenomenon, terminologically coined by American political scientist and founder of the Center for Global Nonkilling (CGNK), Glenn D. Paige (1929-2017), is both conceivable (see Nonkilling Global Political Science) and has proven prevalent over space and time as demonstrated by cross-disciplinary research (see Towards a Nonkilling Paradigm).

In fact, more than the complimentary paradigms of nonviolence or peace, Paige’s innovative nonkilling offers a concrete vision and measurable direction towards achieving a just and killing-free world (Bhaneja, Peace Portraits 40-41). Such a world, one “in which everyone has the right not to be killed and responsibility not to kill others,” according to Principle 13 of the 2007 Nobel Peace Laureates’ Charter for a World Without Violence, is also free of the consequences of killing.

A nonkilling society reveres human life and values and protects its sanctity (Bhaneja, “Aspects;” “Epilogue” 324). As Paige describes a nonkilling society, “It is a human community, smallest to largest, local to global, characterized by no killing of humans and no threats to kill; no weapons designed to kill humans and no justifications for using them; and no conditions of society dependent upon threat or use of killing force for maintenance or change.” (21)

Simply put, it is one committed to the achievement of zero killing (Bhaneja, “Epilogue” 322), which requires “chang[ing] conditions conducive to lethality” (Paige 77). This nonkilling paradigm necessitates praxis in the Freirean sense of “reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it” (33).

A nonkilling society is supported and legitimized by a nonkilling culture, one that is universal, or in the words engraved on Paige’s memorial, that “crosses all the lines” (Bhaneja, Peace Portraits 58), transcending gender, race, religion, nationality, etc., raising us from tribalism to opening our hearts and minds in the broadest sense. 

It has already been argued elsewhere that a nonkilling world can be achieved via nonkilling research, policy, action, and education aimed at both preventing and reducing, if not altogether eliminating, deliberate killing at all levels from micro to macro (Bhaneja, Peace Portraits; Pim 15). Paige also highlights the important, transformative role of the arts, with their ability to “uplift the human spirit and imagination” (123), in contributing to nonkilling cultures (96). Nonkilling art, specifically as Paige states, “explores the spirit and practice of how to prevent, respond to, and to improve individual, social, and global well-being beyond killing” (Bhaneja, NKARC Letter, Sept. 2015 10).

Intending to build off the central question, Is nonkilling literature possible?, addressed previously by Balwant (Bill) Bhaneja in his article “Aspects of Nonkilling Literature” and through the Nonkilling Arts Research Committee (NKARC) newsletters (https://nonkilling.org/center/publications-media/nonkilling-arts/) he curated for the CGNK for over a decade (2012-2022), this modest collection of original essays on nonkilling works aims to clarify what makes nonkilling literature (i.e. nonkilling nonfiction and nonkilling fiction) a genre in itself and its subsets and, thereby, show that nonkilling literature also has a role to play in the necessarily creative and open-ended endeavor that is nonkilling.

Through each thought-provoking and heart-stirring piece, the reader should expect to discover the “principled nonkilling spirit” (Bhaneja, “Aspects”) within the artists who work intentionally or unintentionally “to hold mirror to us on what brings killing and nonkilling, and move us to contemplate on possibilities of transformation” (Bhaneja, NKARC Letter, Feb. 2014 1).

In search of parameters of nonkilling literature, Bhaneja reports on a discussion with Paige about the four-part logic of nonkilling political analysis he suggests could be applied to arts (NKARC Letter, Apr. 2016 1). Paige’s typology emphasizes an understanding of the causes, conditions, and consequences of killing, nonkilling, and transitions between the two, as well as characteristics of nonkilling societies (73). This allows for ample imagination, creation, identification, analysis, recognition, and promotion of works with a nonkilling ethic, something Bhaneja advocates for (“Aspects”), and these unique essays strive to showcase.

This anthology, the first intentionally devoted to nonkilling literature, strives to recognize the primacy of existence, deepen our understanding of (non)killing, and call for a paradigm shift to “replace the assumption of lethal inescapability with the premise of nonkilling potentiality” (Pim 21) in a way never done before. “Nonkilling is the measure of human progress” (Paige, CGNK), and the emergence of this new literary genre and its field of inquiry hails another promising advancement in that direction. Thank you for joining this movement!

Categories

PART 1: Essays on Nonkilling Fiction

• Nonkilling poetry
• Nonkilling novels
• Nonkilling short stories
• Nonkilling tales
• Nonkilling drama/theater
• Nonkilling comics

 PART II: Essays on Nonkilling Non-fiction

• Nonkilling (auto)biographies/memoirs
• Nonkilling historical accounts

Essay format

• Editable doc file: A4 paper, 2.5 cm/1 inch margins
• Title (Times New Roman, 14 point, maximum 10 words, centered)
• By Name, Affiliation (Times New Roman, 12 point, centered)
• Section headings (Times New Roman, 12 point, bold, numbered sequentially, left-justified)
• Manuscript body (Times New Roman, 12 point, single spaced, justified): Introduction, Body, Discussion, Conclusion, References
• Word count: 3,000-5,000 words excluding Works Cited
• Style: MLA 9th ( https://libraryguides.mcgill.ca/ld.php?content_id=37556597 ; https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text_citations_the_basics.html )
• Back matter/Cover letter contents: Category (nonkilling nonfiction, nonkilling fiction); Abstract (250 words); Key words (for indexing) (maximum 5); Bio (50 words, 3rd person, email)

Expression of interest and submission

To express your interest in submission, please send an email by 15 November 2025. Please submit your draft essay by email by 31 January 2026. Emails including the subject line “Nonkilling Literature Anthology” should be sent to:

• Jocelyn Wright, Professor of English Language and Literature, Mokpo National University, jocelynmnu@yahoo.com and
• Balwant (Bill) Bhaneja, Senior Advisor, Center for Global Nonkilling, billbhaneja@rogers.com 

Works cited in this call

Bhaneja, Balwant. “Aspects of Nonkilling Literature.” Humanising Language Teaching vol. 23, no. 5, Oct. 2021. https://www.hltmag.co.uk/oct21/aspects-of-nonkilling-literature.

______. “Epilogue: The Scientific Nature of Nonkilling Movement.” Give Nonkilling a Chance: Are Nonkilling Societies Possible? edited by Anoop Swarup, Konark Publishers, 2019, pp. 321-332.

______. Nonkilling Arts Research Committee [NKARC] Letter Feb. 2014. https://nonkilling.org/center/publications-media/nonkilling-arts/.

______. Nonkilling Arts Research Committee [NKARC] Letter Sept. 2015. https://nonkilling.org/center/publications-media/nonkilling-arts/.

______. Nonkilling Arts Research Committee [NKARC] Letter Apr. 2016. https://nonkilling.org/center/publications-media/nonkilling-arts/.

______. Nonkilling Arts Research Committee [NKARC] Letter July 2016. https://nonkilling.org/center/publications-media/nonkilling-arts/.

______. Peace Portraits: Pathways to Nonkilling – A Memoir. Creighton University & Center for Global Nonkilling, 2022.

Center for Global Nonkilling [CGNK], 2025. https://nonkilling.org/center/

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Penguin Books, 1970.

Nobel Laureates for Peace. Charter for a World Without Violence. Rome: 8th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, 15 Dec. 2007.

Paige, Glenn D. Nonkilling Global Political Science. Center for Global Nonkilling, 2009.

Pim, Joám Evans. Towards a Nonkilling Paradigm. Center for Global Nonkilling, 2009.

Sponsel, Leslie E. “One Anthropologist’s Answer to Glenn D. Paige’s Question Challenging Peace Studies.” Journal of Peace Education, vol. 15, no. 3, 2018, pp. 267-287. https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjpe20/15/3.

Note: All published CGNK materials are available free on the organization’s website. For those new to the nonkilling community and/or the intersection between literature and the nonkilling paradigm, the Nonkilling Arts Research Committee [NKARC] Letter and “Aspects of Nonkilling Literature” are recommended reading.

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Nonkilling Activism and Nuclear Disarmament

Context & Rationale

Nuclear weapons remain among the gravest threats to humanity. Conflicts like Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Gaza, tensions involving Iran and Israel, and the China-Taiwan issue highlight the constant risk of nuclear escalation. Nuclear-armed countries continue to clash with non-nuclear states, either directly or indirectly, posing ongoing dangers to global security. Although the number of nuclear warheads has decreased since the Cold War, thousands remain ready for accidental or intentional use.

In this critical moment, it is essential for activists and scholars to develop bold and innovative strategies to confront the deadly threat posed by these weapons. The nonkilling paradigm, introduced by Glenn D. Paige in his landmark book Nonkilling Global Political Science, offers a transformative framework for understanding and addressing this challenge. By linking nuclear disarmament with nonkilling activism, this book seeks to inspire peace and anti-nuclear advocates, showing that the elimination of these weapons is not an impossible dream but a tangible and necessary goal for a safer world.

Potential Themes:

1. Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones and the Nonkilling Paradigm
2. Toward a World Without Nuclear Weapons: A Nonkilling Analysis
3. Stanislav Petrov: A Nonkilling Hero Who Saved Humanity
4. From Possessors to Denuclearized States: Building Nonkilling Capacity
5. The Cold War Era: Killing with Nukes vs. the Nonkilling Paradigm
6. The Anti-Nuclear Movement and Global Nonkilling Efforts
7. Treaties, Agreements, and the Nonkilling Paradigm of Disarmament
8. Nuclear Deterrence vs. Nonkilling Ethics
9. Youth and Nuclear Disarmament: Educating for a Nonkilling Future
10. The Nonkilling Courage of the Hibakusha of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
11. Nonkilling, Human Rights, and the Nuclear Question
12. The Humanitarian Costs of Nuclear Weapons and the Nonkilling Paradigm
13. Between the Risk of Nuclear Killing and the Imperative of Nonkilling

Contributors

This multi-author book invites contributions from peace and anti-nuclear weapon activists, scholars, researchers, and educators involved in nuclear disarmament who are also willing to explicitly link their work to the nonkilling paradigm. Contributors do not need to be experts in nonkilling; resources on nonkilling are freely available on the Center for Global Nonkilling (CGNK) website to help support their reflection.

Manuscript Format Guidelines

• File: Editable Word document (.doc or .docx), US Letter or A4
• Margins: 1 inch (2.5 cm) all around.
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, single-spaced.
• Title: Times New Roman, 14 pt, bold, centered (max 12 words).
• Author Name & Affiliation: Times New Roman, 12 pt, centered.
• Body Text: Times New Roman, 12 pt, single-spaced, justified.
  • Paragraphs separated by one blank line (no indentation).
• Section Headings: Times New Roman, 12 pt, bold, numbered sequentially.
• Structure: Introduction, Body (with or without subheadings), Conclusion, References.
• References: APA 7th edition.
• Length: 3,000–5,000 words (excluding references).
• Biography: 75–100 words, third person, placed at the end of the manuscript.

Submission Timeline

• Confirmation of Participation: By November 30, 2025
  • Contributors should confirm participation by sending the working title/topic of their chapter.
• Full Paper Deadline: February 14, 2026
  • Length: 3,000–5,000 words (excluding references).
  • Format: Editable Word file (doc or .docx).

Submission Process

• Please email confirmation of participation, topics, and completed chapters to: Jrolandjoseph@gmail.com
• Suggested file name: LastName_ShortTitle.docx

Editor: Roland Joseph is a researcher and member of the Nonkilling Security and International Research Committee at the Center for Global Nonkilling (CGNK), an international nonprofit with consultative status at the United Nations. He is also a member of the Massachusetts Peace Action Nuclear Disarmament Working Group. Roland authored the first doctoral dissertation directly connecting nonkilling activism with nuclear weapons: The Challenges and Transformative Experiences of Promoting Nonkilling with Anti-Nuclear Weapon Activists and Realists. He is the former President of the Latin and Caribbean Working Group in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and has delivered lectures on nonkilling and nukes in the US, the Philippines, and Haiti.

Previous Work Linking Nonkilling and Nuclear Issues

• Krieger, D. (2013). Nuclear weapons and a nonkilling world. In J. E. Pim (Ed.), Nonkilling security and the state (pp. 241–255). Center for Global Nonkilling Press. PDF link
• Carayannis, E., Draper, J., & Bhaneja, B. (2023). Fusion Energy for Peacebuilding: A Trinity Test-level critical Juncture. Peace and Conflict Studies, 29(1), 1–20. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/pcs/vol29/iss1/4/
• Joseph, R. (2023). The challenges and Transformative Experiences of Promoting Nonkilling with Anti-nuclear Weapon Activists and Realists (Doctoral dissertation, Nova Southeastern University). Retrieved from https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dcar_etd/218/
• Paige, G. D. (2002). Nonkilling Global Political Science. Center for Global Nonkilling. Retrieved from https://nonkilling.org/pdf/nkgps.pdf

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Joam Joám Evans Pim is director of the Center for Global Nonkilling and a member of the TRANSCEND Network.

Go to Original – nonkilling.org