Peace and conflict studies is an "academic field which identifies and analyzes the violent and nonviolent behaviors as well as the structural mechanisms attending social conflicts with a view towards understanding those processes which lead to a more desirable human condition." Peace studies (irenology) is an interdisciplinary effort aiming at the prevention, deescalation, and solution of conflicts, in contrast to war studies (polemology) which has as its aim the efficient attainment of victory in conflicts. Disciplines involved may include political science, economics, psychology, sociology, international relations, history, anthropology, religious studies, and gender studies, as well as a variety of others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_studies