| Discrete Collections | Politics, economics and social science collections |
| Title | Oxford Research Group |
| Ref No | ORG |
| Level | Collection |
| Date | 1973-2021 |
| Extent | 39 A boxes, 1 T box (unsorted), 1 poster, 7 press cutting folders |
| Admin Biographical History | The Oxford Research Group (ORG) was a charity, think-tank and non-governmental organisation in the UK that was active between 1982 and 2020. The group was founded by Scilla Elworthy, an anti-war activist and author, and officially incorporated as a charity in 1988. Originally based in Oxford, the ORG relocated their base of operations to London in 2006.
The work of the ORG primarily concerned research into non-violent resolutions to conflicts around the world and opening dialogue between conflicting parties in order to find and implement peaceful solutions. The ORG approached peacebuilding from a psychological perspective, with the intention of breaking the cycles of violence that they believed caused conflict in the first place. While the ORG was a secular, non-religious group, its foundation was partly inspired by the Quaker values of peace and equality, as Elworthy herself belongs to this denomination. Though the ORG was an anti-war group, they were not pacifists.
From its foundation until 2001, the work of the ORG focused on the debate surrounding nuclear weapons and disarmament, as well as dialogue between the UK and Chinese governments on security matters and how governments could move away from the security policies of the Cold War era and towards peacebuilding based on cooperation and dialogue. After the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, the ORG shifted its attention to the War on Terror and peacebuilding in the Middle East in order to better understand the causes and consequences of conflict in the region, with the aim of opening dialogues between the parties involved to resolve such conflict.
In 2003, Elworthy was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize for the ORG's work. Both Elworthy and the ORG were also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988, 1989 and 1991.
Major programmes carried out by the ORG include:
- The Sustainable Security Programme
- The Strategic Peacebuilding Programme
- The Remote Warfare Programme
Projects and groups that originated from the ORG include:
- Every Casualty Worldwide
- The Oxford Process
- Peace Direct
Notable staff at the ORG included:
- Dr Scilla Elworthy
- Professor John Sloboda
- Gabrielle Rifkind
- Professor Oliver Ramsbotham
- Professor Frank Barnaby
- Professor Paul Rogers
The ORG ceased operations in 2020. |
| Custodial History | The ORG deposited these papers with the LSE Library in 2021, shortly after ceasing activities. |
| Description | The collection comprises the administrative records kept by the ORG during their years of operation, 1982-2021.
ORG/01 - Annual reports and ORG history: organisational and administrative papers mainly dating from the first decade of ORG, including annual reports, early outputs and papers relating to initial projects and activities.
ORG/02 - Meeting papers: consists of the circulated papers and records of the ORG's meetings. Examples of content include meeting minutes, agendas, emails, letters, reports and written discussion.
ORG/03 - Financial statements and related papers: consists of the financial records and accounts of the ORG, as well as any related papers that were found with them. Examples of content include final accounts for the year ended and letters between the ORG and various accountants.
ORG/04 - Papers related to grants and funding: consists of papers and records regarding monetary grants received and given by the ORG. Examples of content include grant agreements, contracts, funding applications and letters.
ORG/05 - Activities, 1990-2007: material covering activities and events, in particular seminars and consultations organised by ORG. Also includes papers relating to projects, fundraising campaigns, staff away days and the ORG strategic review.
ORG/06 - Dialogue approach: consists of papers relating to dialogue approach training workshops, the use of the method in ORG consultations, and the development of Oxford Process.
ORG/07 - ORG people: administrative papers relating to recruitment and staff development, and meetings of the Council of Advisors. Also includes Scilla Elworthy's papers and publications by Frank Barnaby.
ORG/08 - Publications: books, reports, briefings, discussion papers and other communications written and published by ORG staff, associated researchers or sister NGOs and other peace and security institutes.
ORG/09 - Press cuttings: consists of two A2 and five A3 display folders of press articles and book reviews.
Abbreviations:
ORG - Oxford Research Group
AGM - Annual General Meeting
EGM - Extraordinary General Meeting
JRCT - Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
MEPIF - Middle East Policy Initiative Forum
SCSS - Sana'a Centre for Strategic Studies
Madar - The Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies
ECW - Every Casualty Worldwide
CPAPD - Chinese People's Association for Peace and Disarmament
RUSI - Royal United Services Institute |
| Related Material | ORG born-digital archive material is available in the LSE Digital Library: https://lse-atom.arkivum.net/uklse-as1ox01 |
| Access Status | Mainly open; some items closed |