This roundtable proposes avenues out of the cul-de-sac of conflict that reigns over historical narratives and interpretations. That dominance is apparent when one walks the aisles of a bookstore; there, filed under history, are shelves full of books about warfare. Or, read any textbook, and the big episodes, the important moments of grand change, hinge on violence. History teaches us that what is most important, what has determined who we are collectively, is conflict.

Yet, as historians, we know that social change rests on more than conflict. This panel invites us to shift our angle of vision by exploring quieter human interactions and sometimes unexpected alliances. The participants will discuss issues of historical peace from multiple angles, emphasizing how cooperation among individuals and groups has played a key, if underplayed, role. To understand the power and possibilities of concord, we will examine specific examples of time-bound peaceful paths. Starting on the American frontier, Stephen Aron will tell us about individuals and people who overcame profound animosities to chart a possible path towards “peace and friendship.” From a British perspective, Penelope Ismay will explore how civil conversation in pursuit of specific objectives in an associational framework generated fellowship and transcended difference. Straddling the Anglo-Atlantic World, Simon Cordery will chart traditions of nineteenth-century voluntarism and mutualism and the rules, rulebooks, and rituals that created the ties that bound fraternal orders, friendly societies, and freemasons.