Elise Boulding has been among the most influential of social reformers to advocate the integration of peace studies and women's studies. Her ideas inspired a number of works addressing the role of the family in producing social change and discussing women's unique capacity for promoting peace through nurturing and networking. Boulding's additional ideas on transnational networks and their relationship to global understanding are considered seminal contributions to modern peace studies and have earned her the title of "matriarch" of the 20th century peace movement.
This biography is divided into three parts. The first and third deal chronologically with the life of Elise Boulding, beginning with her childhood experiences as a Scandinavian immigrant. The 1940 Nazi invasion of Norway significantly influenced her concepts of pacifism and Quaker spiritualism, laying the foundation for her future work as a leader in the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and her dynamic professional partnership with and marriage to the internationally known Quaker economist and poet Kenneth Boulding. Part Two expounds upon Boulding's philosophy of education, her role as a member of the Religious Society of Friends, her espousal of the conceptual evolution of cultures of peace, and her theoretical work in women's studies and peace research. In recognition of these achievements, Boulding has been the recipient of more than 19 awards and was a 1990 nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.