 |
WWW.MARQUETTE.EDU CAMPUS CONTACTS SITE INDEX 
|
       |
|
Michael K. Duffey, Ph.D., was an undergraduate at Notre Dame University at the height of the Vietnam War. “I was brought face to face with the reality of war and the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ late response to it,” he says, referring to the Second Vatican Council’s stance on justifiable war.
Duffey, an associate professor of theology, is an expert in “just war” tradition, a body of guidelines rooted in the 3rd century Common Era (also known as A.D.) that laid out criteria for justifying or initiating war, as well as how war should be conducted.
After a stint with the Peace Corps in Nepal, Duffey eventually returned to Notre Dame to get his doctorate in theology. Since then, he has written several articles and three books on just war theory, pacifism and nonviolent conflict resolution.
By the end of the first Gulf War, the Vatican was advocating national defense through the nonviolent methods of non-cooperation, such as strikes or boycotts — inspiring Duffey to write a book about it.
“I applied the conditions of just war and concluded that it’s easy to use them for your own purposes,” says Duffey. “For instance, one is that war can only be undertaken as a last resort. But how do you recognize when the point that there is no other recourse has been reached? My research is focused on nonviolent resistance as a Gospel response to injustice: ‘Do not return evil for evil, vengeance for vengeance,’ but find other ways to respond to injustice.”
Duffey’s fourth book will reflect his latest research: churches’ roles in peacemaking in Guatemala. He is also working on a plan to foster interdisciplinary peacemaking efforts with research and outreach components.
“The call is loud and clear for Catholics to champion human dignity,” says Duffey. “Not just talking about it but trying to change the social and political systems so that human dignity is affirmed.”
Life Cycle: From Birth to Death
- Unraveling the mysteries of proteins
- Protecting brittle bones
- Understanding the damaged brain
- The lungs: more than gas exchange
- The mind-body connection
- Preserving family peace
- Bringing clarity to delirium
- Protecting muscles on and off Earth
Improving the Human Condition
Studying Our World
Ethics & social justice
- Keeping business honest
- Of humans and cyborgs
- Journalism, ethics and the law
- Punishing corporate crime
- Dissecting financial fraud
- Scrutinizing elder law
Student Research
Interdisciplinary Research
Quick Facts About Marquette
| Identity: | Catholic, Jesuit, private |
| Established: | 1881 |
| Location: | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Undergraduate: | 8,048 |
| Postgraduate: | 3,500 |
| Campus: | Urban, 80 acres |
| Athletics: | 11 NCAA Division I teams (Big East Conference) |
| Colors: | Blue and Gold |
