  We reformulate the analysis of nuclear parity-violation (PV) within the
framework of effective field theory (EFT). To order Q, the PV nucleon-nucleon
(NN) interaction depends on five a priori unknown constants that parameterize
the leading-order, short-range four-nucleon operators. When pions are included
as explicit degrees of freedom, the potential contains additional medium- and
long-range components parameterized by PV piNN couplings. We derive the form of
the corresponding one- and two-pion-exchange potentials. We apply these
considerations to a set of existing and prospective PV few-body measurements
that may be used to determine the five independent low-energy constants
relevant to the pionless EFT and the additional constants associated with
dynamical pions. We also discuss the relationship between the conventional
meson-exchange framework and the EFT formulation, and argue that the latter
provides a more general and systematic basis for analyzing nuclear PV.
