- Queer Rights and Peacebuilding: in this blog, Visualising Peace student Madighan Ryan discusses the importance of including queer voices in peacebuilding at all levels, identifying ‘multipartiality’ as an important principle for all peacebuilding projects – from our own Visualising Peace Library to international-level peace settlements.
- Education for Sustainable Peace: in this blog, Visualising Peace student Lia da Giau discusses synergies between research in sustainable development, peace studies, peace education and narrative theory, drawing together many different strands of our project. She sets new agenda for systems change in all areas which are vital for visualising – and realising – a more sustainably peaceful future.
- AI for Peacebuilding: in this presentation, Visualising Peace student Ideja Bajra explains how AI tools and machine learning might be developed to support a wide range of peacebuilding initiatives, from enhancing inner peace to contributing to geopolitical peace processes. She talks us through how we can go about building an AI model for peacebuilding ourselves (there is a strong ‘how to’ element to this talk, equipping us to become AI entrepreneurs ourselves!), as well as reflecting on its potential uses and value for the future.
- Responsible Debate and Peacebuilding: in this interview, Tao Yazaki and Zoe Gudino interview Alice König about connections between ‘responsible debate’ and peacebuilding, particularly in relation to social media.
- Foreign Aid, Neocolonialism and Peacebuilding: in this blog, Visualising Peace student Sofia Lobue discusses foreign aid models that are designed to promote peace and security but can also reinforce systems of dependency and colonialism.
- Images of Peace in Tolkien’s Works: Albert Surinach I Campos has been exploring representations of peace in the writing and later adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien. In this podcast he and Tolkien expert Prof. Giuseppe Pezzini explore the nuance and complexity of Tolkien’s visions of peace in The Lord of the Rings. Albert also examined the role played by natural forces and the environment in Tolkien’s visualisation of peace and peacebuilding in ‘Waging War against Nature‘ and he has been analysing contemporary and later illustrations of Tolkien’s novels, to explore changing levels of emphasis on war and peace in connection with contemporary events.
- Once Upon a Time there was… Peace: in this report, Kim Wahnke analyses the structure and form of fairytales (which lend themselves to particular ways of narrating conflict and representing heroes/villains), their habits of visualising both peace and peacebuilding, and their profound impacts on young people. Conditioning our understanding of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ from a very early age, fairytales play a significant role in socialising us into certain modes of behaviour and thought. Connecting up with our team’s work on peace education, Kim considers what interventions we might deploy to encourage more critical engagement with fairytale visualisations of peace and peacebuilding, and also how we might tell more ‘fairy tales for peace‘ in future.
- Autoethnography and Useful Fiction for Peace: our research team has been experimenting with autoethnography, to share our own visions or experiences of peace – as a way of stimulating conversation and reflection with others. We have also had a go at writing some ‘useful fiction’, to present scenarios through accessible, engaging narrative while posing important questions about how to foster peace for the future.
- NGO peacebuilding: In this reflective blog, Samuel Huff offers a case study of Save the Children, which examines their contributions to both negative and positive peace; he also asks why they do not label their work explicitly as peacebuilding, and wonders what positive benefits might flow if they did, in expanding our understanding of and sense of involvement and empowerment in peacebuilding as a holistic endeavour.
- Constructive Climate Communication: Visualising Peace student Madighan Ryan has been researching the links between peace-building and environmentalism. She has combined this with her interests in journalism, advocacy, public debate and civil resistance – which are all key to how we identify and address conflicts and their causes. In her report on Constructive Climate Communication in Wealth Democracies, Madighan examines the barriers to constructive discussion and action, and explores some solutions that might close the ‘attitude-behaviour gap’, converting fear and false hope into constructive worry, realisable aspirations and positive steps towards both climate security and human security.
- Young people’s experiences with peace education: from inner to outer peace – by Otilia Meden. As a Laidlaw Scholar at the University of St Andrews, Otilia spent six weeks in July and August 2023 conducting some comparative research into young people’s experiences of peace education in Argentina, Denmark and the UK, with a particular focus on the relationship between inner and outer peace. This blog outlines her preliminary findings.
- James Hogg as Peacemaker – by Thomas Frost. This blog looks at two works by the Scottish writer James Hogg which explore cultural memories of past conflicts. In particular, it shows how Hogg centres marginalised, vernacular narratives of past conflicts. It then relates this project to the work of contemporary peacebuilders concerned with narrative and storytelling, and argues that Hogg’s literary project can be read as a form of peacebuilding in relation to historic conflict.
- Peace and Place – by Eleni Spilliotes. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Eleni Spilliotes discusses the research she has been doing into place-making as a form of peace-making. She draws on publications from a wide range of disciplines, and considers examples of place/peace-making in several different countries and contexts. Below the video, you can find a summary of the publications she discusses. These are also available in our Visualising Peace Library.
- Peace, Sustainability and Politics – by Kim Wahnke. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Kim Wahnke discusses the connections made between environmentalism, peace and politics in interdisciplinary scholarship. This is part of her wider research into discourses of peace within democratic politics. She is interested in how peaceful (or not) electoral processes tend to be, what attention political campaigns pay to peace and peace-building, and how closely linked democracy and peace are (or are not) in different contexts. Along with the video, you can find a summary of the publications she discusses. These are also available in our Visualising Peace Library.
- Agency: peace in peace studies, media studies and pedagogy – by Ekin Cotuk. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Ekin Cotuk discusses some of the scholarship she has been reading in different fields about peace linguistics, language education policies, the agency that people derive from language learning/fluency, and their intersection with peace and peace-building. Along with the video, you can find a summary of the publications she discusses. These are also available in our Visualising Peace Library.
- Verbum Vincent: Psychology and Narrative in the Future of Peace-building – by Mathias Katsura. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Mathias Katsura discusses some of the scholarship he has been reading about the affective impact of storytelling in peace-building. He discusses what is missing from current approaches, reviews a series of case studies where effective use of narratives has helped to underpin key steps in conflict cessation/resolution and peace-building, and outlines some key takeaways about ‘winning the mind, winning the day, and winning the peace’. Along with the video, you can find a summary of the publications he discusses. These are also available in our Visualising Peace Library.
- The Republic of Ireland and the Northern Irish Conflict – by Aimee Capraro. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Aimee Capraro discusses some of the scholarship she has been reading about the role played by different cultural movements within the Republic of Ireland in promoting or threatening peace in Northern Ireland. Among other topics, she looks at publications on the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) and Irish language teaching/use. The scholarship that she discusses can be found in our Visualising Peace Library.
- Inner Peace – by Otilia Meden. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Otilia Meden discusses some of the scholarship she has been reading about care and self-care in peace-building – both for locals impacted by conflict and for peace practitioners and researchers. She highlights important links between self-care and communal compassion, and also engages with the idea of ‘radicalising resilience’ in relation to women survivors of war. Along with the video, you can find a summary of the publications she discusses. These are also available in our Visualising Peace Library.
- Visualising Peace and Place in Different Disciplines – by Margaux de Seze. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Margaux de Seze discusses some of the scholarship she has been reading about the relationship between peace and place. She also reviews an article about ‘peace’ in Sri Lanka, as a ‘peretrator’s peace’, experienced as ongoing oppression and violence by many. Margaux offers some reflections about the value of cross-disciplinary reading as we continue to deepen our understanding of different kinds of peace and peace-building. Along with the video, you can find a summary of the publications she discusses. These are also available in our Visualising Peace Library.
- (non)Academic Style: autoethnography and transrationality in peace education – by Joe Walker. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Joe Walker discusses some of the scholarship he has been reading on peace education. He looks particularly at emotional (as opposed to cognitive) approaches to peace education, and reflects on the use of auto ethnography and the theory of ‘transrationality’ in teaching practices. Along with the video, you can find a summary of the publications he discusses. These are also available in our Visualising Peace Library
- America Catholic Pacifism in the 20th Century – by Thomas Frost. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Thomas Frost discusses some of the scholarship he has been reading on pacifism within American Catholicism. Along with the video, you can find a summary of the publications he discusses. These are also available in our Visualising Peace Library.
- Navigating AI in Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution and Restorative Justice – by Isabel Frasier. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Isabel Frasier discusses ‘the good, the bad, and the ugly’ of AI’s current and potential applications in conflict and peacebuilding.
- Gaming and Bilingualism in Peace Education – by Shengyuan Ji. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Shengyuan Ji discusses a range of publications that cover gaming and bilingualism as interesting manifestations of peace education, not only in the classroom but also in military training contexts. Along with the video, you can find a summary of the publications he discusses. These are also available in our Visualising Peace Library.
- Narratives of Peace in South American 20th-century literature – by Christy Forshaw. In this presentation, Visualising Peace student Christy Forshaw discusses some theoretical scholarship on ‘peace literature’ and reflects on some examples she has found of this little-studied genre in South American literature from the 20th century. She discusses how thinking about ‘peace literature’ as a genre can help us reframe, rethink and re-engage with texts which we often classify and interpret in different (more conflict-focused) ways.
- ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’: international relations, peace and the way forward – by Mathias Katsuya. This presentation examines the dominance the ‘liberal peace’ narrative in the field of International Relations. Beyond explaining the theoretical underpinnings of ‘liberal peace’, it discusses the consequences of assuming the universality of particular visualisations of peace for both academia and real-world peacebuilding efforts. Katsuya then outlines alternative conceptualizations of peace, illustrating instances of success through contemporary case studies ranging from post-Good Friday Agreement Northern Ireland to present-day Somaliland.
- Human Nature and the Potential for Peace – by Claire Percival. In this presentation, Claire reflects on what she has learnt about different habits of studying peace by comparing approaches in Modern History and Social Anthropology. She underlines the importance of de-centring heavily theory-based, ‘standard’ Western narratives of peace, as simply the opposite of conflict. She also problematises tendencies in some anthropological scholarship that promote indigenous people and belief systems as ‘models’ of peace/peaceful practices which Western initiatives can simply adopt/utilise. Claire’s analysis underlines what these two different disciplines can learn from each other, and what they can offer together in deepening our understanding of peace itself and of the various ideologies that different communities attach to it.
- Royal Beheadings and Christian Peace Committees: how the visualisation of peace in the Medieval and Early Modern Era differed throughout Europe – by Kara Devlin. In this blog Kara discusses some of the items she has added to The Visualising Peace Library. Focusing on Medieval History, she highlights some important facts about the ways in which people experienced, understood and worked towards peace in this era – and she also draws attention to some of our blindspots in studying Medieval peace-making.
- A Timeline of Peace in the Medieval Period – by Kara Devlin. In this blog Kara introduces a data visualisation experiment, which she has designed to help us visualise how peace was experienced, described, imagined and worked for by Scottish and English participants in a series of Anglo-Scottish wars during the Medieval and Early Modern periods.
- Bridging the gap between theory and practice – by Harris Siderfin. In this video, Harris discusses a range of items he has included in the Visualising Peace Library, particularly relating to peace education.
- Peace in Post-Conflict Societies: conflict and intergroup contact theory – by Harris Siderfin. In this video Harris discusses his research into intergroup conflict and social identity theory, particularly in post-conflict societies. Drawing on scholarship from Psychology and International Relations, he explores how different relationships are built within communities (both directly and through indirect means, such as via storytelling in different media) and the forces that create outgroups and segregation. He argues for more attention to be paid to social identities in understanding and building peace.
A Vertically Integrated Project
