A Vertically Integrated Project
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 … Read more
The Visualising Peace team has been exploring the relationship between responsible debate and peacebuilding. As part of this a group of students – Tao Yazaki, Zoe Gudino, Finlay Whitton, Anna Pilgrim, Jazmin Smallridge, and Tabitha Stuart – have been running a series of debates using different formats, from competitive to collaborative approaches. We had two … Read more
An interview between Visualising Peace members Tao Yazaki, Zoe Gudino and Alice König: Tao, Zoe: What is Responsible Debate? Alice: On a daily basis at the moment, I think we all see examples of debate that we might call ‘irresponsible’ – in politics, in some parts of the media, and online. Discussions that are based … Read more
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 … Read more
Around the world, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are actively working to address a wide variety of issues faced by individuals around the globe. The work of NGOs ranges from small, local operations to huge international efforts; but despite differences in scale and target demographics, NGOs work towards a common goal of tacking issues for the betterment … Read more
In the essay below, Visualising Peace student Albert Surinach I Campos discusses the nuanced ways in which Tolkien visualises peace and conflict across his works, especially in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also considers a range of illustrations, artwork and media adaptations of Middle-Earth and how they shift and alter Tolkien’s vision of pacifism … Read more
Kim Wahnke, December 2023 Fairy tales are one of the most well-known literary forms amongst children, and have occupied this space for centuries around the globe. With their simple forms and magical characters, they manage to appeal to a variety of children. Fairy tales are some of the most significant texts in influencing children and … Read more
Photographs are world-building. They don’t just reflect the world around us: they shape what we know, colour how we think, and impact how we feel. In his 2019 book Peace Photography (Palgrave Macmillan 2019) Frank Möller discusses the role that different kinds of photography have played in determining how we visualise and approach peace and peacebuilding. Noting … Read more
Visualising Peace student Otilia Meden has brought together two interests in her recent research: the cultivation of inner peace, and peace education. As a Laidlaw Scholar at the University of St Andrews, she spent six weeks in July and August 2023 conducting some comparative research into young people’s experiences of peace education in Argentina, Denmark … Read more
Shengyuan Ji, December 2022 Radicalisation The term ‘radicalisation’ has been defined as the process by which someone is encouraged to develop extreme views or beliefs in support of terrorist groups and activities’ . This definition is very vague; indeed, it does not really provide a definition for the term itself, but leans on two other very loaded … Read more