Bradford symposium honours famous peace scholar
The University of Bradford is holding an event in memory of Adam Curle, the first Chair in Peace Studies, to reflect on his writings in the light of contemporary issues of war, violence and conflict.
The Adam Curle Symposium marks the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Adam Curle, peace scholar, Quaker activist international mediator and Founding Chair of Peace Studies at Bradford
To mark the occasion, the University of Bradford’s Peace Studies division is hosting the Adam Curle Centenary Symposium. Academics and practitioners around the world are invited to a dialogue on peace in the 21st Century in the light of Curle’s philosophy and practice.
Curle’s approach to Peace Studies was interdisciplinary, drawing on an academic career that spanned anthropology, psychology, education and development. It was also practical, reflecting experience in peacemaking and development in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and the Balkans. These academic disciplines and practical experiences informed his conception of “peaceful relationships”, which he regarded as key to understanding peace and conflict at different levels, from the quest for individual peace to the negotiation of settlements to interstate wars.
The symposium takes place 4-6 September, opening with a pre-event at the National Media Museum, followed by two days of talks at the University’s city campus. It aims to strengthen interdisciplinary and practice-oriented explorations of peaceful relations in the 21st Century and to assess the ongoing relevance of Curle’s ideas to the challenges the world faces today.
The event will also include the launch of a book on Curle, (‘Adam Curle: Radical Peacemaker’), published by Hawthorn Press and written by Tom Woodhouse, University of Bradford Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies and eminent US based academic John Paul Lederach.
Tickets are still available for the event which is open to students, alumni, scholars and practitioners with an interest in the international arena of Peace study and thinking. Key note speakers include Professor John Paul Lederach, Professor Cynthia Enloe and Professor James Thompson. Tickets cost £10 with discounts for students.
Professor Jenny Pearce, Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, said: “From Paris to Nice, Ferguson to Orlando, Aleppo to Kabul and Honduras to Nigeria - the world is experiencing a traumatic period of violence and war in the global North and the global South.
“This Symposium is an opportunity to discuss with leading scholars and experienced practitioners how to build peaceful relations and transform the world.
“We look forward to welcoming attendees to the University of Bradford to help us reflect on the meaning of peace in the 21st century.”
For more information and to book on visit http://www.adamcurle.co.uk/