CONFLICT STUDIES: The New Generation of Ideas
The Seventh Biennial Conference for Graduate Students Studying Conflict
October 31 - November 1, 2008
The 7th Biennial Graduate Student Conference is now history, and by all accounts it was a resounding success [some even claim the best conference ever, but that’s hard to verify.]
We had a fabulous turn-out, with 105 graduate students coming from some 30 universities representing more than a dozen disciplines and at least 15 different countries. Fifty-seven students, currently enrolled in or recently graduated from graduate programs ranging from Certificate to PhD, presented workshops and papers.
Most tellingly, the feedback from the student participants was overwhelmingly enthusiastic; this comment from a student who made the trip from Cornell University is representative:
“That was the best conference I have ever been to, in terms of opening up my eyes to other areas of the field, meeting people doing new research, and re-focusing my own research projects/interests. I gained so much from the experience and want to thank you again for the opportunity and all the work you did in organizing!”
Conference Information
This conference is an opportunity for graduate students who are studying conflict in diverse contexts and disciplines to come together and share their research and ideas.
In addition to showcasing graduate student papers, the conference will feature keynote addresses by noted scholars and practitioners, skill building workshops, and opportunities to network with practitioners, scholars and fellow students.
The conference is held in the state-of-the-art Campus Center of the University of Massachusetts Boston, allowing participants easy access to the City of Boston with its wealth of educational and cultural resources. Previous conferences have each attracted over 150 participants from universities across the US, Canada, and worldwide.
To date, we've received proposals from and anticipate participation from graduate students representing numerous colleges and universities including:
American University; Arcadia University; Boston College; Carnegie Mellon University; Columbia University; Cornell University; Eastern Mennonite University; Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; George Mason University; George Washington University; Hamline University Law School; Harvard University Divinity School; Harvard University Law School; Helsinki University of Technology; Munich University Law School; Nova Southeastern University; Pepperdine University Law School; Portland State University; St. Thomas University [Canada]; Tufts University; University of Denver; University of Massachusetts; University of Missouri; University of San Diego; University of Pittsburgh; Wellesley College; Woodbury College; Yale university
Note: A group page has been created for all conference presenters and attendees on the social networking site Facebook. If you have a Facebook profile we encourage you to join the group. If you do not yet have a Facebook profile we encourage you to create a Facebook profile so that you can network with other conference attendees. The name of the group is “Umass Boston Conflict Studies Conference 2008”. You can link to it from Facebook www.facebook.com at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=23823422368#/group.php?gid=23823422368
Keynote Speaker: Padraig O'Malley
Padraig O'Malley specializes in the problems of divided societies, such as South Africa and Northern Ireland, and Iraq. He has written extensively on these subjects and has been actively involved in promoting dialog among representatives of differing factions.
Beginning in September 2007, O’Malley was instrumental in convening 3 separate gatherings of Iraqi political leaders from across the country's sectarian divide - Sunni, Shia, and Kurd; he arranged to have the talks facilitated by experienced negotiators from South Africa and Ireland who described the processes toward peace in their countries.. In July 2008 the talks culminated in an agreement signed by 37 of the most powerful political figures in Iraq representing every shade of political opinion, defining the framework for conducting future negotiations among parties and mechanisms to monitor compliance with the principles.
Padraig O’Malley is the John Joseph Moakley Distinguished Professor for Peace and Reconciliation at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Visiting Professor of Political Studies at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Born in Dublin, he is founder and editor of the New England Journal of Public Policy. He has authored many books, among them the award-winning Uncivil Wars: Ireland Today, Biting at the Grave, and, most recently, Shades of Difference: Mac Maharaj and the Struggle for South Africa. He is recipient of the International Association of University Presidents Peace Award.
Accommodations
There are numerous hotel accommodations throughout the city of Boston. Our campus is easily accessed by public transportation, and is located on the MBTA Red Line at the UMass/JFK Library stop. See the map at http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/
Information on Prior Conferences
2006 Program | 2006 Keynote | 2006 Workshops | 2006 Conference Proceedings
CONFLICT STUDIES: The New Generation of Ideas
The Fifth Biennial Conference for Graduate Students Studying Conflict
October 28-30, 2004
Keynote Speaker Lieutenant-General Roméo A. Dallaire Dallaire
Click here to view the 2004 Program, 2004 Workshops and
2004 Keynote Speaker.
Download 2004 Conflict Studies Conference Flyer PDF or Program of Events PDF:
2004 Conflict Studies Conference Flyer
2004 Conflict Studies Conference Program
Keep the conversations going!
Log on to the Facebook Group “Umass Boston Conflict Studies Conference 2008”. You can link to it from Facebook www.facebook.com
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=23823422368#/group.php?gid=23823422368
We will be posting the final papers here shortly; please check back.