Swarthmore hosted the Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA) annual conference, “Leveraging Legacies and Peacemaking in Precarious Times,” which is the largest gathering of academics, students, practitioners, and activists focused on the study of peace and justice.

The conference, held on campus from Oct. 10 to 12, brought together 420 students, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers for a three-day discussion around issues of peace and conflict and how to mediate violent conflicts and increase peace. 

Past hosts of this annual conference include Georgetown University, Tufts University, Niagara University, University of Mount Union, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Swarthmore and, in particular, the Department of Peace & Conflict Studies, are thrilled to host this year’s event, which reached its maximum capacity of registrations.

“We are deeply honored to host this national gathering of esteemed colleagues in the field of peace and conflict studies from around the nation,” says Sa’ed Atshan ’06, associate professor and chair of Peace & Conflict Studies and conference-co-chair. “The Quaker founders of Swarthmore would have been proud to see this gathering of hearts and minds." 

The PJSA is the North American chapter of the International Peace Research Association. The conference is just one of the many initiatives PJSA holds to strengthen its commitment toward nonviolence and structural changes to create a more just and equitable society. PJSA serves as a professional association for scholars in the field of peace and conflict studies, dedicating itself to bringing together academics, educators, and activists to explore alternatives to violence and share visions and strategies for peacebuilding and social justice. 

“Each year, we bring in a new community of stakeholders and a new community of presenters, and this year we have a large number of them,” says Michael Loadenthal, executive director of the PJSA. 

“It's important that people meet in person and be able to work through some of these rather challenging issues face to face,” he adds. “We as an association and us as educators typically do a lot of work online, but as we all know, through email and even through synchronous video communication, there’s a fair bit that’s lost.”

The conference consisted of panels of three to six presenters, with 75 minutes total divided among speakers plus a Q&A. This format allows scholars to give a deep dive into their research and present the conference with their nuanced expertise in a specific area. Three keynote speakers spoke, and film screenings, workshops, and poster sessions also took place.

The event has an additional layer of meaning for Lee Smithey, professor of Peace & Conflict Studies and conference co-chair, who served as an assistant host for the PJSA conference three decades ago as a graduate student.

“We’re thrilled to host this year’s conference,” says Smithey. “Having attended many conferences in convention centers and hotels, it is a real privilege to get to invite one's colleagues and friends to network, share, and learn within the beauty of the Scott Arboretum." 

The College's commitment to peace, equity, and social responsibility, rooted in its founding as a coeducational Quaker institution, makes Swarthmore a natural fit for a PJSA conference, adds Smithey.

“After all, the first formal peace and conflict studies course in a Western institution of higher education was taught at Swarthmore College in 1888,” he says. “Plus, we are blessed with such outstanding resources, like the Peace Collection and the Friends Historical Library, which support scholarship in our field. "