Leveraging Legacies of Peacebuilding in a Precarious Time
The annual conference of The Peace and Justice Studies Association

Hosted by the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Swarthmore College

OCTOBER 9-12, 2025 | Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA

- Proposal Submission Deadline: May 1, 2025
- Early Bird Registration: May 15 – June 15, 2025
- Draft Schedule Released: June 1, 2025

This year’s conference focuses on the theme of temporality and peacebuilding – we are interested in scholarship that traces the trajectories of peace-oriented social movements in the past and present. We are also envisioning the future of peacebuilding efforts, both locally and globally and seeking to illuminate the importance of intergenerational organizing, faith-based understandings of peace, and interdisciplinary approaches to studying conflict transformation.

Our conference convenes during the emergence of a new Presidential administration and a time of political and social turmoil, raising questions about peacebuilding in the U.S. and around the world. Also, the rise of American white Christian nationalism, as well as far-right populism globally, is alarming. Yet, rich histories of resistance, whether through Indigenous practices, racial justice movements, peace churches, or other peace and justice currents, provide hope and deserve our attention as researchers and educators.

We are particularly interested in presentations that focus on the following areas:
- Quaker Studies & peacebuilding
- Global histories of peacebuilding
- Social movements and intersectionality
- The role of STEM in peacebuilding (e.g., peace engineering)
- Responding to authoritarian political trends
- Inter-generational organizing

Participants are encouraged to frame their contributions to the conference in ways that ‘leverage’ peacebuilding in these unique ways.

The Conference
The conference is a collaboration between the Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA), a bi-national organization in the U.S. and Canada, and the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies Department at Swarthmore College. The College seeks “to build a more inclusive and equitable learning space for present and future generations through deliberate actions and collaborations” resonating with the Peace and Justice Studies Association’s own efforts at decolonizing educational spaces.

About Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private liberal arts institution nestled in Pennsylvania’s Delaware Valley. Just a short train ride from Philadelphia and a twenty-minute drive from the city’s international airport, Swarthmore is perfectly situated to engage with a city renowned for its rich history and active social movements. Founded by Quakers, Swarthmore College values academic excellence, social responsibility, and the pursuit of more just and peaceful futures.

We think the beauty of Swarthmore College’s 425-acre campus, with more than 4,000 plant varieties stewarded by the Scott Arboretum, will enhance our time together. After all, we know that peace, justice, and ecology are sister paradigms that inform and reinforce one another.

The Department of Peace and Conflict Studies welcomes all of our colleagues, and we look forward to learning from you and sharing some of our work. For example, the Peace Praxis Lab makes peace education accessible, empowering students to analyze and promote social change work on multimedia platforms through videos, podcasts, and blog posts for a range of public audiences. Our students also contribute to the Global Nonviolent Action Database which documents over 1,200 cases of nonviolent struggle around the world. Swarthmore is proud to house the Friends Historical Library, which contains invaluable records of Quaker history. We are also home to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, the largest archives and research library in the United States focused on peace activism around the world—a vital resource for researchers and activists documenting global movements for justice and nonviolence. During the conference, we invite you to engage in this active community by visiting the Peace Collection, which will be open for tours.

The city of Chester, located near Swarthmore College, boasts a long history of grassroots campaigns advocating for health and wellbeing. Crozier Theological Seminary nurtured Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s understanding of nonviolence, and today, organizations like Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living and its student chapter, C4, reflect a community with deep roots in social change work.

Our campus is alive with activism, as students lead initiatives that drive meaningful change. They organize workshops, educate outside the classroom, and participate in grassroots campaigns that challenge us to reflect critically on our values and practices. Our students have often been leaders and change-makers in fights for social justice. Campaigns for fossil fuel divestment, for inclusion of Black students and Black Studies, and initiatives to retire Greek life, among others, exemplify student activism and solidarity.

Submissions may include various formats:
- Individually submitted papers (to be organized into panels by the conference committee)
- Panels (3-4 individual papers or presenters linked thematically)
- Films, creative works, and art presentations
- Roundtable discussions (interactive, facilitated discussion led by presenter/s)
- Teaching and/or skill-building, interactive workshops

Submissions are limited to 2 per person

Submissions from teachers, students, activists, youth, and first-time presenters as well as academics are welcome. The PJSA conference provides a welcoming environment designed to facilitate the sharing of work and ideas across disciplines.

Submit your proposal here: https://www.peacejusticestudies.org/conference/2025-conference-submit-your-proposal/

Registration
Details regarding registering are forthcoming. For more information, contact info@peacejusticestudies.org or visit https://www.peacejusticestudies.org. We aim to support participation by activists, students, and faculty-student groups and offer discounted registration. Reach out as early as possible to make arrangements.