Faculty of Social Sciences
Peaceful Relations and
the Transformation of
the World
Bradford Peace Studies’ Adam Curle Centenary Symposium
An Academic-Practitioner Dialogue on Peace in the 21st Century
5-6 September 2016, University of Bradford
Background
The 4th of July 2016 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,
Bradford’s Peace Studies 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. Curle drew further inspiration from a
range of religious teachings, particularly
those of Tibetan Buddhism, and he
remained a member of the Society of
Friends and much of his peace work was
conducted with the support of the Quakers.
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SY M P OS I U M
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He used these to inform a trenchant
critique not only of what he called the
“futility” of violence, but also of the
materialism and ignorance which he
regarded as underlying it. This prompted
Curle to regard the broad promotion of
development and education as intimately
connected to the practice of peacemaking
and mediation. Curle’s emphasis on
“peaceful relations” is a highly original
theorisation of approaches to peace
practice, and it has informed the ethos of
Peace Studies at Bradford, which Curle
created in 1973. In his book, Tools for
Transformation, Curle divided his work into
three broad strands: peacemaking, social
change/development and education, and
these will be the three streams of the
Centenary Symposium, alongside one on
arts and peace to reflect the importance
Curle, a musician and poet, gave the arts in
peacemaking. The symposium aims to
strengthen interdisciplinary and practiceoriented 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.
WWW.BRADFORD.AC.UK/PEACE-STUDIES
Faculty of Social Sciences
Call for Participants
Adam Curle’s legacy has not just shaped
our framing of the key themes and streams
for this Anniversary Symposium; it has
also influenced our thoughts about the
Symposium format. While traditional
academic papers will be a significant
element of the Symposium, we are also
keen to encourage a range of other ways
of fostering engagement between
conference participants, and between
participants and the Symposium’s key
themes and questions. These will include
opportunities for dialogue, reflection, and
creative expression. Overall, we are aiming
to achieve a rich, diverse and stimulating
range of activities in the spirit of Adam
Curle’s recognition of the limitations of
purely intellectual work and the
importance of experimentation, reflective
practice, and conversation. Alongside
proposals for papers, then, we would also
welcome proposals for sessions and
activities that will enhance this aspect of
the Symposium. (John Paul Lederach and
Tom Woodhouse will be launching their
collection of Adam Curle’s papers.) The
emphasis is on coherence between Curle’s
approach to peace and knowledge
production and a Symposium methodology
which encourages exchange between
scholars and practitioners. There will be
opportunity for Open Space discussions
parallel with the Symposium streams and a
final keynote listening panel will bring
together the learning from the streams in
a participatory final event on “What Next
for Peace?”
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The Deadline for Proposals is:
29th of February 2016
Proposals should be submitted to:
[email protected]
Please include the following information:
Names and Affiliations (if any) of participants;
Nature of Proposal; Aim of Proposal;
Relevance to Conference Themes;
Space/Equipment Requirements
WWW.BRADFORD.AC.UK/PEACE-STUDIES
Faculty of Social Sciences
Adam Curle Symposium 2016
An Academic – Practitioner Dialogue
STREAM II:
PEACE, SOCIAL
CHANGE AND
DEVELOPMENT
STREAM I:
PEACEMAKING
STREAM III:
EDUCATION
STREAM IV:
ARTS AND PEACE
Sub-themes:
Sub-themes:
Sub-themes:
Sub-themes:
Peace-Building
from Below
Sustainable Peace
Building
Peace Practices
in Transition Societies
Young Men and Violence
After War
Social Change and Social
Relationships After War
Post War Economies:
Implications for Poverty
and Inequality
Rethinking the State
After War
Political Settlements and
Post War Politics
What does it mean to be a
radical educator in an era
of ‘counter radicalisation’?
Difficult knowledge: Is
anything off limits in
education?
Education and
the Sustainable
Development Goals
Mindfulness in education:
too good to be true?
Arts and Activism
Music, Peace and Change
Theatre and Social Justice
Transformations:
digital media, power
and conflict
Open Theme
Keynote
Speaker:
Keynote
Speaker:
Keynote
Speaker:
Keynote
Speaker:
Professor
John Paul Lederach
TBC
TBC
TBC
ACCOMPANYING EVENTS:
OPEN SPACE SESSIONS on Curle and Contemporary Peace Challenges
& Launch of Tom Woodhouse & John Paul Lederach Book: title TBC
KEYNOTE PANEL 6 DISCUSSION:
WHAT NEXT FOR PEACE?
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SY M P OS I U M
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WWW.BRADFORD.AC.UK/PEACE-STUDIES