Latest News
p(image-right). !/assets/204833/tamara_kay_icon.jpg(Tamara Kay)!
Tamara Kay, a scholar with extensive experience in Latin America and Africa, will join the new Keough School of Global Affairs as associate professor of global affairs, according to Scott Appleby, Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough School. Kay will hold a joint appointment in the Notre Dame Department of Sociology.
Professor Launches Project to Advance Scientific and Theological Literacy Among Madrasa Graduates in India
p(image-right). !/assets/142616/moosa_icon.jpg(Ebrahim E.I. Moosa)!
With a $1.2 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation, Ebrahim Moosa, professor of Islamic studies at the University of Notre Dame, has launched a three-year project to enrich scientific and theological literacy among recent graduates of Islamic seminaries in India.
Scholar of Chinese Literary and Internet Culture Appointed Director of Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies
p(image-right). !/assets/190697/michel_hockx_icon.jpg(Michel Hockx)!
Michel Hockx has been appointed director of the University of Notre Dame’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies within the new Keough School of Global Affairs. Hockx is professor of Chinese and director of the China Institute at SOAS, University of London. He will join the Notre Dame faculty in August 2016 and teach in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures within the College of Arts and Letters.
Ebrahim Moosa, Leading Scholar of Islamic Thought, Joins ND Faculty
p(image-right). !/assets/142616/moosa_icon.jpg(Ebrahim Moosa)!
Ebrahim E.I. Moosa, a leading scholar of Islamic thought, philosophy and literature, has been appointed professor of Islamic studies at the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and in the Department of History. Moosa will co-direct, with Scott Appleby, Contending Modernities, the global research and education initiative examining the interaction among Catholic, Muslim, and other religious and secular forces in the world.
Announcing New Ph.D. Program in Anthropology and Peace Studies
The University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute has added a degree program in Anthropology and Peace Studies to its existing lineup of doctoral programs in history and peace studies; political science and peace studies; sociology and peace studies; psychology and peace studies; and theology and peace studies.
The new program, a partnership between the Department of Anthropology and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, will educate and train scholars in both anthropology and interdisciplinary peace research. Applications are now being accepted for students seeking to begin their studies in fall 2014. The deadline is Dec. 15.
Kroc Institute Panel to Address Crisis in Syria
As the crisis in Syria intensifies, the United States and its allies are considering a response, including possible military strikes on Syria. A panel of experts convened by the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies will address the Syrian crisis at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10 in the Hesburgh Center for International Studies Auditorium.
Professor Sandra Gustafson Awarded NEH Fellowship
Sandra M. Gustafson, professor of English and concurrent professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame, has been awarded a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) fellowship to write a book on conflict and democracy in classic American novels. Faculty in Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters Notre Dame have been awarded 49 NEH fellowships between 1999 and 2013—more than any other university in the country.
New Book Illuminates Sierra Leonean War and the Role of Love
When Catherine Bolten first considered studying the city of Makeni in Sierra Leone, many people--government officials, professors, the U.S. ambassador--warned her to stay away. It’s a dangerous and immoral place, they told her, infamous because residents refused to fight the rebels who occupied Makeni for three years (1998-2002) during the decade-long civil war.
Innovative Scholar, Mentor, and International Peace Advocate
Robert C. Johansen, who retired this year as professor of political science and peace studies and a founding faculty member of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, was recently honored with a conference titled “Global Governance and the Future of Strategic Peacebuilding.” It focused on a central theme of Johansen’s scholarship and teaching: the importance of strengthening ethical and legal norms and international institutions that contribute to peace and justice.
Political Theorist Eileen Hunt Botting Studies Women’s Rights
“Ideas matter, and they can be a powerful force for global political change,” says Eileen Hunt Botting, a University of Notre Dame political theorist who charts early thinking on women’s rights in countries around the world. Botting and political science major Sean Kronewitter ‘13 cowrote an article on the subject which was recently accepted for publication in the academic journal _Political Theory_.
Sociologist Larissa Fast Researches Safety of International Humanitarian Workers
Hundreds of thousands of people around the world work for humanitarian organizations devoted to the sick and injured, refugees, and victims of wars and disasters. In recent years, this work has become even more dangerous, as growing numbers of humanitarian workers have been attacked, kidnapped, or killed, according to Larissa Fast, assistant professor of conflict resolution at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and Department of Sociology.
Political Scientist Daniel Philpott Begins Research on Forgiveness in Uganda
What role, if any, does forgiveness play in the context of war, in the wake of unspeakable atrocities? Daniel Philpott, associate professor of political science and peace studies, recently returned from Uganda, where he is exploring the practice of forgiveness among survivors of the two-decades-long civil war between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Ugandan government.
Political Scientist Debra Javeline Researches Responses to “Russia’s 9/11”
On the morning of September 1, 2004, University of Notre Dame political scientist Debra Javeline found herself, like many people around the world, glued to the television, watching in horror as the Beslan school hostage crisis—widely known as “Russia’s 9/11”—unfolded. Dozens of militants from a Chechen separatist group had converged on a school in the Russian town of Beslan in North Ossetia. For three days, the terrorists held hostage more than 1,200 children, teachers, and parents.
Alumnus Applies Peace Studies to Naval Career
University of Notre Dame government and peace studies alumnus Stephen Fuller '92 was recently appointed commanding officer of the USS Nicholas, the ship that captured the Somali pirates in spring 2010.
Notre Dame’s Peace Institute Responds to Middle East Tumult
Scholars at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies have been following with special interest the tumultuous events transforming Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Yemen and other countries in the Middle East. To draw faculty, students and the community into this conversation, the Kroc Institute has organized a public panel titled “Democratic Revolution in the Middle East? The Rise of Civil Disobedience in Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, and Beyond.”
Ph.D. Students Named Mullen Family Fellows
Two University of Notre Dame Ph.D. students studying peace studies and political science have been named Mullen Family Fellows.
New Book Reevaluates Work of Theologian Hans Frei
In his new book _Toward A Generous Orthodoxy: Prospects for Hans Frei's Postliberal Theology_, just released by Oxford University Press, Jason A. Springs, assistant professor of religion, ethics, and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Department of Sociology, reevaluates the work of American theologian Hans Frei.
Notre Dame Launches Contending Modernities Research Initiative
The University of Notre Dame, in partnership with scholars and educators from around the world, is inaugurating a major cross-cultural research project: Contending Modernities: Catholic, Muslim, Secular.
Sociologist Larissa Fast Researches Humanitarian Security
The U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded Larissa Fast, assistant professor of sociology and conflict resolution at the University of Notre Dame, and her co-investigators from Johns Hopkins University and Save the Children, a grant for research that seeks to increase security for international relief and development agencies worldwide.
Notre Dame Establishes Ph.D. Program in Theology and Peace Studies
The University of Notre Dame has established a Ph.D in theology and peace studies to educate and train scholars in both theology and interdisciplinary peace research. The program is a partnership between Notre Dame’s Department of Theology and Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
Cummings Research Focuses on Forgotten Victims of European Wars
After more than five years of study on the impact of political violence on children and mothers in Northern Ireland, University of Notre Dame faculty member Mark Cummings is expanding his research to include children and families in Croatia, where tens of thousands of people died in ethnic violence between 1991 and 1995.
Students Present Peacebuilding Proposal at United Nations
Five University of Notre Dame peace studies master’s students who developed an innovative proposal to advance peace in Colombia presented their recommendations to a panel of experts at the United Nations headquarters in New York on April 9, 2010. The proposal, developed by classmates Maria Helena Ariza (Colombia), Jimena Holguin (Colombia), Rachel Miller (U.S.A.), Patrick Otim (Uganda), and Laura Snider (U.S.A.), was selected for this honor by Students Participating in Resolving International Tensions (SPIRIT), a partnership of the U.N. and Columbia University.
Book Advances Bold New Vision of Peacebuilding
Oxford University Press has just published _Strategies of Peace_, a collection of provocative essays that explore innovative models for building peace after genocide, civil war, and terrorism. The book features the writing of eight faculty members of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and seven other scholars of peace and conflict from around the country.
Martha Minow to Deliver 16th Annual Hesburgh Lecture
Martha Minow, Dean and Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor at Harvard Law School, will deliver the 16th annual Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Lecture in Ethics and Public Policy at 4:15 p.m. March 16 (Tuesday) in the Hesburgh Center Auditorium. This lecture is free and open to the public.
Report Urges U.S. Policymakers to Engage With Global Religious Actors
A high-level task force co-chaired by R. Scott Appleby, the John M. Regan Director of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and professor of history, has released a report urging U.S. policymakers to rethink the role of religion in world affairs and proposing a new strategy for engaging religiously inspired people of all faiths.
Summer Institute Prepares Faculty to Teach Peace
Drawing on the success of last year’s program, Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies is preparing for its second annual Summer Institute in Peace Studies Program Development, which will be held June 13 to 18 (Sunday to Friday) at Notre Dame.
Study on ‘Untouchables’ Can Help End Human Rights Abuses, Scholar Says
The largest-ever study on the Dalits—the so-called “untouchables” of India—reveals widespread caste-based discrimination in every aspect of daily life, according to Christian Davenport, professor of peace studies, political science, and sociology and one of the co-authors of the research report.
Lopez Testifies on Sanctions Against Iran Before National Security Subcommittee
In testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs on Dec. 15, Notre Dame faculty member George A. Lopez argued against passage of HR 2194, which would impose severe economic sanctions on Iran in an effort to halt its nuclear weapons program.
New Book Examines “Rashomon Effect” and Implications for Conflict and Peace
A new book by Christian Davenport, professor of peace studies, political science, and sociology, explores the “Rashomon effect”—the tendency for events to be perceived and reported in different ways, depending on who is telling the story and to whom—and its implications for violence, protest, repression, and peace.
New Book Focuses on Reconciling Societies Shattered by Violence
How do you reconcile former enemies in a society shattered by war, genocide or violence? In a new book, _Unchopping a Tree: Reconciliation in the Aftermath of Political Violence_, political scientist Ernesto Verdeja answers this question by examining reconciliation efforts in post-conflict regions from Chile to South Africa to Bosnia and Herzegovina.