Center for Peace and Development

Throughout 2021-2022, The Center for Peace and Development has co-hosted a series of talks with Security in Context, bringing a wide range of scholars to the University of Oklahoma. These include "Sewers and Social Justice" with Miriam Solis of the University of Texas at Austin; "Climate Change in an Unequal World" with James K. Boyce of the University of Massachusetts Amherst; "The IMF and How Billions of People Can Benefit from a Simple, Costless Act of Congress" with Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research; "Accessibility and Opportunity for All?" with Joel Mendez of the University of Kansas; "Identifying the Policy Levers that Generated Wage Suppression and Inequality in the U.S." with Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute; "Climate Responsibility and Industrialization: A New Asian Dilemma?" with Jayati Ghosh of the University of Massachusetts Amherst; "Multipolarity, US-China Relations and the Political Economy of Global Insecurity" with Jeffrey D. Sachs of Columbia University; "Rethinking Internationalism" with Simon Reid-Henry of Queen Mary University of London; "Global Inequities and Climate Change" with Farhana Sultana of Syracuse University; and "Poetry, Peace, and Truth: Lessons from Colombian Young People" with Kate Vieira of the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

In fall 2022, the center and Security in Context also organized their first ever conference, titled "Landscapes of Insecurity." Scholars from all over the world participated in the two-day event, which featured six total panels on various topics related to insecurity around the globe.

The Center for Peace and Development will also be running its signature study abroad program again in summer 2023: the Northern Uganda Collaborative Learning Program. Students and faculty are based in Gulu, Uganda, and partner with local grassroots organizations to learn from each other in unique and meaningful ways. The students will complete coursework related to their collaboration with these organizations, and will help organize a women's peace conference for local community leaders. The program has been a great success in past summers and the center is excited to continue partnering with Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe and other leaders in Gulu.

Photos: Co-directors Sara Ann "Sally" Beach, professor of literacy education & Grant Family Presidential Professor, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, and John Harris, assistant professor and director of regional and city planning, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture