How to Talk About Peace While Waging War?

With the world’s attention focused on conflict in Ukraine and on the situation in the Middle-East it is increasingly difficult to talk about peace. Maximalist demands have emerged on all sides. The devastation that has followed the escalation of conflicts in many areas of the planet has left people with little appetite for compromise, and few are in the mood for peace-making. However, the real question is always: does a clear endgame to exit war exist? What peace is? For whom and where does it take place?

The objective of this one-day symposium is to reflect on how to approach peace in contemporary times. Prospective participants are welcome to reflect on the topic from any theoretical, geographical and empirical viewpoints, drawing comparative lessons from the past and the present, including (but not limited to):

- Reconciliation in divided societies (or nations);

- Migrants and refugees;

- Development and ecological destruction;