Free, same-day onsite registration, open to the public
Edgewood University, in partnership with the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, will host a one-day interdisciplinary conference bringing together students, scholars, and community members to examine pressing global challenges related to peace, conflict, and international cooperation.
The conference will feature a range of presentation formats, including research papers, panel discussions, roundtables, posters, and creative or artistic works. Participants will explore critical issues such as mass migration, human rights, military intervention, and changes in various national economic and defense strategies and in the structure of international organizations and alliances.
Designed as a space for dialogue, reflection, and knowledge-sharing, the conference aims to foster cross-disciplinary exchange and encourage thoughtful engagement with complex global issues. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from diverse perspectives, connect with others working in related fields, and consider the local and global implications of contemporary conflicts.
PROGRAM of EVENTS
8:00-9:00 REGISTRATION (Continues through day) | PREDOLIN HUMANITIES CENTER (rotunda)
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST | WASHBURN HERITAGE ROOM
9:00-9:15 Welcome and Outline of the Day’s Events | WASHBURN HERITAGE ROOM
9:20-10:30 FIRST SERIES
- Session 1 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM 207
- Hadi Veisi, Elizabeth Tremeling | When Tech Meets Territory: Why Data Centers are Becoming New Sites of Conflict
- Kipper Bromia | Of Animals and Violence: Addressing Speciesism in Human-Animal Relations
- Session 2 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L2
- Tony Jing | Alignment Without Alliance: Explaining Russia-China Relations in the Contemporary Era
- Yuan Wang | Branding and Blaming: How Chinese Media Narrates the Panda Crisis with the U.S.
- Jessica Ann Wolf | The Sino-American Cold War: A Middle Eastern Playing Field of Humanitarian Crises
- Session 3 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L3
- Emily Fornof | Navigating Insecurity: Women’s Economic Responses to Insurgency in Mali
- Kanjshree Pathak | En route Change: A Gendered Perspective on Communication Networks and Patterns in Women-led Internal Migration in India
- Session 4 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L4
- Angeline Morgado | From Caracas to Santiago: The Politicization of the Venezuelan Diaspora and the Sacrifice of Democratic Values in Chile’s Presidential Elections
- Brian Mueller | Armed with Hammers, Not Bombs: Peacebuilding Amid War in 1980’s Nicaragua
- Desire Muhozi | Sovereignty Under Siege: Rwanda’s Security Dilemma and the International Politics of the Eastern DRC Crisis
- Session 5 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L5
- Chakar Khan | Pathways to Cooperation: A Relation Theory of Rebel Alliance Formation
- Tristan Shomaker | Credibility Architecture: Institutional Design and the Limits of Alliance Commitment in NATO
- Sedef Topal | Inter-rebel Coalitions: The Rise and Fall of United Fronts
10:40-11:50 SECOND SERIES
- Session 1 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM 207
- Keith Knutson | Prospects for the European Union to Lead the West
- Rio Meyer | Updates on the Struggle in Ukraine
- Aakash Sharma | The Fulcrum of Order: India’s Strategic Autonomy and the Rebalancing of Global Peacebuilding
- Session 2 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L2
- Ella Hunkins | The Dual Role of Religion in 21st Century Peacebuilding and Conflict
- James Breen | The Dark Side of Populism: Racism, Religious Bigotry, and Conspiracy Theories in Nineteenth Century America
- Samantha Liggett | The Christian Frame: Creating Unifying Migration Narratives
- Session 3 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L3
- Ishmael Dekrahn | European Migration Policies and their Impact on African Migrants
- Hasan Ali | European Securitized Narratives of Migration and the Reification of the “Migrant-as-Threat” Archetype in Public Attitudes towards Refugees and Asylum Seekers
- Jules Pary Bargiel | Margins within Margins: Colonial Legacies and Silenced Voices in the American Muslim Experience
- Session 4 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L4
- Sumana Chattopadhyay | Detained at the Border: Media Coverage of “Alligator Alcatraz” and the Spatial Politics of Immigration Control
- Charles Leigh | Donald Trump and Iran: A Case Study of International Relations Theories
- Sebastian Ollmann, Elija Geske | Bordering Insecurity: The Historical Construction of the US Border Patrol as a National Security Institution
- Session 5 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L5
- Khalil (Haji) Dokhanchi, others | Refugee for 60 Minutes: From Afghanistan to Germany (Exhibit)
12:00-12:30 LUNCHEON | WASHBURN HERITAGE ROOM
- Andrew Kruszka | Hmong Immigration in Wisconsin (Poster)
12:30-1:20 KEYNOTE PANEL PRESENTATION | WASHBURN HERITAGE ROOM
- Louise Cainkar, Jennifer Collins, Ali Abootalebi | The New World Disorder: Reflections on the Global Politics of US Empire in the Age of Trump 2.0 from the Middle East to Latin America
1:30-2:40 THIRD SERIES
- Session 1 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM 207
- Brayden Banks | Architects of Peace: Hibakusha, Listening, and the Transformation of Nuclear Memory into Political Obligation
- Jenna Green | Rhetorics of Irish Storytelling: Narrative Pedagogy to Support Peacebuilding
- Freesia McKee | Love Poetry in a Time of War
- Session 2 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L2
- Reem Itani | The Gendered Aspect of Forced Migration: A Comparison of Syrian Female and Male Refugees in Lebanon and Jordan
- Tara Zanon, Sofia Russi-Amador, Amelia Kallembach, Caitlyn Rochester | Gender Justice and the Pursuit of Peace: International Law in Practice
- Session 3 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L3
- Claire Ranft | Home: The Grounds for Persistence
- Aaron Schutz | House Meetings as a Community Organizing Strategy: Using Relationships to Build Collective Power
- Gabriel Velez, Elliot Bovi | Healing and Peace: Reflecting on Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee’s Collaborative Response to Trauma, Inequity, and Violence in Milwaukee’s Near West Side
- Session 4 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L4
- Bridget Bellehumeur, Ames Anderson, Quinn Mattsson, John Peck, Noah Wong, Adam Donahue, Carla Rattunde | How Investments and Other Financial Support by Local Academic Institutions Tie Us to Global Conflicts, Genocides, and Climate Change
- Freesia McKee, Liam Kaplan, Brian Larson | Progressive Action Organization
- Session 5 | LIBRARY CLASSROOM L5
- Bethlehem Bekele | The Economic Contributions of International Students to U.S. Universities and Local Economies
- George Dalbo | Navigating Difficult Knowledge: Pre-service Teacher Identity and Settler Colonialism
- Brian Larson | The Second General in the Classroom: A Framework for Upward Mobility
2:50-4:00 AWARDS CEREMONY | WASHBURN HERITAGE ROOM
- Ringler Awards
- Robert Pyne | Presented by WIPCS Associate Director John Fields
- Eric Yonke | Presented by WIPCS Executive Director Jennifer Collins
- Student Activist Awards | Presented by Jennifer Collins
- Thomas Fleming | Beloit College
- Damila Hurn | Beloit College
- Elias Lyman | Madison College
- Diego Rodriguez | UW-Milwaukee
- Student Scholar Award | Presented by Jennifer Collins
- Nora Graham | UW-Milwaukee
- Conference Student Paper Awards | Presented by John Fields
