IPRA in the 3rd quarter of 2021: An Overview
Matt Meyer*
As we navigate the twists and turns of personal and political responses to the global Covid-19 health pandemic and the equally pervasive social epidemics of economic devastation, militarized politics and policing, and the intensifying climate crisis, it is hard to hold onto the idea that good news might also be present or near. As peace researchers—professionals and students and community leaders—it is nevertheless up to us to understand the opportunities ahead, and to do the work to make the hopes of so many people at least a few steps closer to reality.
It is in that interest that I write this IPRA Secretary-General report as a compiled series of “snapshots”—highlights of the last several months of work throughout our circles, deserving of greater attention and follow-up from all of us. Together, we will make sure that our new time ahead does not reflect the “old normal” of past and vast inequality and injustice, building instead to what must become the new normalcy of peace and liberation.
- IPRA’s Latin American regional association CLAIP held its biennial conference virtually, under the theme “A New Normalcy is Possible and Necessary” … and had over 3800 participants from throughout the Americas!! In addition to their incredible attendance and exciting presentations, CLAIP is also seeing growth through their multilingual professional journal which is gaining subscribers and accolades across the disciplines.
- A robust team has been meeting and working for IPRA’s 2023 General Conference, to be held in Trinidad and Tobago! Our biennial assembly promises to be a grand gathering of a scope and extent previously unrealized in our field. Look out soon for the Call for Proposals, which will be issued further in advance as we prepare for a more inclusive, engaged, and forward-looking coming together to promote peace research.
- Along with the IPRA Foundation, IPRA is proud to be in partnership with and the recipient of special grants from the Community Solutions Program of IREX, a US-based professional development funding source which matches mid-career international “Fellows” with partnering host organizations. Please see the related article in this issue of IPRA’s Newsletter, as we welcome 2021 CSP Fellows from Tunisia and Cameroon. Karama Habli and Rudolf Nsang joined our energizing IPRA Council Meeting this September as we enjoyed presentations from each of our regions as well as from Commission convenors. The Council meeting can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIGJcoSPqgA
- IPRA Publications Committee has been busy not only producing this newsletter, but also supporting our connections to Peace & Change (the special issue of our conference proceedings to come out in 2022), as well as to the Journal of Resistance Studies, and the Journal of Peace Education. Our Waging Nonviolence Peace Search web page continues to flourish, with a recent piece on Syria from young scholar Rahaf Safi.
- IPRA's United Nations work continues to develop, as partnerships with the Decolonization Committee and our disarmament work deepens in connection with the International Peace Bureau—holding their second global gathering space in Barcelona, Spain this Fall.
- The Occupied Peoples Forum —an eclectic group of academics and activists from the still-colonized peoples of Kashmir and Tibet, West Papua and Western Sahara, Palestine and Puerto Rico, Ambazonia and others-- has been in partnership with the Resistance Studies Initiative of the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and IPRA's CSP Fellow.
- A global forum titled "On Delegitimization and Solidarity: Sisiku AyukTabe—the Martin Luther King Jr of Ambazonia, the Nera 10, and the Myth of Violent Africa" was led by myself on 17 September 2021, the anniversary of the publication of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 's book Stride Towards Freedom
There is more going on than we can reasonably fit on these pages, but we still want to hear more from each of you! Take this time to write a piece about your activities and submit it to ipranewsletter@gmail.com. See them spotlighted in a future issue of this Newsletter.
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*Co-Secretary-General, International Peace Research Association (IPRA)