ABOUT US
Returning to Our Roots
Established in 1964 as a non-profit international scientific association of peace researchers and educators, International Peace Research Association (IPRA) forms the world’s oldest consortium of multi-disciplinary workers the field of peace research. We seek to answer-- the contours of conflict and its prevention, the successes and failures of building justice-based societies, the role of resistance in fighting oppression, war, and all its causes—we have no time left to avoid the hard work ahead.
IPRA’s General Conference in 2023—to be held in Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean—a crossroads of the Americas—provides a distinct opportunity to do just that. To progress toward IPRA's mission, we will be a Pan-American, Pan-African, Indigenous and Maroon-centered gathering. Therefore we invite a diverse international collective of researchers, scholars, artists, activists, protectors, and youth to join us as we envision a world built on justice and peace through collective knowledge-building, sharing and action.
IPRA’s 2023 Trinidad conference is a space we must immerse ourselves: with our dreams and our most creative thinking about the world we must rebuild. Throughout the post-Covid 19 planet, our fluid movements of movements—of all types and tactics, diverse ideologies and methodologies—we must do the deep research to develop effective strategies such that a “new normality” takes root to replace the barbarous old one.
IPRA’s mission is to advance research into the conditions of peace and the causes of war and other forms of violence and IPRA engages in global cooperation for the advancement of peace research by:
- Promoting national and international studies and teaching for pursuit of world peace,
- Facilitating global contacts among scholars and educators
- Encouraging the global dissemination of research results through scientific publications and information on o research activities.
Meet The Collective
Aiza Khan
I am a feminist, student, and researcher based in Doha, Qatar. I have a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and I am pursuing a Masters in Women, Society, and Development at Hamad bin Khalifa University.
Alicia Browne
Alicia is a mother, real estate professional and risk advisory professional for over 15 years. She enjoys coaching tennis and spending time with her family. Alicia is an avid learner and believes once you are breathing you should be learning something new everyday. Her mantra is "We are only here for one go around, so live life to the fullest, in peace and love."
Angelique Nixon
Dr. Angelique V. Nixon is a Bahamas-born, Trinidad-based writer, artist, and scholar-activist. She is a Lecturer (with Tenure) and Graduate Studies Coordinator at the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at The UWI St. Augustine. Her research and teaching areas include Caribbean and postcolonial studies, African diaspora literatures, gender and sexuality studies, tourism and diaspora studies, and transnational migrations. .
Antonevia Ocho-Coultes
Antonevia is a serial educator, artist and entrepreneur. She is committed to creating mechanisms that empower the Caribbean and its diaspora around the world. She is currently the CEO and founder of MA’s Playhouse, a theater and media company focused on elevating and recording the voices within her community.
Attilah Springer
Attillah Springer is a Trinidad born writer, media and cultural worker with an interest in the intersections between culture, memory, festival arts and social justice. She is also a Director of Idakeda Group, a collective of women in her family creating cultural interventions for social change.
Casilda Suarez Hesketh
I am a clinical-educational practitioner and consultant based in Mexico City. After pursuing a Masters in Applied Psychology at New York University in Latina mother and child mental health, I have collaborated in several health and education projects with local and international organizations in Mexico City, including migrant centers, the Mexican Institute of Public Health, UNICEF, and women’s advocacy initiatives.
Christina M Noto
Christina Noto (she/her) is a 6th grade STEM teacher in Washington DC and has taught since 2019. She graduated from Gettysburg College in 2019 with a BA in History and minors in Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies, and Peace & Justice Studies.
Dane Peters
Dane Peters is a Doctoral Student in Teaching Social Studies program at Columbia University Teacher’s College. His research focuses on Africana Studies as a decolonizing methodology and how de-centering eurocentrism operates as both healing centered and trauma informed practice. He has dedicated himself to the education and the inspiring of young people through history and civic engagement.
Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones is a senior at Gettysburg College, originally from Culpeper, Virginia. He has a passion for youth-centered peacebuilding both within and outside of academia. Daniel holds core the Freirean synergy between both reflection and action--praxis-- which guides his many varied social change projects. In all of his youth-centered projects, he makes it a core goal to include young scholars and activists as equal partners/organizers with the professors, policymakers, and other primary stakeholders of whom they work with.
Debbie Ann Chambers
Dr. Debbie-Ann Chambers, is a licensed counselling psychologist. She holds a PhD in counselling psychology, a Post Graduate Diploma in Loss, Grief and Trauma Management and is certified as a Poetry Therapy Practitioner. Debbie-Ann is currently the Head of Unit for the University Counselling Service at the University of the West Indies, Mona in Jamaica.
Diana Agudelo
Psychologist, Universidad Externado de Colombia. PhD Candidate in Knowledge and Culture in Latin America, Instituto Pensamiento y Cultura en América Latina - IPECAL, Mexico. She works on intercultural health issues in Latin America and on territorial rights of ethnic communities; violence and mental health; peace building and subjectivity, anchored in cultural psychology and inspired by principles of epistemological pluralism, decolonizing studies, "structuring solidarity" and non violence.
Estaban Ramos
Esteban A. Ramos Muslera PhD, he is currently Secretary General of the Latin American Council for Peace Research (CLAIP), Coordinator of the Peace Area of the University Institute for Democracy, Peace and Security (IUDPAS) of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), Council member of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) and Director of the Latin American Journal Peace and Conflict Studies.
Fatimah Jackson-Best
Dr. Fatimah Jackson-Best is a public health researcher with a specialization in mental health and focuses on communities in Canada and the Caribbean. Her life’s work has been dedicated to integrating intersectional frameworks into public health and mental health discourse, particularly surrounding Black women, disabled, and LGBTQIA folks, and her research has been published in numerous peer reviewed journals. Currently Dr. Jackson-Best is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact at McMaster University.
Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams
Dr. Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams is a Co-Chair of the IPRA 2023 Conference Planning Committee. He is the Daria & Eric Wallach Professor/Director of Peace & Justice Studies, Associate Professor of Africana Studies, affiliate in Education, and advisory committee member in International & Global Studies, Public Policy, and Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg College.
Katrina Leclerc
Kim Khánh Nguyễn Nalpas
Kim Khánh Nguyễn Nalpas is a doctoral candidate in the Critical Social and Personality Psychology program at CUNY. Her research interests are centered around how critical consciousness might shape healing practices. She specializes in gender, trauma, and decolonizing knowledge production.
Kwame Gayle
Kwame is an educator and organizer from Jamaica. He has taught for programs all over the world, including in Japan through the Exchange and Teaching Program, in Botswana as a Princeton in Africa Fellow, and in Myanmar as an American University Graduate Service Learning Fellow. Kwame served as a board member for the non-profit African Community Education while working as assistant director of admissions at St. Mark’s School in Massachusetts. He currently is a manager at Due West Education, an education consulting company based in Beijing, China. Often described as a jovial and positive individual, Kwame loves traveling, the performing arts, and eating good food.
Logan Grubb
Logan Grubb (he/him) is an honors graduate of Gettysburg College, originally from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. As a musician, peacebuilder, and mediator, Logan has a passion for working at the nexus of communities, arts, and bridging divides. He is a Project Specialist with the Boston-based training and consultancy firm Vantage Partners and serves as the Pennsylvania Chief of Staff & Program Coordinator for Urban Rural Action, a peace-building nonprofit. Logan is also an active chorister and soloist, regularly performing in the Harrisburg area.
Manish Sharma
Margo Tamez
Nikita Reece is a gender and peace researcher. She is a PhD candidate focusing on human rights, gender justice and peace at the Universitat Jaume I in Spain. She attained her first degree in Law and Politic Science, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), and the Masters in International Peace, Conflict and Development.
Nikita Reece is a gender and peace researcher. She is a PhD candidate focusing on human rights, gender justice and peace at the Universitat Jaume I in Spain. She attained her first degree in Law and Politic Science, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), and the Masters in International Peace, Conflict and Development.
Paulo Kuhlmann is a social clown, and a professor in International Relations at the State University of Paraiba, researching Arts for peacebuilding, and tools for conflict treatment. His project is University in Action Project (PUA) with many activities in public , .
Paulo Kuhlmann is a social clown, and a professor in International Relations at the State University of Paraiba, researching Arts for peacebuilding, and tools for conflict treatment. His project is University in Action Project (PUA) with many activities in public , .
Natasha-A. Henry-Graham
Natasha-A. Henry-Graham is a Trini-American public health scientist and program evaluator. She works for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Office of Inspector General where she is responsible for conducting national program evaluations that promote efficiency and responsible stewardship of the environment. Her work has merited awards over the years, including most recently the 2020 Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Award for Excellence.
Nikita Reece
Nikita Reece is a gender and peace researcher. She is a PhD candidate focusing on human rights, gender justice and peace at the Universitat Jaume I in Spain. She attained her first degree in Law and Politic Science, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), and the Masters in International Peace, Conflict and Development.
Paulo Kuhlmann
Paulo Kuhlmann is a social clown, and a professor in International Relations at the State University of Paraiba, researching Arts for peacebuilding, and tools for conflict treatment. His project is University in Action Project (PUA) with many activities in public , .
Polly Walker
Polly O. Walker, PhD, is of Cherokee descent and a member of the Cherokee Southwest Township, and serves as chair of the Indigenous Education Institute. She holds the position of liaison between the Peace and Justice Studies Association and the International Peace Research Association. As an Associate Professor Emeritus at Juniata College.
Maria Jose Bermeo Valencia
María José Bermeo, EdD is an assistant professor in the School of Education of the University of los Andes. Her research and teaching interests focus on education policy and practice in settings affected by violence. She is also co-founder of the Diversity and Education research group, leading a comprehensive initiative to integrate inclusive education across education programs at the University of los Andes.
Marite Munoz
Matt Meyer
Matt Meyer is an internationally noted author, historian, and organizer, re-elected in 2021 as IPRA's co-Secretary-General. Meyer is the Senior Research Scholar of the University of Massachusetts/Amherst’s Resistance Studies Initiative, a position he has held since retiring from 30+ years as a tenured educator and teacher-trainer for the New York City Department of Education.
Monica Solis
Monica Solis (she/they) is a first-year Political Science major and Peace and Justice minor at Gettysburg College, originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is also the Assistant Administrative Coordinator for the conference. They are currently a part of various student organizations focused on institutional changes that aspire to make Gettysburg College and the culture of higher education more inclusive and accessible, and she has an interest in law in studying law after completing their undergraduate studies.
Poncho Hernandez
Rajib Timalsina
Rajib Timalsina is Assistant Professor of Conflict, Peace and Development Studies at Tribhuvan University Kathmandu Nepal. Mr. Timalsina is also Director of Annual Status of Education Report (ASER Nepal) research and Peoples Action for Learning Network (PAL Network) country leader for Nepal.
Rina Malagayo Alluri
Dr. Rina Malagayo Alluri is Assistant Professor and Head of Unit of the Unit of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Innsbruck, Austria. Her research, teaching and practice focus on post-war contexts in Africa and Asia and on issues of decoloniality, diversity and intersectionality within peace studies. She is co-founder of The BIPOC Circle, a brave space initiative for BIPOC in Austria, a yoga teacher and a budding poet.
Steve Moah
Steve Moah PhD is a statistician with extensive experience in research and management skills acquired from over 20 years work with Ghana‘s National Statistics Office (GSS) which collects, analyses and make data on the population available to government and stakeholders.
Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs
Tabitha is a Trinidadian-American mom, writer, artist and organizer who works at the intersection of social impact and art. Tabitha writes for multiple outlets, including the column “Raising Antiracist Kids” for Romper. After helping organize Women’s Marches since 2017, Tabitha is Senior Advisor, Strategic Partnerships at Women’s March, after serving as Deputy Executive Director of Program.
Tricia Davidson
Tricia Davidson is a university lecturer based in mainland China. Her research interests lie in the field of sociocultural anthropology, examining the origins and cultivation of collective mentalities. She has a strong background in social work, having conducted outreach projects with several non-profit organizations within the Caribbean, North America and Europe.
Unto Vesa
Unto Vesa, born 1944. Emeritus research fellow at Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI), Tampere University, Finland. A founding member and the first President of the Finnish Peace Research Association in 1971 and a founding member of the European Peace Research Association (EuPRA) in 1990.
Wim Laven
Wim Laven PhD teaches courses in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution for the dept. of Political Science at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland Ohio. He is an educator, practitioner, and author.