Kroc professors Jackie Smith and Ernesto Verdeja have received a Kroc research grant for an interdisciplinary project to examine the connections between the global economy and violent conflict. In response to the world’s deepening economic crisis, this project seeks to integrate the work of scholars of peacebuilding, structural violence, globalization, democracy, civil society, and social movements.
Contemporary peace research often focuses on local actors in a post-conflict setting, Smith said, while rarely taking into account how international political structures and market globalization affect fragile peace processes. This research will explore how economic development strategies and the larger global economic system affect peacebuilding work around the world.
Jackie Smith is associate professor of sociology and peace studies and an expert on transnational dimensions of social movements for peace and justice. Her most recent book is Social Movements for Global Democracy (Johns Hopkins University Press). Ernesto Verdeja is assistant professor of political science and peace studies. His new book is Unchopping a Tree: Reconciliation in the Aftermath of Political Violence (Temple University Press).
A public panel titled “Globalization, Social Movements, and Peacebuilding” will mark the start of this research project. It will be held at 4 p.m., Thursday, October 29, in the University of Notre Dame’s McKenna Hall.
Contact: Jackie Smith, (574) 631-2640, jsmith40@nd.edu, or Ernesto Verdeja (574) 631-8533, everdeja@nd.edu