Department of Peace Studies and International Development

On day 4 we welcomed our own PSID colleagues Professors Emeritus Paul Rogers and Tom Woodhouse, Professor Owen Greene, and Drs Sudhir Selvaraj @sudhirselvaraj.bsky.social and Clara Voyvodic @cvoyvodic.bsky.social to discuss "Understanding our world through peace studies 'The Bradford Way'".

In Day 3, Laura Valentini gave the Martha Nussbaum Lecture is given by Professor Laura Valentini, on “Personal sovereignty, human flourishing, and institutions.”

Day 2 started with a powerful lecture from Prof. Lewis R. Gordon (UConn) on “Critical Reflections on Freedom, Justice, and Decolonization.”

Prof. FD Ferreira (LSE) gave the Amartya Sen Lecture on “Inherited Inequality, Meritocracy and Public Policy" about what inequality means for policy today.

Day 1 included the launch of the 2025 Human Development Report 2025, and the Mahbub Ul Haq Lecture delivered by Prof Kunal Sen on "Is inequality an inevitable consequence of economic development?".

We were proud to host the Human Development and Capability Association 2025 Conference: Culture, Peace and Capabilities in Bradford with @hdca.bsky.social!

#HDCA2025 brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world to explore human development and social justice.

While celebrating the theme of hope, the play spreads awareness of the disaster and encourages discussion on South Asia, environmental disasters, human rights, politics, globalization and development, and social justice.

Book now to join us on Wednesday 13 August from 5pm-7pm

🎭 Join our own @sudhirselvaraj.bsky.social as he leads an interactive reading of his documental play on the Bhopal Gas Disaster. The play takes us through a journey from ground zero of the gas leak to corporate board rooms and university campuses where campaigns for justice took place.

Congratulations to our very own @sudhirselvaraj.bsky.social for his new grant on designing board games with sanctuary seekers and refugees. At PSID we value collaborative and participatory research with creative applications!

The Cost of Doing Business - Civil War Paths Dr Clara Voyvodic is Lecturer in Peace Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford, focusing on the intersections of armed conflict, development, and local order

Excited to share my blogpost for @civilwarpaths.bsky.social Fellowship on the complex entanglements between business, conflict, and human rights! I discuss how corporations integrate the 'cost' of conflict into their ventures, despite dangerous consequences for civilians on the ground.

Very pleased to welcome one of our esteemed alumna, Bridget Sojourner to PSID! She shared her stories and a treasure-trove documenting the trailblazing institutional history of Peace Studies as well as her life's dedication to being a peacemaker, a change-maker, and - most of all - a troublemaker.

Next Wednesday (11 June) our very own Professor Christoph Bluth is presenting the Freedom Speakers International at the Light Church in Bradford. The three speakers, Yuna Jung, Riha Kim, and Sujin Kim, will share their stories about escaping from North Korea and their journey since.

Our brilliant Peace Studies students came from all over the world to spend a very thought-provoking week speaking with experts and peacebuilders working across Northern Ireland. Thank you to the Quakers Peace Studies Trust (QPST) for making our Annual Peace Studies Visit possible!

Aziz Foundation Scholarship (2025/26) - Scholarship Apply for Aziz Foundation Scholarship (2025/26). Available to postgraduate taught students.

Applications are open for the 2025-26 Aziz Foundation Masters Scholarships. 📣

Full-fee scholarships for British Muslims to advance in their careers and bring positive change to their communities and beyond. Please share with your networks!

Find out more and apply before 20 June: bit.ly/41iNb8w

Yesterday, the department's Global Security Research Group held an informal workshop to discuss a number of fascinating research projects spanning rich archival work, deep ethnographies and quantitative modelling. Particularly great to see our PhD students showcasing the evolution of their projects!

Dr Rashmi Arora gave a talk this week at Manchester Metropolitan University for the Women in Economics Mentoring Scheme, exemplifying PSID's bridge between research and practice!

Despite the absence of a national law on religious conversions, their analysis reveals a strikingly uniform legal trend emerging across Indian states.

If you would like to read more about Dr Selvaraj’s work, please check his page: www.bradford.ac.uk/staff/sselva...

India’s new anti-conversion laws - Department of Social Anthropology Kenneth Bo Nielsen and M. Sudhir Selvaraj analyse how and why India’s Hindu nationalists seek to criminalise religious conversions.

📰 New Publication Alert 📖

Our colleague @sudhirselvaraj.bsky.social and Kenneth Bo Nielsen explore the rise of anti-conversion laws in India in their latest piece for the Centre for South Asian Democracy at the University of Oslo.

Read the full article here🔗
shorturl.at/3EtsR

Different is what we do - University of Bradford At the University of Bradford, different is what we do.

At the University of Bradford, different is what we do. We see things differently, we think differently, and we work together to drive sustainable social, cultural and economic development. Find out how we're using our different to make a difference: www.bradford.ac.uk/different/

A student stands outside in graduation gown and cap smiling to the camera.

We're transforming lives as the number one university for social mobility. From support for students considering university, to helping ideas become reality with support for entrepreneurs, find out more about how we make the unachievable achievable. www.bradford.ac.uk/different/ac...

In the second paper for the Journal of Latin American Politics and Society, she and coauthor Jose Gutierrez explore how governance relationship are rebuilt between FARC dissidents and local communities (www.cambridge.org/core/journal...).

International Studies Quarterly | Oxford Academic An official journal of the International Studies Association. Publishes leading scholarship that engages with significant theoretical, empirical, and normative subjects in international studies.

In a paper for International Studies Quarterly, she and Annette Idler examine how armed actors are able to exert significant influence over massive infrastructure projects, projecting geoeconomic power at the national and international level. academic.oup.com/isq/article/...

Excited to share new research from one of our colleagues! Dr Clara Voyvodic @cvoyvodic.bsky.social has two papers out on armed groups and rebel authority in Colombia. Clara’s work explores the intersections of conflict, development, and non-state governance. www.bradford.ac.uk/staff/cvoyvo...

Dr Rashmi Arora hosted the session. If you would like to read more about Dr Arora’s work, please check her page: www.bradford.ac.uk/staff/rarora6/

These discussions served as an important reminder that peace and development are deeply interconnected, shaped by economic inclusion, financial access, and the many interwoven challenges of our global landscape.

The discussions highlighted how empowering small businesses in developing economies and harnessing digital innovation can help reduce inequality, foster economic stability, and contribute to sustainable peace in global affairs.

Yesterday, our students had the pleasure of attending two insightful talks by distinguished speakers Ian Bolton (Head of Learning Programmes, TechSkills.org) and Dr Muhammad Meki (University of Oxford) on ‘Skills for the Fintech Sector’ and ‘Microfinance & Mutuality.’

Honoured to welcome Stephanie Urchick, President of Rotary International, all the way from Chicago!

Bradford is proudly home to one of six Rotary Peace Centres worldwide. Every year we welcome an inspiring cohort of Peace Fellows as part of a global network of changemakers!
#rotaryinternational

💬Join the conversation to discuss the future of global security!💬

Check out more of the cutting edge research from our staff.

Prof Paul Rogers: www.bradford.ac.uk/staff/pfroge...

Prof Christoph Bluth: www.bradford.ac.uk/staff/cbluth/

Dr Sudhir Selvaraj: www.bradford.ac.uk/staff/sselva...

🗺️Key topics include:

👉 Does the advent of the second Trump administration signal the end of the rules-based order and multilateralism?
👉 What are the consequences of international security, and what does it mean for the Ukraine War?

Produced and edited by Dr @sudhirselvaraj.bsky.social

Trump and the Liberal World Order: A Conversation with Prof Paul Rogers In this wide ranging conversation, host Prof. Christoph Bluth sits down with Paul Rogers, Professor Emeriti of the Department Peace Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford.

🔉 “Hot off the press” 🔉

The Global Security Research Group at PSID launches a series of thought-provoking conversations with leading experts on security issues.

In our first episode, Prof. Christoph Bluth sits down with Prof Paul Rogers, for a deep dive into Trump and the liberal world order.