Peace Studies and International Development, University of Bradford

21/10/2026

ATLAS Film Project: 'Sami Blood' screening with SPECIAL GUEST from Uppsala – Tomorrow, 22 October!

For this week's Atlas Film Project’s screening, we’ll be watching and discussing Amanda Kernell’s award-winning film Sami Blood (Sameblod).

Set in 1930s Sweden, the film follows a young Sámi girl who faces racism and discrimination and begins to distance herself from her own culture. The film explores identity, belonging, assimilation, and the question of who gets to decide what it means to belong to a nation.

The film's context will be described by a Swedish guest from Uppsala, the city where part of the film takes place and a place with a dark history connected to Swedish racial biology.

Open to all UoB staff and students:
Doors open at 5:45pm for drinks and mingling, followed by an introduction to the film at 6:15pm at Theatre in the Mill.

Finally. Not sure what the 'Atlas Film Project' is?

The Atlas Film Project is an on-campus film series designed to inspire discussion, critical reflection, and community connection. Hosted by students and supported by staff from the Department of Peace Studies and International Development, the series explores a wide range of themes through the lens of global cinema.

Each screening begins with a brief introduction providing cultural and historical context, followed by the film and an open discussion guided by thought-provoking questions. Whether you’re a film enthusiast or simply curious, you’ll find a welcoming space for meaningful dialogue and fresh perspectives.

The screenings are free and open to all University of Bradford staff and students.

The project was initiated and is organised and managed by one of our master’s students, Hunter Levy. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact Hunter directly. For organisational or technical queries, you can also contact Dr Maria Ambrozy at [email protected], who serves as the project’s academic coordinator.

18/10/2026

We are so proud to be part of the University of Bradford's history and its 60th anniversary celebrations! 🎉🍰🎈

The establishment of our Department in 1973 was made possible thanks to the vision, enthusiasm, and determination of Adam Curle, together with the support of the Quaker Peace Studies Trust community. Their efforts helped "create the first Department of Peace Studies at a British university and establish peace studies as a field worthy of academic recognition"*.

What makes us particularly proud is that we have not only helped shape peace studies as an academic field – our graduates, colleagues and the wider community connected to the Department continue to shape politics, development, security, and humanitarian work across the world.

And we really do mean across the world! Wherever you go, you're almost guaranteed to meet someone connected to our Department – or at least someone who knows someone who studied or worked here...

While we may now work in very different roles, sectors and parts of the world, our shared commitment to peace, development and social justice continues to connect us – through our academic work, professional practice and principled activism.

Here's to the next 60 years for all of us at the University of Bradford! 🎉

*quote by Tom Woodhouse

University of Bradford Quaker Peace Studies Trust Rotary Peace Centre - University of Bradford

08/10/2026

This Wednesday we were delighted to kick off our research cluster event calendar for the year with a lunchtime panel discussion featuring Professor Fiona Macaulay, Dr Clara Voyvodic and Professor Christoph Bluth on Peace, Violence and Democracy in Latin America.

The discussion began with a survey of recent rightward shifts in democracies across the region, discussing recent elections in Colombia, Chile, Peru and Brazil as well as trends towards far right governments in Argentina and El Salvador, and the relationship between politics and political violence.

The panellists also reflected on the region’s relationship to superpowers such as the U.S. and China, including the unprecedented U.S. decision to capture and extradite sitting leader Nicolas Madura from Venezuela, and what one of the most violent regions in the world can tell us about peace more broadly.

Stay tuned for more research cluster events throughout the year!

25/09/2026

When disaster strikes, who is to blame? The data holders, the people responsible for acting on the data, or the systems that connect the two?

Can early-warning technology save lives if institutions lack the capacity, resources or agreements needed to turn information into action?

And what does Nepal’s experience tell us about the wider risks of countries depending on externally controlled technology and infrastructure for disaster preparedness?

In her piece for The Diplomat Magazine, our recent alumnus Manju Telor writes about causes of the recent floods in Nepal.

As she highlighted:
"This is a valley that has flooded before, and will flood again asking questions no one in Kathmandu, or Beijing, or Washington seems eager to answer out loud. Questions about who owns the sky above a mountain. About what a warning is worth if no one built the wires to carry it. About the quiet arithmetic of a budget line, cut year after year, until a river simply stopped being watched"

Manju recently completed her MA in International Relations and Security Studies. Her research interests focus on how small states navigate emerging great-power rivalries and the challenges posed by an increasingly contested international order.

A fantastic achievement — congratulations, and keep up the great work!

University of Bradford Quaker Peace Studies Trust

To read the full article, please visit:
https://thediplomat.com/2026/09/who-is-to-blame-for-the-massive-death-toll-in-the-nepal-floods/

The problem wasn’t China or a lack of data; it was Nepal’s lack of follow-through.

11/09/2026

As student halls slowly start filling up and queues for coffee begin to grow longer, we know that the excitement of a new academic year is just around the corner!

For all of those who are new to or returning to campus, we thought this would be a good time to share some useful advice. And, of course, as we know you are most likely to listen to your peers, we asked a few of our summer graduates to share some of their tips with you.

If you recognise any of these students, we hope it will bring a smile and some fond memories. And if you are one of our recent or returning students – do you have any other tips for our new arrivals?

Thank You - Precious Bernadette Esogbue LINTON NJULU Caleb Omaboe Ruby Corder Mackenzie Fraser Clinton Luchivya Lovepreet Kaur

Rotary Peace Centre - University of Bradford University of Bradford

07/09/2026

Our Rotary Peace Fellow and an MSc Sustainable Development student Fariah Lalaikipian is currently undertaking her Applied Field Experience (AFE) with Islamic Relief Worldwide’s advocacy team, navigating global humanitarian advocacy, climate justice and climate finance.

Reflecting on the experience, Fariah shared:

“One thing my AFE is teaching me is that you never really leave the classroom behind. Somehow, Bradford keeps following me into every meeting, research question and policy conversation.

Professor P.B Anand's classes on critical perspectives may have worked slightly too well. I now find myself reading a policy document and asking: Who defined this problem? Whose evidence counts? Who benefits? Who is missing?

My experiences during our Rwanda Study Visit, thanks to Dr. Maria Ambrozy, have also shaped my experience. Conversations about development, resilience and community agency keep resurfacing as I navigate discussions about climate justice.

And then there is climate finance. Some days I feel like I am finally understanding it. Other days I have approximately 50 browser tabs open and several new acronyms I definitely did not know existed that morning!

My AFE has allowed me to explore how global climate-finance discussions translate — or sometimes fail to translate — into realities for communities, while bringing my own experiences of working with grassroots women and communities into the space.

My supervisor, Professor Rashmi Arora, has also been an important part of this journey, making sure that when I enthusiastically disappear down research rabbit holes, those ideas remain anchored.

A special milestone has been my first blog with Islamic Relief Worldwide, published for International Youth Day, ‘Finding a voice between worlds.’
https://lnkd.in/eSGmYuw4

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn, be supported and contribute. For now, I will return to my 50 climate-finance tabs.”

As we’re already in September, it won’t be long before we see you back on campus, Fariah. We can’t wait to hear more about your experience and everything you’ve learned along the way!

Rotary Peace Centre - University of Bradford University of Bradford

01/09/2026

Our MSc Sustainable Development, Rotary Peace Fellow Andrea Ocampo is currently completing her Applied Field Experience at the University of Basel, Switzerland, where she is working with the Sustainability Research Group on the EXPECT-AGRI project.

During her stay, Andrea is supporting the development of an international company survey on sustainability due diligence regulations in global supply chains, adapting research tools to different regional contexts and putting into practice many of the ideas explored in Professor PB Anand's Policy Analysis module, as well as drawing on her own experience of corporate deforestation-free supply chain strategies.

Beyond research, Andrea has been enjoying the Basel summer by swimming in the Rhine River and experiencing what the “right to the city” really means. As she put it: “It is fascinating to realise that enjoying this shared river today is the result of decades of transboundary cooperation and international governance.”

This experience also connects closely with discussions in Dr Suresh Kumar Rohilla and Anisha Samantara’s Sustainable Cities module, bringing some of the concepts explored in the classroom to life in a very tangible way.

University of BradfordUniversity of Bradford Rotary Peace Centre - University of Bradford

27/08/2026

While we cheer on all our students in their summer engagements and various placements and internships, this one is doubly special for us, as through making this connection we managed to link our current student, Ssebukalu Alex, with our good friend and alumnus Chika Charles Aniekwe, PhD.

Following a robust selection process, Alex Ssebukalu, our current Rotary Fellow studying for an MA in Peace, Conflict and Development, became our pioneer intern, undertaking his placement with the UNDP Malawi Country Office and working as a Human Security Analyst within the Governance Portfolio.

UNDP Malawi has been present in the country since 1964 and works closely with the Government of Malawi, civil society, the private sector and other partners to contribute to the national development strategy and the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As part of his work, Alex has been actively developing fundraising concept notes and proposals on strategies to better support and sustain Malawi’s national peace architecture in the ever-shrinking development aid space.

Additionally, Alex is also contributing to UNDP’s work supporting the Parliament of Malawi in formulating its new strategic plan, aligned with Malawi Vision 2063.

We see this year’s engagement with the UNDP office in Malawi and Alex’s internship as a first step towards developing a long-term partnership and cooperation between our department and the Malawi office.

We are very eager to hear more from Alex when he gets back in a few weeks.

See you soon in Bradford!

University of Bradford Rotary Peace Centre - University of Bradford

25/08/2026

As we continue checking in with our students, we recently heard from Giulio Greco and Thomas Akandak, who this summer undertook the overseas placement in South Korea.

This placement is sponsored by the Turing Scheme and is organised by the University of Bradford's International Opportunities Team, led by Carlos Santos E Sousa. The programme of the placement involves attending an 18-day-long Summer School at Ajou University, where students attend two courses that they have selected out of a pool of four. The courses chosen by our students were linked directly to their area of study and consisted of elements of Economic Development and Policies, and Sustainability, as well as the study of Global Conflict, Digital Strategies in Media and Communication, and Digital Storytelling.

As highlighted by both Giulio and Thomas, this placement provided profoundly enriching experiences and added to the learning which they were engaging in at the Department. Thomas summarised it by saying:
"One of the cultural sites I visited in South Korea was the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the border between North Korea and South Korea. Standing at the DMZ brought my Peace and Development studies to mind as I saw a nation still living with division, which made me reflect on and question some of the theories of conflict and reconciliation I had come across in class".

Giulio requested us to give a special shout-out to the entire PSID team, as well as to the UoB Visa Support Team - to quote: 'none of this would have been possible without your help'.

Well done to both of you for choosing to learn, grow, and develop your understanding of Peace and Development beyond the classroom and throughout the summer break.

See you soon in Bradford 🙂

University of Bradford

12/08/2026

Our MA Rotary student Hunter Levy, who last semester convened the 'Atlas Film Project' (also known as the 'PSID Movie Club') is currently keeping very busy with his summer internship. For everyone - staff and students - who took part in our Film Club sessions last year, we are delighted to share that the project has inspired a new iteration — this time in Tanzania!

'Katikati ya Mistari' (Between the Lines) is an after-school programme dedicated to engaging Tanzanian secondary school students through the power of storytelling, with film as a primary medium. It is a direct descendant of the Atlas Film Project, a student-led initiative at the University of Bradford built around the core philosophy of bringing a diverse international community together through film.

Over the course of six weeks, more than 200 students across three secondary schools in the Geita region of northwestern Tanzania will engage with a range of Swahili-language stories across different media — including film, books, poetry and music — as catalysts for discussion and reflection.

During the second half of the programme, students will be encouraged to develop their own stories, which will then be performed at an end-of-programme showcase.

Meanwhile, back at University of Bradford, the 'Atlas Film Project' is set to return once classes resume this autumn. Keep an eye out for details of the first screening of the 2026–27 academic year in September!

We are very pleased to see an initiative that began on our campus continuing to evolve and creating new spaces for storytelling, dialogue and connection across borders.