Three-day event will focus on the power of nonviolence

MILWAUKEE - The seventh annual Peace and Justice Studies Association’s national convention will be hosted by Marquette University’s Center for Peacemaking, Oct. 8-10, 2009.

The theme of the conference is “The Power of Nonviolence,” and speakers will address restorative justice for criminals, food access and distribution, the Gandhian tradition, the role of international organizations and nonviolence class curriculums. Sister Helen Prejean, CJS, author of Dead Man Walking, will open the conference with a presentation Thursday night, where Marquette will also award her an honorary degree in religious studies, in conjunction with the university’s Centennial Celebration of Women at Marquette.

Additional speakers include Janine Geske, distinguished professor of law at Marquette and former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, and Will Allen, founder and director of Growing Power, a nonprofit in Milwaukee dedicated to providing equal access to healthy and affordable food for people in all communities. Jonathan Schell, author of The Fate of the Earth and The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People, will also present at the conference. Additional details are available on the PJSA Web site, along with an online registration form. The conference is expected to attract more than 400 participants from around the county.

“Marquette’s Center for Peacemaking is proud to host this event and to advance the cause of nonviolence and conflict resolution,” said Michael Duffey, associate professor of theology at Marquette and chair of the conference. “The presenters and topics Marquette has gathered will help participants explore the struggles of advancing peace and justice both globally and locally.”

The conference is cosponsored by the PJSA, the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies and Marquette’s Center for Peacemaking.

About The Peace and Justice Studies Association

The PJSA is a nonprofit dedicated to bringing together academics, K-12 teachers and grassroots activists to explore alternatives to violence and share visions and strategies for peace building, social justice and social change. It also serves as a professional association for scholars in the field of peace and conflict resolution studies and is the North-American affiliate of the International Peace Research Association.       

About Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies

The WIPCS is a consortium of private and public colleges and universities dedicated to enriching academic and public discourse on issues of peace and conflict. The Institute is non-partisan and encourages debate and discussion of multiple perspectives, not only of foreign policy issues and global areas of conflict, but also of intercultural communication, gender relations, and environmental sustainability. WIPCS office and Web site is hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

About Marquette University Center for Peacemaking

The Marquette University Center for Peacemaking strives to empower the university and the wider community to explore the necessary skills to become informed, spiritually-centered, nonviolent peacemakers. Rooted in the Ignatian charism, the center works to explore the power of nonviolence by engaging peacemaking efforts in local, national and international communities.