A new book published in July and co-edited by EMU professors Ji Eun Kim (political science) and Timothy Seidel (peacebuilding, development, and global studies) aims to provide a broader, more inclusive understanding of peace and conflict by intentionally integrating voices and perspectives from the Global South/majority world.

The Sage Handbook of Peace and Conflict Studies (Sage Publishing), which was also co-edited with three professors from the U.S., Canada, and Ecuador, features contributions from more than 40 authors around the world who are working on these issues in their contexts, including current and former EMU faculty members: Center for Justice and Peacebuilding Professor Paula Ditzel Facci (she wrote a chapter on “Decolonial Possibilities in Arts and Peacebuilding”) and CJP alumni and former professors Florina Xavier MA ’04 and Ashok Xavier MA ’04 (they wrote a case-study chapter on “Preschool Intervention in Sri Lanka”). 

“In seeking contributors, we reached out to scholars and practitioners from around the world as widely as possible,” Kim said. “Given EMU’s longstanding commitment to peace and justice, it’s perhaps not so surprising that several of the experts who joined the project have, or once had, ties with EMU.”

The 592-page handbook explores the evolution of the field of peace and conflict studies and offers a critical overview of theoretical approaches. “Additionally, it examines how cultural and disciplinary assumptions shape peacebuilding and conflict transformation, and it critiques traditional global narratives on issues like governance, climate change, and human rights,” according to a description from the publisher. “Finally, the handbook presents real-world case studies that integrate themes of decoloniality, race, gender, and power inequalities across diverse global contexts.” Some of those case studies examine peace and conflict in regions including Ukraine, Palestine, Libya, and Afghanistan. 

“We dig into political economy and histories of colonialism and the sorts of things that don’t always get as much attention in peace and conflict studies,” Seidel said. “One of the goals of this handbook was to not only expand the scope of what we study, but also to expand the range of voices included in that study—something of critical importance in a historical moment defined by rising authoritarianism close to home and genocide in Gaza.”

The book is structured in the following five sections:

• History, Knowledge, and Power in Peace and Conflict Studies;
• Theory and Analysis in Peace and Conflict Studies;
• Practices and Approaches in Peace and Conflict Studies; 
• Global Issues, Institutions, and Change in Peace and Conflict Studies; and 
• Case Studies in Peace and Conflict Studies.

Seidel said the process in completing the book took about two years from start to finish. “It’s an interesting and impactful book,” he said, “and you can see EMU’s fingerprints all over it.”

The Sage Handbook of Peace and Conflict Studies is available to through EMU’s Sadie Hartzler Library. An online webinar on the book, sponsored by the Peace Studies Section of the International Studies Association, will be held on Friday, Oct. 24, at 8:30 a.m.

About the professors

Kim is an associate professor of political science at EMU, where she teaches courses on human rights, political reconciliation, genocide and mass atrocity prevention, and East Asian security. Her research lies at the intersection of International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Peace Studies, and her areas of specialization include transitional justice processes after large-scale political violence and international institutions and norms. She holds a PhD in Political Science and Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame.

Seidel is associate professor of peacebuilding, development, and global studies at EMU. His writing has appeared in various journals including Postcolonial Studies, International Politics, Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, and Third World Quarterly. He is co-editor of Resisting Domination in Palestine: Mechanisms and Techniques of Control, Coloniality and Settler Colonialism (2024) and Political Economy of Palestine: Critical, Interdisciplinary, and Decolonial Perspectives (2021).

Two clubs at ��ݮ���� did their best to get out the vote this month ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election – and contrary to the fraught and divisive national scene, they did so harmoniously.

The effort, which included a jointly staffed booth on multiple days outside the dining hall and one virtual evening session, was intentionally “bipartisan,” according to Adam Peachey, co-president of the College Republicans, and Luke Wheeler, co-president of the Young Democrats. EMU’s Student Government Association, an elected group of student leaders, helped to start the conversation and contributed staffing.

“SGA thought this drive would be a perfect opportunity for the political clubs on campus to lead together and show unity during this extremely polarizing election season,” said Theo Yoder, SGA vice-president. “We hope that we made a difference in our community by helping give students the opportunity to practice their right to vote. SGA is also planning to work closely with them in the future to plan more events revolving around this election.”

The clubs have also met with faculty, staff and administrators to consider ways to promote respectful and civil dialogue about the debates and the election in the coming weeks. 

Publishing a joint statement, via email to the campus community, was one high-profile way that group sought to elevate discourse, urge empathy, and raise awareness about how some aspects of the current election were impacting more vulnerable members of the community, specifically those “lacking in physical safety or an empowered voice.” The message lifts up EMU’s community-building values and a shared priority to “move through these next weeks rooted in the values that define EMU as peacemakers rooted in Christian understandings.” 

An excerpt from the 10/16 email

Intentional EMU community invites us to the following actions:

• Vote! As you are eligible, participate in the important decisions impacted by all of the roles on our ballots.
• As a learning community, lean into the critical thinking and questioning invited by this political moment. 
• Hold together communication priorities of speaking for self, listening to understand, welcoming discomfort as an opportunity for self-awareness, acknowledging history that is racialized and gendered.
• Continue to affirm our Non-Discrimination Policy stating ��ݮ���� does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or any legally protected status. Not only do we not discriminate, but we also affirm individuals of these identities. 
• Build a relationship or have a meaningful conversation with someone who sees things differently than you.

The statement was signed by Peachey, Wheeler, SGA co-presidents Justice Allen, Anisa Leonard, Allison Shelly, Dean of Students Shannon Dycus and Provost Fred Kniss.

A convocation on Oct. 28, which will include some of these same student leaders, will focus on the value of civic engagement and “promoting community values in this politically polarized time,” Peachey said. “We want to focus on ways to depolarize or handle things in ways that people can maintain or even find new friendships despite political differences.”

Also on Oct. 28, historian and author Rick Shenkman, of George Washington University’s History News Network, will speak in a University Colloquium on “Why is Democracy So @#$&!  Hard?” The event from 4:15-5:15 p.m. will be livestreamed at on EMU’s Facebook page. 

Discussions around campus climate during this tumultuous political season began at a September meeting attended by campus leaders representing students, faculty, student life and administrators, according to political science professor Ji Eun Kim, who advises both clubs.* 

“We have specific ‘Life Together’ commitments which help to guide us all into situations like this,” said Dycus, who convened the meeting. “We want and need our students to be engaged civically. What does it look like to listen respectfully and share our opinions in ways which show compassion and build relationships? As we all care about and contribute these discussions as contributing citizens, centering our commitments towards wisdom, accountability and Christian peacebuilding help us do this in the right spirit.”

The voter registration drive was the main focus of the two clubs, especially because other events, such as debate or election night watch parties, have been difficult to plan with COVID-19 precautions for on in-person gatherings, Peachey said.

Sponsoring a voter registration drive shows that EMU’s student leadership holds representation at the polls to be an important individual right, the two leaders said.

“…Both clubs agree that the more people that vote, the more representative our government is and that, even if the people we are registering disagree with us politically, we still want those people to be represented,” Wheeler said. “Our desire for a representative election was a big driving force for the collaboration and SGA also helped to connect us and to encourage the bipartisan effort.”

The voter drive is also an effort to encourage healthy ways of participating among the student body, Peachey said. The volunteers helped students check if they were already registered, register to vote in Harrisonburg or apply for an absentee ballot, he said.“Especially with covid, we want to encourage other options besides driving home to vote.” 

Reflecting on his experience, Peachey said that while EMU has “a reputation as a liberal campus,” he’s experienced “a lot of affirmation of anyone expressing different views.”

“I’ve been encouraged by a lot of discussion going on about fostering a better political environment on campus and the desire to hear from both sides of the political spectrum,” he said.

For his part, Wheeler says he’s learned a lot in “really productive and interesting” conversations with Peachey.

“I have learned that we really are not that different, even with what might seem like vastly different views on the surface,” Wheeler said, adding he appreciated Peachey’s “devotion to the political process and to helping everyone to vote,” even as they may not share the same political views.  

*The meeting included Peachey, Wheeler and Young Democrats co-president Reuben Peachey-Stoner; SGA co-presidents Justice Allen and Anisa Leonard; Dean of Students Shannon Dycus; Provost Fred Kniss; Director of Student Programs Rachel Roth Sawatzky; Professor Mark Sawin, president of EMU’s Faculty Senate; and Vice President for Advancement Kirk Shisler.

Professor Ernesto Verdeja, of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at University of Notre Dame, presents the annual Keim Lecture at ��ݮ����. His lecture begins at 5 p.m., on Friday, Jan. 24, in Strite Conference Room in the Campus Center. A reception will be at 4:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Verdeja will speak about predicting genocide and mass atrocities.

Over the past 20 years, governments and international organizations have developed increasingly sophisticated early warning and risk assessment projects to anticipate, and thus prepare for, possible outbreaks of mass political violence. Verdeja will discuss the current state of these efforts, drawing on the work of scholars, governments, the United Nations, and his own work consulting on genocide prevention.

Professor Ji Eun Kim, who earned her doctorate at Notre Dame, worked with Verdeja on her dissertation and was a teaching assistant for his undergraduate courses.

The invitation also both honors the lecture’s namesake, Professor Albert N. Keim, a longtime history professor and academic dean at EMU, and celebrates the new political science major at EMU, she said. “The history department wished to bring a political scientist and a peace scholar this year.”

Verdeja is an associate professor of political science and peace studies in the and the , University of Notre Dame. He has been the director of undergraduate peace studies at Notre Dame for the past eight years, and he is a recipient of the 2018 Sheedy Excellence in Teaching Award.

He also serves as the executive director of the Institute for the Study of Genocide, a non-profit organization founded in 1982 to promote research and policy analysis on the causes and prevention of genocide and political violence. He has served two terms on the board of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a worldwide association devoted to the study and prevention of genocide and is currently on the United States Institute of Peace’s RESOLVE Research Advisory Group. He is the author of Unchopping a Tree: Reconciliation in the Aftermath of Political Violence and many other published works, and he has edited three volumes on genocide and peacebuilding.

More on the Keim Lecture Series

The Albert N. Keim Lecture Series honors the memory of Professor Albert N. Keim who has served as a history professor here for 35 years and was the academic dean from 1977 to 1984.

Learn more about past presenters, in this sampling:

2019: Federal public defender, immigrant rights attorney and playwright Kara Hartzler ’94 spoke on “Borders, Jails, and Long Drives in the Desert: 25 Years of Immigration Law in the Southwest.”

2017: Dr. Dongping Han, professor at Warren-Wilson College and a native of rural China, addressed “The Cultural Revolution: A Reinterpretation from Today’s China.”

2016: Artist/activist  provided a lecture titled “Performing Statistics: Connecting incarcerated youth, artists, and leading policy experts to challenge Virginia’s juvenile justice system.”

2015: , political scientist in the University of Kansas’s School of Public Affairs and Administration, presented “The Police and Racial Discrimination in America.”

2014: , a pastor, activist and history professor who helped EMC professors initiate social change in Harrisonburg during the early 1960s, presented “Is America Possible?”

Through its strategic location in Washington D.C. and over 40 years of relationship-building with local organizations, WCSC is well-situated to provide impactful learning and internship experiences for all students, including those in EMU’s new political studies and global studies majors. Political studies students will have a semester at WCSC built into their program.

“WCSC has long-term connections and a history of successful placements with many area organizations working in public policy, advocacy, and international aid, among other fields,” said Director Kimberly Schmidt. “We are one of the few liberal arts universities with dedicated buildings and a local staff, which shows a real commitment to offering this kind of resume-building and urban cultural experience to students in all academic programs.”

During the visit, students majoring in history, peacebuilding and development, and global studies learned how their studies might apply to different types of positions and professions.

Informing politicians

The day began at the . After a tour, the group settled in for a discussion about MCC’s initiatives. MCC staff described how their office brings policy points from the organization’s worldwide peacebuilding and humanitarian projects back to Washington to inform politicians at the national level and advocate for justice issues.

“MCC’s D.C. office provides students [with the opportunity] to learn the nuts-and-bolts of advocacy work from within a pragmatic but also deeply Anabaptist setting,” said history professor Mark Metzler Sawin.

Members of the , a local group that includes several EMU and WCSC program alums, joined the conversation for lunch. Pastors discussed how they have worked to reconcile and bridge the divide between the political overlay of DC and local populations that remain underserved and underrepresented.

Connecting equity issues to international challenges

Discussion of this local landscape offered context for the group’s next stop at , which engages in community organizing for equity and local housing rights. Here they joined current WCSC students for a special seminar with the organization’s leaders and with intern Kamran Mamedovi, a second-year graduate student at EMU’s . Mamedovi and another fellow graduate student are completing a required semester-long practicum while living in community with WCSC students.

Mamedovi described why he chose ONE DC for his practicum and his initial goal of learning frameworks from the Black struggle for equality in the US that he could apply to situations of ethnic inequality in his home country of Georgia. Along with ONE DC staff, he discussed the organization’s theory of change, which focuses on structural changes that go beyond service and advocacy alone. While Mamedovi noted that the answers to his questions are far more difficult and complex than he had imagined, he holds hope. “The biggest hope [for structural change] is if you can create an environment where everyone feels ownership and trust–where you feel it’s yours.”

The politics of climate change

The last stop before heading to the WCSC Nelson Good House for dinner was with , a communications non-profit focusing on climate change. The group met with Senior Research Associate Nathan Kauffman ‘10, who participated in the WCSC program during his junior year.

“Nathan’s work vividly illustrates where strong research and writing skills can take you,” Sawin said. “Climate Nexus is an excellent internship option for people interested in environmental policy, but also those interested in honing their persuasive skills.”

Interns contribute to social, political landscape

The visit helped students and professors alike to see the variety of organizations and methods of engaging in policy work that students can explore. “These internships help students gain professional experience and distinguish themselves to potential employers,” Schmidt said.

“WCSC offers more than a typical internship program,” said Director of Career Services Kimberly Phillips. “Students are given the opportunity to contribute in meaningful ways and change the social and political landscapes around them.”

A political science major and revised minor and a global studies major and minor will be offered beginning this fall.

“These new majors reflect an expanding awareness that community, which EMU has long emphasized, also happens at national and global levels,” said Provost Fred Kniss. “With these new majors, students will develop knowledge and skills that will help them effect positive change in diverse settings.”  

Political science

The political science major will train students to apply their research and analytical skills to current political affairs and offer students real-world learning through internships. It will prepare students to pursue further studies and careers in fields such as law and public policy.

“This major will closely align with EMU’s core mission,” said Professor Mark Metzler Sawin. “While many universities offer political studies, our program will be distinctive in its embodiment of our university’s values.”

Students will learn to think critically and analytically about power, authority and legitimacy, examining “the traditional role of relevant political actors, institutions, and mechanisms through a critical lens,” said Professor Ji Eun Kim. In addition to developing theoretical and moral ways of understanding political events, they will gain critical oral and writing skills for “speaking and understanding the language of these key actors” based on rigorous reasoning and dignity and respect for others.

Its interdisciplinary approach and diverse curriculum includes course topics such as human rights and dignity, political reconciliation, international relations, American politics, and peace and security in East Asia.

The major also requires a term at the Washington Community Scholars’ Center in Washington DC, where internships offer real-world extensions to classroom learning and vocational experience in policy, politics, advocacy and law. WCSC internship sites in these fields include working on Capitol Hill with the Catholic social justice lobby NETWORK or Mennonite Central Committee’s Washington Office; and working to increase civic exchange political dialogue with the Faith and Politics Institute. [Learn more about internship sites in these fields.]

Global studies

The global studies major is fitting for a university that for 35 years has required students to have cross-cultural experience. In the program, students will identify a regional and language focus to prepare them for cross-cultural engagement, in addition to further study and careers in fields such as international development, human resources, intelligence and research analysis, and education in public and private sectors.

“EMU’s identity and history positions us to create and offer a global studies program to undergraduate students in a unique way,” said Professor Tim Seidel, who helped develop the major with vice president and undergraduate academic dean Deirdre L. Smeltzer, cross-cultural program director Ann Hershberger, and professors Adriana Rojas, Jim Leaman and Ji Eun Kim. “Graduates will be equipped with solid knowledge and relevant skills – and be equipped for postgraduate study and for professional opportunities including working in governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector.”

With three areas of concentration – sustainability, justice and peacebuilding, and societies and cultures – the major will focus on intercultural communication and the role of faith in global studies while exploring global political and economic actors beyond the state.

The curriculum will include course topics such as globalization and justice, biblical theologies of peace and justice, and cultural anthropology. Region-focused studies may include, for example, history and culture of Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.

The major was developed with funding from a United States Department of Education Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages grant.

The Jeju Forum is a program of the Jeju Peace Institute, established as a platform for peace studies and international cooperation in 2006 when Jeju Island was designated as the Island of World Peace.

Kim will be speak in a panel presentation titled “Towards a Sustainable Peace: Restorative Justice and Peace Education,” reviewing recent developments in peace studies in the context of the correlation between peace and justice.

The session is co-sponsored the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Co-panelists include George A. Lopez, professor emeritus at the Kroc Institute; Sang-Yoon Ma, director-general for policy planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; David Hooker and Mahan Mirza, professors at University of Notre Dame; and Seong-Woo Yi, research fellow at Jeju Peace Institute.

Hooker has strong ties to EMU, having taught during regular terms and at the . He co-authored the “Transforming Historical Harms” curriculum utilized by , an affiliate organization of EMU. Read more on this curriculum development here.

Their discussion will address how restorative justice contributes to post-dispute peace-building, and how peace education with more rigorous and innovative programs can help better respond to ethnic, religious, and inter-state conflicts.

Sonia Balasch, PhD, assistant professor of Spanish
Balasch earned an MA in Spanish (Hispanic linguistics) and a PhD from the University of New Mexico. Originally from Venezuela, she brings five years of faculty experience teaching Spanish and has most recently been a visiting assistant professor of Spanish at George Mason University.

David Berry, PhD, assistant professor of music
Berry earned a BM from the Eastman School of Music and an MM and DMA from The Julliard School. He brings experience as a solo pianist and chamber musician in a variety of innovative and nationally-recognized touring chamber ensembles.

Ryan Good, PhD, assistant professor of applied social sciences and assistant director of Washington Community Scholars’ Center
Good earned a BA from Goshen College and master’s degrees from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary and Temple University. Good completed his PhD in planning and public policy from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He has taught at Rutgers and Eastern universities.

Michael Horst, MA, instructor
Michael Horst has worked at EMU for many years, and begins this year with a new title. He earned a BS in Psychology and MA in Counseling from ��ݮ���� and is currently a PhD candidate in Counselor Education and Supervision at James Madison University.

Ji Eun Kim, PhD, assistant professor of political studies
Kim earned a BA from the Catholic University of Korea, an MA from Seoul National University and a PhD in political science and peace studies from the University of Notre Dame. Her research interests focus on political violence and conflict, transitional justice, post-conflict reconciliation and human rights.

Joohyn Lee, PhD, assistant professor of recreation leadership
Lee earned a BA from the Catholic University of Korea, an MA from Radford University and a PhD in leisure studies from Pennsylvania State University. She has teaching experience in the leisure, recreation and sport industry field at both Florida State University and the University of Florida.

Irma Mahone, PhD, assistant professor of RN-BS Nursing
Mahone earned a BS in nursing from EMU and an MS in psychiatric nursing and PhD in nursing from University of Virginia. Mahone’s extensive experience includes case management, individual and group therapy, and emergency intervention along with her psychiatric nursing experience. Mahone was most recently a research assistant professor at the University of Virginia.

Meg Sander, PhD, assistant professor of education and director of MA in Education
Sander earned a BA from Virginia Tech, an MEd from JMU, a JD from the University of Richmond School of Law and a PhD in education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Sander brings teaching experience in special education, law and ethics, and educational foundations. Most recently, she was a research associate at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education.

Kristopher Schmidt, PhD, assistant professor of biology
Schmidt earned a BS from Trinity Western University, an MS from the University of British Columbia and a PhD from Simon Fraser University. Schmidt brings teaching experience mostly recently from Goshen College in biology and also as director of the premedical sciences program.

Ann Smith, PhD, associate professor of nursing
Smith earned a BS in nursing from the University of Virginia and a PhD in community college leadership from Old Dominion University. In addition to experience working as a nurse, Ann brings extensive college teaching and administrative experience, including service as the director of nursing programs at Piedmont Virginia Community College.

Andrew Suderman, MT, instructor of theology
Suderman, who came to EMU for the spring 2017 semester, earned a BA in philosophy from Canadian Mennonite University and an MT in theological studies from Conrad Grebel University. Suderman anticipates completing a PhD in systematic theology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa this year. He brings international and cross-cultural experience from living in Costa Rica, Bolivia, Columbia, and South Africa.

Ryan Thompson, PhD, assistant professor of psychology
Thompson earned a BA from Berry College and both an MA and PsyD from George Fox University. He has teaching experience as an assistant clinical professor and as a clinical psychologist.