Conference: Commemorating Violent Conflicts and Building Sustainable Peace
“Commemorating Violent Conflicts and Building Sustainable Peace”
An International Conference at Kent State University
Commemorating the May 4, 1970 shooting by the Ohio National Guard of
Kent State Students during a demonstration against the US wars in Vietnam
and Cambodia and the occupation of the Kent State campus
by the Ohio National Guard
Kent, OH, USA
October 24-26, 2019
The School of Peace and Conflict Studies of Kent State University
The Peace History Society
The Peace Studies Section of the International Studies Association
The conference will open on Thursday evening October 24, 2019 with a reception and speaker. Friday and Saturday during the day (Oct. 24 and 25) will be devoted to concurrent panels and paper presentations on the various conference themes. Please refer to the Call for Papers for details. Submission of paper abstracts are due by February 15, 2019 and must be uploaded through the conference website on the International Studies Association platform.
Friday evening includes a community discussion on gun violence, school shootings, and state-sponsored violence featuring a variety of perspectives and resource people. Following the banquet Saturday evening, the conference will feature a Reader’s Theatre performance of the play, “May 4th Voices: Kent State, 1970,” by David Hassler. This play’s gripping text is drawn entirely from the extensive Kent State Shootings Oral History Project, comprised of over 100 interviews with a wide variety of individuals representing diverse stakeholders impacted over time by the Kent State shootings.
The conference will be held at the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Kent, contiguous to campus. Make your room reservations early! Walking tours of the May 4 site and of the award-winning May 4 Visitors Center will be available throughout the conference. This conference is part of a year-long series of events marking the 50th Commemorative Year of May 4, 1970.
This conference is co-sponsored by the Kent State Provost's Office, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Political Science, and the Department of History.