Annalena Groppe, research assistant at the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate and part of the Friends of the Hambach Festival 1832, will present key insights from her doctoral research on pedagogical perspectives in political conflicts over the interpretation of democracy. The focus will be on the conflicts surrounding protests and authoritarian-populist positions at Hambach Castle as an exemplary case study. Together with local and national activists and educational actors, perspectives for action were developed, tested and reflected upon in terms of their limits and potential.

Afterwards, Ulrich Riehm (Freundeskreis Hambacher Fest 1832) - as a long-time observer and co-designer on site - will open the discussion. Finally, the audience will be invited to discuss possible courses of action based on the insights gained.

The event will be moderated by . It will take place at Casismirianum, Ludwigstraße 1, 67433 Neustadt an der Weinstraße. The event starts at 18:00.

Violent conflicts are on the rise worldwide - the number of fatalities recently reached a new high. The global arms race is also progressing. Global military spending rose to 2.7 trillion US dollars in 2024 - the biggest increase in decades. At the same time, peace policy measures are being reduced. The OECD has recorded a 9% decline in public development cooperation and the ability of international organizations to act is being weakened by dominant interest politics. These developments show that investment in war is increasing while investment in peace is decreasing.

Live screening and discussion

Monday, April 20, 6:00 pm, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Kaiserslautern, Building 86, Room 107

Organized by "" and the "" (see also below), the "" will take place for the 21st time this year. The aim of the event is to counteract one-sided narratives, focus on the suffering of both sides and show ways to achieve reconciliation, peace and justice. It traditionally takes place on the eve of Yom HaZikaron, Israel's national day of mourning. Reports from grieving families and voices from peace and human rights work make it clear that change begins with recognizing the suffering of others. Before the livestream, political scientist will give a short introduction. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and exchange ideas.

Organized in cooperation with CampusKultur

The introduction and discussion will be in German, the live broadcast in Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles.

"From pain to hope: Parents Circle - Families Forum"

Lecture and discussion

With Laila al-Sheikh (Palestine) and Michal Halev (Israel)

Sunday, 10.05.2026, 18:00, Landau, (An 44 40a, 76829 Landau)

For over 30 years, Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost loved ones to violence, terror and war have been working together in the "". Despite their deep personal suffering, they are consistently committed to dialog, understanding and an end to violence. Instead of hatred, they choose the common path of mourning. Their aim is not forgiveness, but the transformation of pain into hope - and the conviction that peace is only possible through mutual listening and recognition.

The Parents Circle was founded in 1995 and is still active today, despite all the escalations. In 2025, the Parents Circle was awarded the - one of many important honors that recognize the work of the organization. This event offers the rare opportunity to hear voices that consciously avoid the spiral of violence and retaliation - and instead stand up for humanity, dialog and peace.

is organizing a lecture tour through Germany in 2026 by two representatives of the "Parents Circle" and has kindly included a date in Landau in the corresponding program. The evening is being organized by the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate in cooperation with CampusKultur and the .

The introduction will be in German; the lecture in English. Contributions to the discussion are possible in both languages. There will be a small reception afterwards.

Eckhard Fuhr is Chairman of the Brandenburg-Berlin Ecological Hunting Association. As a journalist and author ("Rückkehr der Wölfe"; "Schafe. Ein Porträt"), he has been dealing with the conflicting priorities of species conservation, agriculture, forestry and hunting for many years.

Dr. Julia Poerting is a research assistant in human geography at the Institute of Geography at Heidelberg University. She conducts research on expectations of cultural landscapes and conflicts between wolves and livestock grazing, including in Brandenburg and Lower Saxony.

Stefan Kuntz is the 9th generation to run the organic winery of the same name in Landau-Mörzheim. Chickens, alpacas and sheep live on the farm as part of the adventure winery and center of the school farm.

Jan Schöne is a full-time lawyer in Leipzig and works part-time for NABU - Landesverband Sachsen as head of a nature conservation station and as an expert on wolves. He has collected data as part of wolf monitoring and is a member of a sheep grazing association.

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Janpeter Schilling

Date: March 16, 2026
Time: 19:00 (CET)
Format: Panel discussion
Location: Haus am Westbahnhof, An 44 40a, 76829 Landau

Free admission, no registration required.

Here you can find the flyer.

Environmental peacebuilding perspectives from Liberia, Brazil and Cambodia

Forest conservation presents both conflict risks and great opportunities for environmental peacebuilding by transforming resource conflicts into opportunities for cooperation. When implemented in a conflict-sensitive manner, these initiatives resolve disputes over land access, tenure rights and profit-sharing, while strengthening community bonds and integrating traditional practices. Using case studies from Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia, this webinar will highlight approaches that unite diverse stakeholders around common forest goals and promote inclusive dialog and sustainable outcomes.

Date: March 5, 2026
Time: 18:00 (CET)
Format: Online webinar
Participation: free of charge

Registration at:

Further information can be found here in the flyer.

Organized by the Forest Interest Group of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx), the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate (º£½ÇÖ±²¥) and the Working Group for Peace and Conflict Research (AFK).

New nuclear arms race in Rhineland-Palatinate too?

Monday, February 9, 2026, 7:00 p.m.

Erbacher Hof, Grebenstr. 24-26, Mainz

Admission is free, donations are requested.
The event will also be broadcast via livestream.

The nuclear powers are arming themselves worldwide. A nuclear war seems more likely than it has been for a long time. This has concrete consequences for Rhineland-Palatinate: the last US nuclear weapons in Germany are stationed here - in Büchel in the Eifel region.

In 2019, the state parliament in Mainz passed a resolution in favor of the goal of a world without nuclear weapons and declared its support for the UN ban on nuclear weapons.

What do the parties say about this issue today? Where do they stand on nuclear deterrence and the demand for a nuclear-free Rhineland-Palatinate?

We want to discuss this on a broad panel with:

• Patric Müller - MdL, SPD
• Stefan Thoma - MdL, FDP
• Dr. Lea Heidbreder - Member of Parliament, B90/The Greens
• Andreas Hartenfels - MdL, BSW
• Ari Arnold - The Left
• Erwin Stufler - Free Voters

Greeting: Dr. Gregor Walter-Drop, Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate

Content classification: Prof. Dr. Moritz Kütt - Nuclear Disarmament Laboratory, University of Hamburg

Moderation: Simon Bödecker - Ohne Rüstung Leben

Organizer ", Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate

"Welt in Unordnung - Gerechter Friede im Blick" is the programmatic title of the Peace Memorandum of the Evangelical Church in Germany published in November 2025. The text sees itself as a "further development of the Protestant peace ethic" in view of the changing global political situation. However, some critics also see it as an adaptation to the spirit of the "turn of an era", to the logic of deterrence and militarization.

Foreign policy expert Tobias Lindner, peace and conflict researcher Christoph Weller and church president Dorothee Wüst will discuss the political applicability and aims of the new peace memorandum.

The public evening is part of the conference ""Zeitenwende" in der Friedensethik? - Kritische Seitenblicke auf die Friedensdenkschrift der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland" organized by the , the Friedensakademie Rheinland-Pfalz der Rheinland-Pfälzischen Technischen Universität and the . With the support of the and the .

You can register until January 27, 2026 using the or by e-mail to veranstaltungen[at]eapfalz.de.

The Peace Academy , the and the want to take a critical look at the new peace memorandum and favor side views. For this reason, people who were not involved in the creation of the text will have their say. Why does the church comment on peace ethics issues and what is its purpose? What is Protestant or Christian about the Protestant peace ethic? Is the new basic text politically viable? Does it take global perspectives into account? Does it have an impact on peace education? Will it be accepted in the public debate - or will it remain a text for church insiders? The conference is also a .

You can register for the event .

On November 25 at 18:00
in the multi-generation house
Ahornstrasse 5, 76744 Wörth

We want to talk about this together with experts: Is this the new normal? Are we giving up our cohesion and our goal of providing a good life for everyone? How do we want to live? What values do we want to preserve? What role do our personal and immediate surroundings play in this? What is each individual's contribution to shaping our common future?

The following experts will be available to answer these questions:

• Dr. Gregory Walter-Drop, Managing Director of the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate,
• Jan Meckler, pastor of the Protestant church in Rülzheim.

We look forward to your attendance and your contribution to the open discussion.

Please register by 20 November 2025 at the office of MP Dr. Rehak-Nitsche by e-mail to buero[at]rehak-nitsche.de or by telephone on 07271-50 880 88. Seating capacity in the event room is limited.

As part of the "Dialogue Climate & Peace" series of events, representatives from local administrations, municipal initiatives and associations have been exploring the question of why and how the connection between climate protection and peace also plays a role in local climate protection decisions in lectures, discussions and workshops every year since 2021.

This year, global and local contexts of Digitalization will be examined with regard to conflicts and climate protection. Positive examples, opportunities and possibilities as well as places of success will be presented and discussed. Following contributions from science, politics and initiatives, the proven format will offer space for exchange and networking in workshops.

The event is a cooperation with the municipal umbrella organizations, the , , the Rhineland-Palatinate Peace Academy, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ and the .

Further information can be found in the flyer.

"We are observing that public interest in conflict transformation is increasing, as is the number of professional offers," says Christof Starke from the network office. "This is a good time to expand our network." The Federal Network for Conflict Transformation was founded in 2024 and currently has around 40 organizations and individuals who are practically and politically committed to constructive conflict transformation in Germany.

The open-space format in Loccum focuses on current social challenges, specialist debates, structures and participation. Participants bring their own ideas and fill the network with life. British peace activist Diana Francis is looking forward to inspiring the participants digitally.

The Federal Network for Conflict Transformation has big plans. "We will make existing offers more visible and create new ones, tap into resources and continue to research conflict transformation," announces Starke. "We will use our practical experience to highlight the relevance of conflict transformation for social peace in Germany and contribute our expertise to the political discourse."

The Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate is a member of the Federal Network for Conflict Transformation.

The development of the Federal Network for Conflict Transformation is supported by the Cooperation Network for Democratic Conflict Transformation via the "Live Democracy!" (Development of a Federal Central Infrastructure) program of the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

The Federal Network for Conflict Transformation is working on its own website. Interested parties will be able to find out about all activities there in future.

Contact:

Federal Network for Conflict Transformation

Christof Starke

bundesnetzwerk@konfliktbearbeitung.org

Wars and conflicts are evidently once again shaping the present. But how can peace be created and maintained? The course "Peace Science Compact" offers a sound introduction to the interdisciplinary world of peace and conflict research. Participants are given an overview of the central theories of peace studies, get to know relevant actors in the field and deal with specific case studies from various researchers from the Association for Peace and Conflict Studies (AFK). It becomes clear that peace cannot always be clearly defined and is difficult to achieve. Whether as an introduction to the topic or to deepen existing knowledge - this event is aimed at anyone who wants to take a critical look at the causes of conflicts and the possibilities of sustainable peacebuilding. Compact, understandable and practical - for everyone who wants to contribute to a more peaceful world.

The event will take place every Wednesday from 14-16 c.t. in RK 005 in the coming semester. You can find the event under the following link:

The event is open to everyone. If you are not sure whether crediting is possible in your degree program, please feel free to come and we will certainly find a suitable solution.

The event is organized in cooperation with the Peace and Conflict Research Association and the Peace Academy RLP.

Best regards

Tim Schroll

afk-gf[at]afk-web.de

Once again, we cordially invite you to these events! They will take place on Sat, 11.10.2025, 18:00 in Kaiserslautern and on Sun, 12.10.2025, 15:00 in Mainz, with different local partners supporting us in each case. In both cases, room capacity is limited, which is why we ask you to register. Details can be found on the flyers (right).

To register for the respective event, please contact:

friedensakademie-rlp[at]rptu.de (Kaiserslautern)

info[at]ieg-mainz.de (Mainz)

On Friday, 27 June at 7 p.m., the organizers invite you to a public commemorative event in the Japanese Garden Kaiserslautern, where survivors of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and those affected by nuclear tests worldwide will have their say, accompanied by the drummers of the Japanese drum group "TENNOGAWA". On Saturday, June 28 at 10 a.m., a public panel discussion on the future of nuclear weapons and nuclear (dis)armament in Europe will take place in the Audimax (Building 42, Room 115) at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ in Kaiserslautern. This will be followed by a reception in the foyer, where the poster exhibition "ARTISTS AGAINST THE BOMB" will be on display.

The series of events is intended to commemorate the devastating effects of the use of nuclear weapons and at the same time promote dialog about the possibility of a future free of nuclear weapons. Admission to the commemorative event, panel discussion and exhibition opening is free. Registration is not required.

Further information can be found on this flyer.

The workshop will deal with the conference topic from a peace research and peace education perspective. Based on concrete conflict episodes, which can also be brought in by the participants, the workshop will focus on how different forms of violence manifest themselves in conflicts about democracy.

Further information and registration .

The initiative was first launched in 2023 in the prestigious Peace Palace in The Hague and aims to bring various international actors into dialog in order to promote peace and justice in the world. In view of numerous crises and conflicts, the topic of this second meeting is highly topical. What international measures and social changes are necessary for lasting peace? What strategies are there for crisis prevention? What role do local actors, justice and the culture of remembrance play? The aim of the event is to address these questions from an international and interdisciplinary perspective.

The program consists of four panel discussions on the following topics: "Peace and Reconciliation", "Justice", "Conflict Management" and "Culture of Remembrance". The panels will be moderated by Philippe Gréciano, Vice President of the DFH, Gregor Walter-Drop, Managing Director of the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate, Manuel Fröhlich, Chair of International Relations and Foreign Policy at the University of Trier, and Frédérique Neau-Dufour, responsible for the "Remembrance Strategy" of the Grand Est region. The speakers include Corine Defrance (Université Paris, Panthéon Sorbonne), Roger Koudé (Université Catholique de Lyon), François Roux, a lawyer with international expertise, Catharina Nickel (United Nations University) and Célestin Berthelot (Council of Europe), whose work provides decisive impetus for debates on peace and justice. In addition, three lecturers from the Catholic University of Rwanda will enrich the discussion with their perspectives.

Participation in the event is free of charge. is still possible until June 19. Further information can be found .

The lecture will take place at 7:15 pm in the lecture hall of the Institute for the History of Medicine and Science Studies and the Center for Cultural Studies Research Lübeck (IMGWF/ZKFL, Königstraße 42, 23552 Lübeck). Admission is free and registration is not required.

Further information can be found .

Wednesday, 28.05.2025, Pedagogical State Institute Rhineland-Palatinate, Speyer

Annalena Groppe, research associate at the Peace Academy, will contribute an introduction to the basics of peace education at a training event organized by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Institute of Education. Various perspectives - from critical to experience-based approaches - will be presented, offering practical ways of dealing with conflicts in the classroom.

In the subsequent workshop by Dr. Julia Hagen from the Service Agency for Peace Education in Baden-Württemberg, the method "Conflict Analysis with a Peace Focus" will be presented. The aim is to deal with wars and armed conflicts and to be able to better orientate oneself in international politics.

You can find more information here:

Unfortunately, the event has been canceled due to a lack of registrations.

Further information can be found .

18:00 Lecture by Dr. Kazuyuki Sasaki, Protestant University of Rwanda and Megumi Sasaki, Umucyo Nyanza Women's Cooperative
(event in English)
In addition to the presentation of a specific Rwandan reconciliation project, there will also be a discussion and space for questions from the audience.

Few societies have had to demonstrate their capacity for forgiveness and conflict transformation as much as the Rwandan people. After the devastating genocide of 1994, not all wounds have healed even today - but forgiveness and reconciliation are prerequisites for being able to live together in peace again. In this lecture, we tell the story of Umucyo Nyanza, a
tailors' cooperative in Rwanda made up of women who survived the 1994 genocide and the wives of those who perpetrated it. These women, who once regarded each other as enemies, have now developed into a community characterized by deep sisterhood. We tell of their journey of healing and reconciliation over the last 13
years and highlight the important processes and events that have made this remarkable transformation possible.

Moderator: Dr. Gregor Walter-Drop, Managing Director of the Peace Academy
Rheinland-Pfalz at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ University Kaiserslautern-Landau

Please register by March 28, 2025 by e-mail to ruandareferat@stk.rlp.de

From March 18 - 19, 2025, the working group of the Young AFK will once again host its conference for young researchers. Under the heading "From Fake News to Cyberwar: Current Challenges and Approaches in Peace and Conflict Research", we invite you to discuss aspects of global, political and social issues together. The conference will take place in the run-up to the AFK Colloquium 2025 and is aimed at academics and students in the interdisciplinary field of peace and conflict research, as well as people from the non-academic field. With the conference for young researchers, we offer a discussion platform for ongoing or completed master's theses and doctoral projects, but also for emerging research ideas or creative formats.

Possible topics for your contributions include

• current wars and conflicts,
• fake news, cyberwar and the role of AI,
• civil conflict resolution and peace building,
• social movements and protest research,
• disarmament and arms control,
• feminist theories of peace and conflict research,
• peace education and peace building,
• Methods in peace and conflict research.

Further information can be found here:

We want to discuss these questions with

• Prof. Dr. Tanjev Schultz, University of Mainz
  

Moderation:

• Dr. Gregor Walter-Drop, Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate
  rptu.de/friedensakademie/team/dr-gregor-walter-drop

Registration by email to friedensakademie-rlp[at]rptu.de

January 24 and 25, 2025, Protestant Education Center Butenschoen-Haus, Landau

Regionalism and cosmopolitanism are not opposites. Due to its rural character, the Palatinate is sometimes considered provincial. In a counter-movement, this historical conference focuses on the European and global relationships in which the Palatinate has always been involved - and on the role that churches and civil society organizations play in this. What contribution do citizens make to peace and understanding? How do non-governmental organizations complement state action? Are there religious or ideological factors that promote or hinder peace and understanding? How does the Palatinate benefit from the European and global networks of its citizens? And: Does the Palatinate benefit the world?

The conference offers approaches to motifs such as non-violence, democracy, migration and colonialism. Geographically speaking, the arc spans from the Netherlands to Bohemia, Piedmont, England, the United States of America, Greece, Alsace, Brazil and Korea. The result is a panorama of Palatine world references. In addition to historical questions, we will discuss the challenges of the present: in view of the return of geopolitics, the contributions of church and civil society networks to peace and understanding seem to be less in demand. Does this have to be the case?

The conference is part of the program for the 100th anniversary of the Association for Palatinate Church History.

The conference is being organized in cooperation with the Verein für Pfälzische Kirchengeschichte e.V., the Institute for Protestant Theology at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ and the Protestant Academy of the Palatinate. Sponsored by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Center for Political Education.

The program and information on registration can be found here.

Further information on the event and registration here.

Further information on the event series and registration can be found on the flyer and on the .

Registration form .

How can global conflicts be meaningfully integrated into educational work? How can we deal sensitively with young people who identify or are identified with a party to a conflict? How can ways towards a more peaceful world best be communicated?

These and many other questions will be addressed in two keynote speeches, ten workshops and a concluding discussion. Our research associate will contribute to the program with a keynote lecture on "Peace education meets global learning: Transformative learning spaces in, about and through conflict(s)" and a workshop.

The annual Global Learning Forum is organized by the Rhineland-Palatinate Development Policy Network (ELAN e.V.) and the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Education and is aimed at teachers, pupils and all educational stakeholders who are interested in global learning topics and are looking forward to networking with like-minded people.

All further information on the program and registration can be found .

For more detailed information, please see the flyer (download).

The conference will focus on the diverse transformations that can be seen in peace education as a result of socio-political tensions, experiences of crisis, technical developments and internal and self-reflective reorganization. The conference will therefore begin with a two-day future workshop, which will offer a special space for dialog and reflection in which personal and professional role clarification, motivation, challenges and limits of peace education work can be incorporated.

The Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate is sponsoring the conference, which will be led by Melanie Hussak (Fellow of the Peace Academy). Our research associate Annalena Groppe is also actively involved in the preparatory team. She will give a lecture on the methods of "(participatory) action research in peace education" and, together with Melanie Hussak, offer a workshop on "Experience orientation in social conflicts about democracy?" in the methods workshop.

Further information about the annual conference of the AK Friedenspädagogik and registration can be found .

An overview of the program can be found .

Organized by Prof. Dr. Janpeter Schilling (HWR) and Prof. Dr. Silke Bustamante (HWR)

Over the past 14 years, our world has seen a strong rise in violent conflicts. While all violent conflicts lead to significant human suffering and destruction, their causes are case-specific and highly complex. The lecture series provides insights into the complexity of ongoing conflict hotspots around the globe. After an overview of global conflict trends, the lecture series brings together international experts who share their perspective on the drivers, developments and potential mitigation efforts of relevant conflicts, including the current war in the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine war as well as smaller-scale violent conflicts related to resource extraction and regimes changes in Africa and Latin America. Participants of the lecture series will not only gain a deeper understanding of specific conflicts and engage and discuss critical issues with experts, participants will also be able to compare conflict dynamics and uncover structural causes of violent conflict.

All sessions (except from session 6) will take place from 16:15 to 17:45 (CEST) via Zoom. To receive the access link, please register by sending an email to friedensakademie-rlp[at]rptu.de. You can find videos of past sessions by clicking on the title.

An evening event with Osama Illiwat and Rotem Levin
from the Israeli-Palestinian organization "Combatants for Peace"
on Monday, 15 July 2024, 19:00
Small hall, Jugendstil-Festhalle, Mahlastr. 3, 76829 Landau/Pfalz, Germany

You don't need to know Hebrew or Arabic, or even English, to understand this logo: Two figures throw away their guns and approach each other with outstretched hands. The distance is short; the step is huge. "Combatants for Peace" has been connecting former combatants from both sides in Israel and Palestine since 2006. We invite you to hear for yourself how it is possible to break out of the seemingly endless spiral of hatred and violence in the Middle East. Our guests will talk about their personal and not always easy journey. Their experience is an impressive sign of hope from a region whose conflicts have also led to a debate in Germany in which the divides sometimes seem unbridgeable. And yet this is only a distant echo of the bitter conflict on the ground, which has been going on for decades. Listen for yourself: There is another way.

The event is jointly organized by

the Rhineland-Palatinate Peace Academy,
the Protestant church district of Landau and the
Peace and Environment Office of the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate

The event will be held in English;
simultaneous translation into German will be available.
Please register for the event at: friedensakademie-rlp@rptu.de;

Admission is free;
the organizers invite you to a reception afterwards.

A discussion event on the occasion of the publication of the book
"Frieden? Secure it! Instructions for reviving pacifist thinking" by
Dr. Heinz Klippert

on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, 19:00
Butenschoen-Haus, Luitpoldstraße 8, 76829 Landau/Pfalz

Discussant: Dr. Theodor Ziegler, Ecumenical Institute for Peace Theology

Moderator: Melanie Hussak; Protestant University of Applied Sciences Freiburg

"We must become fit for war, we must be able to defend ourselves and prepare the Bundeswehr and society for this," demanded Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on ZDF television at the end of October 2023. A few months later, Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger saw it as the task of schools to prepare children for war and develop a "relaxed relationship with the Bundeswehr". And these are just two particularly prominent highlights. For the German debate in society and politics, the "turning point" proclaimed by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz following Russia's invasion of Ukraine is currently above all a "leap back in time" to the Cold War. The fact that back then, the longer the more urgent, the realization that at least "Ci vis pacem, para pacem" (Dieter and Eva Senghaas) also applies seems to have been forgotten surprisingly quickly. In his new book "Peace? Secure! Anleitung zur Belebung pazifistischen Denkens", the educationalist Dr. Heinz Klippert wants to deliberately set an antipole and not only rehabilitate the concept of pacifism, but also provide concrete suggestions on what education for peace can look like. The event therefore takes the publication of the book by Westend-Verlag as an opportunity to give the discussion a different impetus than the prevailing mindset of "training for war".

The event is jointly organized by the

Verein der Freunde und Förderer der Friedensakademie Rheinland-Pfalz
of the Evangelische Akademie der Pfalz and
Arbeitsstelle Frieden und Umwelt der Evangelischen Kirche der Pfalz

Admission is free;
the organizers invite you to a reception afterwards.

Registration is possible until 19.06.2024 at

The tension between diversity, polarization and consensus

Many people perceive from their own everyday experience, from media reports and from more than a few current social analyses that conflicts within German society have not only increased and intensified in recent years, but that we are heading towards or already living in a divided society. Front lines are being drawn on numerous issues, with population groups often irreconcilably and irritably confronting each other, sometimes with open aggression. Descriptions such as "culture war" and "loss of the social center" are booming.

The lecture series of the Department of Cultural and Social Sciences addresses the initial question from the perspectives of the various disciplines represented in the department. It is clear from the outset that the question as posed cannot be meaningfully answered with a "yes" or "no". Rather, it breaks down into a whole series of individual questions that must and will be subjected to individual consideration and analysis in various social, cultural and political areas. Which issues, often highly emotionally charged, trigger the formation of camps and rifts? Are they cracks on the surface or do they reach into the deep tectonics of society? Are the tectonic plates of the basic social structure shifting and disintegrating? Is there a broad social consensus in the depths, but is it being drowned out by loud cries from the front? What and who is fuelling polarization on the surface, what is driving or preventing it from breaking through into the depths? Are polarization and the loss of social consensus the price that a culture of diversity has to pay? And what challenges do these questions pose for the cultural and social sciences?

On Tuesday, 18.06.2024, Annalena Groppe will give her lecture "Peace education challenges and potentials in polarizing conflicts over democracy: An analysis using the regional case study of Hambach Castle in Neustadt". The lecture series will take place at 18:15 in conference room CI 1 on the Landau campus.

"Climate change as a cause of conflicts and wars is often underestimated and forgotten when it comes to conflict prevention," says Lukas Hartmann. "We want to become aware of the problem and find a good way of dealing with it. Fortunately, peace research is helping us to solve this challenge."

Dr. Rebecca Froese and Prof. Dr. Janpeter Schilling will shed light on how climate and environmental changes affect cooperation and peaceful coexistence. Both are Associate Fellows of the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate and have conducted research there on conflicts and environmental peacebuilding, including as Scientific Director and Managing Director of the research institution. He is now Professor of Risk, Crisis and Conflict Management at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. Rebecca Froese works as a research assistant at the Center for Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research at the University of Münster.

Together with Lukas Hartmann, they will draw a differentiated picture of the climate crisis as a conflict intensifier, but also as an opportunity for cooperation. Questions and contributions to the discussion from the audience are welcome. Participation in the Landau Climate Talks is free of charge. Barrier-free admission is possible.

This event is part of the '', which -- organized by the city of Kaiserslautern -- will take place from 8-20 March 2024 at Schneiderstraße 12, 67655 Kaiserslautern. The performance will take place on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the hour and half hour in the K shopping center in Lautern (Fackelrondell 1, 67655 Kaiserslautern). It is not necessary to register in advance; interested visitors can simply drop by.

The performance installation will be presented by Katharina Anna-Josefine Rausch and curated by Julia Katharina Thiemann. Annalena Groppe, the research assistant responsible for the Peace Academy, will also be available to talk about the research background to the project.

Date: Monday, September 25, 2023

Time: 16:30 - 17:30 (Please note the changed time)

Location: Online discussion

In recent years, Hambach Castle has become the focal point of conflicts over interpretations of democracy. How can actors in municipalities, civil society and academia deal with these challenges together?

Topics:

Dealing with right-wing appropriation

The role of municipal conflict counseling

Potential of (peace) education

Annalena Groppe, research associate at the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate, and Krischan Oberle, project manager for municipal conflict management at the Friedenskreis Halle, will open the discussion.

Working together to find solutions to promote democracy and peace. #HambacherSchloss #science #peace research

The invitation to Streit&Strunz and information on registration can be found .

Drylands, which cover more than a third of the continental area, differ greatly in terms of their natural environment, their geopolitical situation, their socio-economic situation and the changes to be expected in the course of climate change. Using selected drylands as examples, the session will take a differentiated and interdisciplinary look at various methods and topics. As part of the session "The future of drylands: Diverging natural areas, utilization and development potentials (AK Wüstenrandforschung)", Janpeter Schilling will give his presentation on "Old and new risks: Impacts of political marginalization, climate change, violent conflict, conservation areas and energy projects on mobile pastoralist groups in northern Kenya".

The Peace Academy regularly offers workshops and training courses in cooperation with educational institutions (schools and non-school actors). If you are interested, please contact us!

Link: /friedensakademie/beratung-und-lehre/workshops-und-weiterbildung

The second part of the event will deal with the questions of what changes are being experienced here locally and what the religions see as their specific tasks in view of the current situation in Landau.

Armed conflicts, but also natural disasters and climate change are causing people to flee. People in search of a place to live are also arriving here in Landau. At the same time, irrespective of these changes, the social gap in our own country, in the city, is widening. Both changes are coming together. Many people end up or have to stay on the margins of society, experiencing their own conflicts and hardships, but very few of us meet these people, we don't see them. The third round of talks is dedicated to this topic.

The event, initiated by the Advisory Board for Migration and Integration of the City of Landau, will take place on Thursday, July 13, 7 p.m. in the ballroom at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ (University) Landau, Bürgerstraße 23. Admission is free, no registration required.

The discussion evening is supported by

• Working Group of Christian Churches (ACK) Landau
• Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate of the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ University Kaiserslautern-Landau (º£½ÇÖ±²¥)
• Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation Palatinate e.V.
• Islamic Multicultural Association Landau-Pfalz e.V. (IMV Landau e.V.)
• Turkish Islamic Union of the Institute for Religion e.V. (DITIB) Landau
• Center for Cultural and Knowledge Dialogue (ZKW)

Participants on the panel are: Prof. Dr. Elzbieta Adamiak (Christianity | Catholic Theology, º£½ÇÖ±²¥), Dr. Anja Angela Diesel (Moderation | efwi), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Pauly (Judaism | Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation Palatinate), Güven Sayan (Islam | DITIB RLP), Jun.Prof. Dr. Janpeter Schilling (Peace Academy RLP, º£½ÇÖ±²¥).

Further information: www.kirchelandau.de/impulse

In fact, NGOs are subject to economic constraints. They compete for donations and are under competitive pressure. This market logic can have negative, unintended effects. One example of this is wars that are co-financed and prolonged by the resources of NGOs.

How can NGOs deal with the tension between economization and ethical objectives? What specific dilemmas do NGOs face in practice? And what approaches and strategies are there to counteract the dynamics and problems of increasing economization? Together with experts from science, business and education, we will discuss the ethical and economic foundations of humanitarian action.

Dr. Charlotte Dany will be one of the speakers at the workshop organized by the Junge Akademie and the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate. The workshop is part of the "Economics & Ethics" certificate program of the Junge Akademie. This program aims to convey theories of Business Studies and Economics in the context of current social change processes in an application-oriented manner. All interested parties between the ages of 15 and 26 are invited to participate.

You can find the flyer for the event here.

The speakers highlighted the similarities and differences between the environmental and peace movements. They also spoke about the role of activists in these movements and the challenges they faced. The highlight was a short slideshow with photos from the movements from the 1980s to the present day.

Climate change is considered one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century and is also playing an increasingly important role in political issues. Due to its social impact, it is also important to bring this discussion into various educational contexts and to sensitize young people to this topic.

On Monday, September 12, 2022, Rebecca Froese from the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate visited Europagymnasium Wörth to talk to the students about the connection between climate change and global peace as part of Democracy Day. The lecture, which was aimed at the advanced courses in social studies and geography, took place in cooperation with the "Demokratie leben!" coordination and specialist office and served as preparation for a subsequent panel discussion with local politicians. Under the title "Climate change as a global crisis of justice and peace - the connection between climate change and conflicts", concepts and theories on violent conflicts and conflict sensitivity were first discussed. In the further course of the lecture, these concepts were then applied to the contexts of climate protection and climate adaptation measures, among other things, and political options for action were examined.