The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 22, 2026, 11:50 a.m.

Academics draw on lived experience in their global peacebuilding work as they foster dialogue between opposing groups and look to give victims a voice “I’m less concerned with villains and heroes than I am with how the next 50 years can be more peaceful than the last,” says Richard English , professor of politics at Queen’s University Belfast. It’s a refreshing perspective in a world where peace often seems impossible, and the complexities of conflict are readily reduced to narratives of good versus evil.

Queen’s is a Russell Group university at the forefront of global peacebuilding and reconciliation research. It’s a research institution that influences academic thought, shapes policy, and transforms lives in conflict communities worldwide.

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