An International Conference hosted online on 25-26 May 2020 by The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen's University Belfast 

This virtual conference brought together academics, activists and practitioners to explore how, why, and whose stories of experiences of violence are told in deeply divided societies. 

In Day One’s presentations we explored the use of stories of violence across platforms: literature, tours, remembrance, diaries and social media. The desire to be heard crosses politics and other divides. 

In Day Two’s presentations we explored the use or misuse of stories of violence in Media around the globe. We covered the media utilization of concepts such as gender, visuals, ethical practices, othering, framing, partisanship and more.

Most of the conference was recorded, including the two keynote lectures at the end of each day.  You can listen again by clicking the links in the programme below.

Programme

Day 1 Introduction

The role of narrative and language to facilitate understanding: An empirical reader-response study on narrative empathy - Dr. Carolina Fernandez-Quintanilla

Bus Tours on ‘Ireland’s Violent Frontier’ - Mathew Gault

Remembering Experiences of Historical Institutional Abuse: The Centrality of ‘Voice’ - Paula Shilliday

Conflict, Crisis, & Resolution: The Use of Diaries as a Tool For Peace - Savannah Olshove

Keynote: Race and the Digital Divide - Theo Wilson

Day 2 Introduction

The Legacy of Gender in Northern Ireland - Elisa Cofini

Islam, Veiling & Political Agency: The Visual Performativity of Palestinian Female Suicide Bombers in U.S. Broadcast News Media - Dr. Mathew Kirk

Fairness, distortion and privilege: ethical challenges in reporting sexual violence in conflict - Janet H. Anderson & Benjamin Duerr

Media Coverage and Political Violence: Othering following Bloody Sunday - Hannah Smith

For Fox’s Sake: The Violent Impact of Anti-Immigration Narratives in Right Wing U.S. Media - David Mills

Keynote: Walls of the Mind - Anand Pandian

Global Reach of Conference