Peace Lecture

In the early 1980s, the placement of US Cruise missiles at RAF Greenham Common served as a catalyst for several members of the University of Manchester staff to become involved in peace-related activities both locally and nationally. At their request, the University of Manchester established the International Peace Lecture with the aim of providing an informed analysis of issues relating to war and peace, as an educational contribution to world peace.

The original petition to the University to establish the Peace Lecture argued:

“In a dangerous world we have no illusions that war and the threat of war can easily be ended; but education is one of the long-term means of creating peace, and a University must be concerned with the future of the society of which it is part. Establishing an annual Peace Lecture is one, modest but continuing way to reaffirm our hope, belief and determination that there shall be a future, while providing an opportunity to explore how we and our children might bring it about.”

The inaugural lecture was given in 1985 by Sir Edward Heath and subsequent lecturers have included: Sir Shridath Ramphal, Zygmunt Bauman, Joanna Bourke, Paul Rogers, Noam Chomsky and more recently Serbian non-violent activist Srdja Popovic.

Upcoming events

We don't have any events scheduled at the moment. Browse the full list of events from across the University.