Today saw the successful launch of the CCW Working Group on Armed Conflict, attended by students, faculty and visiting fellows from departments and programmes across the university. Eminent scholar of civil war and violence, Stathis Kalyvas, gave a presentation on how the study of civil war and armed conflict has progressed over the last decades, and how future research can tackle important questions about the causes, character and consequences of violent conflict. This was followed by a productive discussion among the group on topics ranging from methods and data to the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to research and how the field of conflict studies can be advanced. The event was also a chance to lay the foundations for the future activities of the newly formed working group, which will now hold regular meetings and provide a platform for discussions of work in progress and the work of scholars in the field.

For more information about the group, please contact nicholas.barker@nuffield.ox.ac.uk