Who we are

The Group of Peace and Global Security Studies (GEPASM - Grupo de Estudo em Paz e Segurança Mundial/UEPB) is coordinated by Prof Paulo Kuhlmann (UEPB) and Prof. Marcos Alan Ferreira (UFPB). It bring together professors from a lot of different universities who are also dedicated to Peace and Conflict Transformation studies. World Security is called like this as an oppositon to the tradicional concept assigned to the Internacional Security, in order to offer an alternative to state-center vision. Soon, the group studies an critical global security analysis, in which the different levels (local, national, regional and internacional) are also taken into account, since that the problems of structural and cultural violence does not respect any borders and even the boundaries does not restrict ethical and philosophical concerns in relation to the founding principle of the discipline of Internacional Relations - that is, to end the war, and especially to reduce the violence. In addition, the group understands security as something to be built, as described in nordic texts about peace and positive safety, or even the concept of human security and the critical studies of safety, where special attention is given to the issue of emancipation and empowerment to build a peaceful and fair society. 

The study grout articulates theoretical debates and pratical actions. Such actions are exemplified with the Project "Universidade no Cristo/Rangel: Educação como geradora de Segurança Humana (Projeto Universidade em Ação), consecutively approved in PROBEX-UEPB since 2011 and active until then. The extension project bring together undergraduate and postgraduate studens of Internacional Relations, Biology and Archival, such as some students of José Lins do Rêgo high school. We are also together with Rede Crer Ser, a network schools of Cristo and Rangel neighborhoods, as well with the Extension Project of UFPB, called MEDIAC, that works with different types of mediation and process of self-compositional conflict resolution and transcendent to legal practice. In addition to these projects, it had made efforts to work with the Rede (Network) Focolares, founded by Chiara Lubich, that had peaceful and integrative purposes. PUA project has already made a number of playful actions on aslyms, child cares, schools and squares in the neighborhoods of Cristo and Rangel, mainly using the clown language, but has pursue to expand the artistic forms of expression more and more. The goal is to integrate a network of collaborators, external to the community, and internal to it, always expanding the bonds and the amount of work on culture of peace and promoting democratic values around the concept of justice. 

Both GEPASM and PUA have been dedicate themselves theoretically and pratically for Peace Studies (Positive and Negative Peace, Emancipation, Conflict Prevention, Resolution and Transformation Conflict), as well to meet, train and practice the preventive tools for building peace (Circle of Dialogue, Emancipation Through Art and Culture, and a lot of others), through projects, simulations and actions in the community. Thus, we propose a seamless integration between the three componets that are the pillars of public university: teaching with high quality, combined with academic research of social impact and an extension of the results of the first two to build a third pillar: the service to society in which teaching and research are inserted.