Finding Voice Conference 2026: Women, Gendered Violence & Pathways To Peace

Finding Voice Conference 2026: Women, Gendered Violence and Pathways to Peace is a one-day conference taking place on 13th June 2026 as part of Finding Voice, a Queen's University Belfast research-led initiative.

Bringing together artists, academics, peacebuilding practitioners, community leaders and gender justice advocates, the conference explores how voice is constrained, reclaimed and sustained in contexts shaped by violence, silencing and social division.

📅 Date: Saturday 13th June 2026
🕤 Registration: from 09:30
🕙 Conference: 10:00–16:00

📍 Venue: Riddel Hall, 185 Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 5EE.

🍽️ Hospitality: Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please notify the organising team of any dietary requirements when registering.

Grounded in the peacebuilding framework of J.P. Lederach, Professor Emeritus of International Peacebuilding at The Kroc Institute, the Finding Voice initiative approaches voice not as speech alone, but as the recovery of dignity, agency, relational presence and participation in contexts shaped by fear, silencing and violence.

At the centre of the 2026 initiative is the one-day conference that brings into sustained relation artistic practice, ethnomusicology, film, gender justice, community-based peacebuilding and critical reflection on violence.

The conference will include contributions from:
Ø - Ethnomusicologist & documentary filmmaker, offering the opening keynote, accompanied by a sharing of short films. Dr Yazdani's pioneering work on female voices in Iran and Afghanistan brings a transnational lens to artistic expression, testimony and constraint.

Ø Darren Ferguson, Founder - offering a community-based and intercultural peacebuilding perspective, drawing on over 20 years of Beyond Skin’s work throughout Belfast, Northern Ireland and international contexts.

Ø The Non-Fatal Strangulation Research Project led by - , in collaboration with MA Conflict Transformation and Social Justice students, presenting research-led contributions.

Ø , Founder of Plan for Peace, offering keynote reflections on breaking cycles of violence, women’s leadership in peace processes, deep listening and the lessons from over 60 years working across conflict zones.

Participants are warmly invited to contribute to the day's discussions, including panel dialogue.

Who should attend?

This conference is open to the public and is intended for students, policymakers, educators, researchers, activists, community workers and anyone with an interest in gendered violence, women’s safety, singing, creative practice, conflict transformation and pathways to peace.

The event will be particularly relevant to those working across:

Ø Gender justice and women’s safety
Ø Peacebuilding and conflict transformation
Ø Arts, music and creative practice
Ø Ethnomusicology and Anthropology
Ø Community relations and intercultural dialogue
Ø Migration, minority communities and social inclusion
Ø Policy, civic education and public awareness
Ø Participatory research and creative ethnography

The conference seeks to create a reflective and hospitable space for shared inquiry, dialogue and future collaboration.

The overarching aim of the conference is to engage with:

Ø Gendered violence, silencing and the conditions that restrict voice
Ø Women’s agency, dignity and participation in peacebuilding
Ø Creative and artistic practice as a form of research, testimony and relational presence
Ø Responses to non-fatal strangulation and women’s safety
Ø The role of listening, embodiment and participation in conflict transformation
Ø Future pathways for research-led practice in arts, voice and peacebuilding

This initiative is aligned with : Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

With support from

Queen’s University Belfast
Graduate School / PGLI Fund
School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics
Non-Fatal Strangulation CiviContribution Fund
Beyond Skin

Athena Swan
University of Sanctuary
Centre for Creative Ethnography

Plan For Peace

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The Finding Voice Workshop Series 2026 forms part of the wider research-led initiative addressing community building. It includes a three-part workshop series for adult women at Queen’s University Belfast. The workshops will take place from 12.30-3pm on:

1. Friday 29th May 2026
2. Friday 12th June 2026
3. Friday 26th June 2026

Dr Yalda Yazdani will join the participatory Finding Voice workshop on Friday 12th June offering insight and an ethnomusical contribution on the Tar instrument. The workshops will explore singing, deep listening and creative expression through journalling as relational practices through which connection, reflection and social repair may be cultivated.

Workshop series:

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Practical Information

♿ Accessibility: Riddel Hall is accessible. Please contact the organising team in advance if you have specific access requirements.

Please note: Riddel Hall Directions Here

For further enquiries contact Finding Voice Lead Researcher Marcella Walsh: [email protected]

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