SUMMERPAX

Hey there, I'm Josh. In 2018, I was accepted to five different summer programs on peacebuilding. In one of them, we were encouraged to create something in a multimedia lab and so I made this site. It started as a place to store the content I was learning to make it more accessible to friends and colleagues outside the programs. I called it "Summerpax" to match.

But since then, I've continued to learn and become more involved in peacebuilding. I did three more summer programs the next year, and then a full master's in conflict studies during the pandemic. I've added some courses from the master's as well as some other resources I've made. I'm interested in dialogue, polarization, identity, culture war and what we do when our preferences of peace themselves conflict with each other. I work mostly with ideological conflicts in North America as well as, since 2022, the fallout of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This site is made of up different sections. If you check out the courses and summer programs, you'll find lectures, workshops, exercises, case studies, interviews, panel sessions and more. I've also added links to my own research, as well as resources I've made or found useful as a practitioner. When I have time, I make a more accessible version from the academic research. I've also posted recordings of workshops I've led on different material.

There's some stuff I've wanted to clean up or post on here for years, but it hasn't happened yet. I'm slow, but hopefully steady. This site is a work in progress, and a labour of love, much like peace itself.