The Centre

Advancing reflexive knowledge on war and violence

Recently created in late 2025, The Centre for the Study of War and Violence at the University of Liège is committed to advancing transnational, critical and interdisciplinary research on the dynamics and consequences of war and violence. We seek to challenge conventional paradigms and explore the sociological, political, and cultural dimensions of armed conflict and its related mechanisms of mass devastation, emphasizing its profound impact on societies and individuals.

hrough rigorous scholarship and collaborative networks, the Centre aims to foster informed debate and contribute to the pursuit of peace and justice. Our vision is to become a key hub for Critical War Studies, shaping academic and public understanding of conflict and violence in modern history and our twenty-first century.

The Centre is founded on principles of intellectual rigor, interdisciplinarity, and critical inquiry. We uphold academic freedom and safeguard intellectual independence through transparent public funding that avoids conflicts of interest. Our commitment to ethical research ensures that our work not only advances knowledge but also serves the broader goal of building a more just and peaceful world. Accordingly, the Centre is founded on three core pillars

Democratize public debate on war and violence

Discussions about war and the use of force have traditionally taken place within military institutions, government agencies, and expert circles like think tanks. As a result, the broader public - despite being directly affected by these decisions - often has limited access to the knowledge necessary for meaningful participation. The Centre seeks to open these debates to society, by producing accessible, rigorous research. Our goal is to foster an informed and pluralistic public conversation on issues that are too often confined to the professional spaces of defence.

By “democratisation of knowledge”, we do not simply mean making expertise accessible outside academic circles. We also mean formulating questions and producing research that empower the public to reclaim the debate on defence, by shedding light on the human, economic, social, and environmental costs of war and militarisation, and on the ways these harmful approaches continue to be portrayed as legitimate and viable foreign‑policy options.

Promote epistemological and empirical robustness

Debates on war and violence are frequently shaped by dominant categories and narratives, as well as institutional perspectives that can obscure key underlying dynamics at play. The Centre is committed to examining violence, security practices, and defence policies through a scientifically grounded and critically reflexive lens. This means challenging well-established interpretative frameworks, and developing innovative analytical tools capable of capturing the complexity of organized forms of violence.

Strengthening the empirical robustness of research is also essential. The Centre seeks to produce high‑quality evidence on the lived realities and material practices and impacts of organised violence.

Safeguard independent, conflict-free research

Knowledge intended to inform public debate must be fully independent to be credible and trustworthy.
The Centre is committed to ensuring that its research is supported exclusively by transparent public funding or other sources free from conflicts of interest. We uphold strict standards of academic freedom, methodological autonomy, and institutional integrity in order to produce research that serves the public good.
This independence is essential for enabling reflexive inquiry and for ensuring that the study of war and violence remains open, inclusive, and accountable.

updated on 4/2/26