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Alejandro Posada-Tellez wins Canadian Conference of Defence Associations Institute prize

Congratulations to International Relations DPhil student Alejandro Posada-Téllez (2021, St Antony’s College) who is one of four winners at this year’s CDA Institute Graduate Student Conference.  

He was awarded ‘First Place Laureate’ and a prize of $750 for his research presentation on ‘War and Peace by Other Means: The Narrative Construction of Victimhood in Societies Transitioning from Conflict.’ In his presentation, Alejandro highlighted the importance of recognising the fundamentally political nature of transitional justice, and discussed some ways in which domestic and international actors can formulate transitional policies that are increasingly responsive to the needs of conflict victims. This, he argued, is central to the success of peacebuilding interventions in post-conflict contexts.

Alejandro’s doctoral project explores the intersection between the politics of victimhood and peacebuilding, focusing on the experiences of Colombia and Sri Lanka in the aftermath of war. Alongside his research at DPIR, he is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Reading, member of the OxPeace Steering Committee, and member of peacebuilding organisation Rodeemos el Diálogo (Embrace Dialogue).

Responding to the award, he said; “I am honoured to have been awarded the First Place prize at the CDA Institute Graduate Student Conference, where I learnt about some fascinating and insightful new research being done in the space of international security.”

The CDA Graduate Conference, 11-12 May 2023, enables students and recent graduates to present their research to a high-level panel of judges who are active decision-makers in industry, government, academia, and think tanks across Canada.