It is 40 years since a division dedicated to peace studies education was created at the University of Bradford.

Now the institution is marking four decades of pioneering work in the field by hosting a special three-day conference this week. It will bring together more than 200 speakers and delegates from around the globe.

Notable speakers include Palestine’s chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, who completed his PhD in peace studies at the university, and Dr Shirin Ebadi, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the first female judge in Iran.

The conference begins tomorrow with a traditional football match played between Bradford’s peace studies students and war studies students from King’s College in London.

The match sees the teams compete for the Tolstoy Cup and is a tradition started in 1995. The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Khadim Hussain, will present the cup to the winners during an evening reception. A discussion and exhibition will also take place.

The conference will also include the launch of a new book about the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases by peace studies alumnus Margaret Nunnerley. The book is entitled Surveillance, Secrecy and Sovereignty: How a Peace Campaign Challenged the Activities of a US Base in Britain. She will talk about her new book at an event on Friday afternoon along with veteran peace campaigner Lindis Percy.

The event will continue on Friday and Saturday, with more than 50 speakers presenting papers across a diverse range of peace studies, security and international relations themes.

For more details, visit bradford.ac.uk.