PACSI was launched after a debate on campus following the first Gulf War in March 1991, between Professors Noam Chomsky (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Scott Thompson (Fletcher School, Tufts University). In 1991-1992, we were called the Conflict and Peace Studies Institute (CAPSI); shortly thereafter, we changed to our current name of the Peace and Conflict Studies Institute (PACSI), which is a play on pax, the Latin word for “peace.” 

Some of the events we have organized are:

  • Over 100 lectures and discussions
  • More than 15 participatory events on conflict resolution, social justice, and ideological/religious dialogue
  • A conference on economic conversion, 1993
  • Day Without Violence, every year since 1996. In the early years of the Day Without Violence, PACSI offered activities such as organized lectures, group discussions, interactive skits, a multi-faith celebration, training workshops, and, in collaboration with the city of Lowell and Middlesex Community College, teen dances at neutral sites. Since 2008, the Day Without Violence keynote speakers have been that year’s Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies. Students from Lowell High School, Westford Academy, and Innovation Academy Charter School (Tyngsboro, MA) have participated in these Day Without Violence programs.