HWS News
7 March 2025 HWS Students Present Research at International Studies Convention
After coauthoring a paper with Professor Stacey Philbrick Yadav on conflict and narration, students presented their research at the prestigious International Studies Association Annual Convention.
Rafael Aguilar ’25 and Kelly Howe ’26 recently traveled to Chicago, Illinois to present their research at the 66th International Studies Association Annual Convention. The paper, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: Narration and Knowledge-Production in Conflict-Affected Communities," was coauthored by Aguilar, Howe, and Sandeep Tissaaratchy ’26 in collaboration with Professor of International Relations Stacey Philbrick Yadav.
"I am so grateful for this entire experience, from the first drafts of the paper to our presentation at the ISA convention," Howe says. "After we presented our work, we gathered feedback from the room, engaging in meaningful conversations about our methods, typology and possibilities for expansion."
Their research, conducted during the summer of 2024, examines how proximity to conflict influences the way different actors characterize war, identify problems and propose solutions.
The team explored case studies from Yemen, Peru and Sri Lanka. Together, they analyzed how various perspectives shape the understanding and retelling of conflict, an insight that has implications for advocacy and policy.
“This contribution to narrative research is vital for showing the decision-making involved in describing conflict,” says Aguilar. “Highlighting these factors can inform advocacy and the process of how knowledge travels between organizations.”
“We wanted to take a closer look at how different ways of characterizing conflict impact three very different wars and their post-conflict transformations,” adds Tissaaratchy, who, as a Sri Lankan international student, brought firsthand knowledge of the country to the research team.
Tissaaratchy is currently studying abroad in Nepal and was unable to attend the convention.
The ISA is widely recognized as a competitive conference for academic research. The event brings together a global network of scholars, practitioners and policymakers in international relations, political science and global affairs.
Philbrick Yadav says working with Aguilar, Howe and Tissaaratchy was a rewarding collaborative experience.
“People talk a lot about the teacher-scholar model at liberal arts colleges, and it’s not just talk,” she says. “I love working with my students on shared research projects as much as I love teaching about what we learn together.”
Philbrick Yadav is the author of Yemen in the Shadow of Transition: Pursuing Justice Amid War (2022). Her scholarly articles have appeared in journals such as The International Journal of Middle East Studies and Middle East Report.
