Peace Studies: Inspiring the next generation of global leaders

In 2025, global headlines told a story of fragile ceasefires, humanitarian crises and urgent calls for diplomacy. While the headlines can be grim, Gen Z’s unprecedented engagement with global issues, from climate change and human rights to economic inequality and corruption, provides a reason for optimism.

Surveys show Gen Z consumes news more than any other generation, actively participates in advocacy and favors educational experiences that emphasize global citizenship and sustainability. This heightened awareness is influencing their academic choices, with growing interest in programs that address diplomacy, social justice and conflict resolution.

In response to student demand and rising global challenges, universities worldwide are prioritizing Peace & Conflict Studies by embedding peace education, human rights and global citizenship across curricula. UNESCO’s 2024 overview identifies peace education as “an essential strategy for building lasting peace,” while the 2023 UNESCO Recommendation — adopted by 194 Member States — provides a global framework guiding higher education to formalize and expand peace focused learning pathways.

Libraries play a critical role in this burgeoning movement by providing access to the primary sources, multimedia and scholarly tools that make research possible. In 2026, ProQuest will add the Peace Studies collection to ProQuest One Global Studies & International Relations, deepening its commitment to deliver resources that matter most to faculty and students.

ProQuest: Content Plus Technology For A Richer Research Experience

Peace Studies blends scholarly depth with multimedia engagement, featuring archival content such as Conference on Disarmament Papers (1945-1982), documentaries and educational series from producers Arte France, Chip Taylor Communications and others, alongside monographs from leading academic publishers and university presses. With a global scope, it explores critical themes of peace, conflict and human rights through many lenses. Highlights include video series like Rights and Wrongs featuring influential voices such as Elie Wiesel and Desmond Tutu, and primary-source perspectives on conflict resolution, humanitarian effort and peacebuilding.

Navigating this expansive content is possible for even novice researchers. The collection is accessible within the ProQuest research technology environment on a platform designed to foster deeper understanding. With a purpose-built interface that connects related ProQuest content, students and researchers have a dynamic research experience that helps them move beyond isolated facts to see how ideas evolve, intersect and influence one another.

New Content That Improves The Value of Library Investments

The addition of Peace Studies is part of an ongoing content expansion planned for ProQuest Digital Collections. Throughout 2026, significant new primary source content will be added automatically, continually enriching libraries’ ProQuest content. These additions bring unique multi-format materials aligned with curriculum priorities, from global studies and history to literature, women’s studies and popular culture, supporting research, teaching and learning across disciplines.

2026 ProQuest Content Addition Highlights By Discipline

ProQuest One Global Studies & International Relations

• • Digital National Security Archive 66: CIA Covert Operations: The Truman Years, 1946-1953
  • Digital National Security Archive 67: Targeting Iraq, Part III – War and Occupation, 1996–2004
  • Digital National Security Archive 68: U.S. Climate Change Diplomacy, II
  • African Periodicals: Bingo and other publications
  • Disability in the Modern World: NPR Archive, 1980-1987
  • Illustrated Weekly of India, 1880-1993
  • Peace Studies
  • Western Sahara Campaign, 1974-2012

ProQuest One History

• • History Vault: American Jewish Congress: Biomedical & Church, 1939-2009
  • History Vault: NAACP: Conference Proceedings
  • History Vault: Operation Dixie, 1946-1953
  • Early European Books: Spanish Religious Works
  • Early European Books: Judaica

ProQuest One Literature

• • Science Fiction & Fantasy Magazine Archive

ProQuest One Performing Arts

• • Music Online: Classical Music in Video, Volume V
  • Dance Online: Dance in Video, Volume V
  • Eclectic Music in Video
  • Music Online: Classical Scores Library, Volume VII

ProQuest One Women’s Studies

• • Women’s Magazine Archive Collection 4

ProQuest One Black Studies

• • George Washington Carver Papers,1896-1975
  • History Vault: NAACP: Conference Proceedings

ProQuest One Entertainment & Popular Culture

• • The Daily Variety Archive
  • Technology and Culture Magazine Archive
  • Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive 6: International Film Archive

ProQuest One Anthropology

• • Ethnographic Video Volume VI

Why New Content in ProQuest Digital Collections Matters

These additions give libraries resources that are rich in content and aligned with academic needs. These newly digitized multimedia materials can enhance instruction, inspire research and support deeper learning in 2026 and forward.

ProQuest Digital Collections continues to connect users with sources that shape understanding and advance scholarship. Find the full roadmap and stay updated on what’s new and coming in 2026 here.

Explore the latest releases with a complimentary trial of ProQuest Digital Collections.

Jodi Johnson

Product Marketing Manager for History and Social Change, Social Science and Performing Arts portfolios. With a profound appreciation for history and a background steeped in the arts, she fuses creativity and scholarly insight to offer compelling narratives and to delve into the historical significance behind them.