The Peter Jaffe Lectures on Ending Domestic Violence

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About the event

This hybrid event will be available via livestream or in-person. The keynote lecture will be delivered in English but for our online audience, French simultaneous interpretation will be available as well as closed captioning in both languages. 


Gender-Based Violence and Violent Extremism  

In dozens of incidents from North America to Norway to New Zealand, an increasing number of gender-motivated attacks linked to misogynist and male supremacist ideologies, including those associated with the "incel" (involuntarily celibate) movement, have explicitly targeted and killed women and gender diverse communities. These acts of violence reflect a growing intersectionality of gendered violence with violent extremism and mirror the rise of other forms of gender-based violence in both online and offline spaces.  

In this lecture, Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a leading expert on extremism, will explain the importance of recognizing and calling out the thread of misogyny running through these attacks. She will offer essential strategies that we can use in our everyday lives to address and respond to gendered hate and violence, mapping a pathway to building healthier, more inclusive spaces for everyone.   

Event Details

  • Wednesday , December 3, 2025 3:00 - 4:30 pm EST
  • Goodwill Industries ( 255 Horton Street - View Map)
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About the speaker

Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss

Professor, American University
Founding Director, Polarization and
Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL)  

Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss is a Professor in the School of Public Affairs and in the School of Education at the American University in Washington, DC, where she is also the founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). She is a  Draper Richards Kaplan  Foundation Entrepreneur and recently served as the inaugural creative lead for the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s residency program on social cohesion in Berlin, Germany. Dr. Miller-Idriss regularly testifies before the U.S. Congress and briefs policy, security, education and intelligence agencies in the U.S., the United Nations, and other countries on trends in domestic violent extremism and strategies for prevention and disengagement. She is the author, co-author, or co-editor of seven books, including  Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism (forthcoming in September 2025 from Princeton University Press) and  Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right  (Princeton University Press, 2022), and is currently at work on a new co-authored book (with Pasha Dashtgard) on evidence-based prevention of hate-fueled violence. Dr. Miller-Idriss writes frequently for mainstream audiences, as an opinion columnist for  MSNBC  and in other recent by-lines in  The New York Times, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, Politico, USA Today, The Boston Globe , and  more .  


History of the Peter Jaffe Lectures

The Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children launched a lecture series in 2021 to honour Dr. Peter Jaffe, a psychologist and professor emeritus at the Faculty of Education. Dr. Jaffe was a founding partner in the creation of the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children in 1992 and was the Academic Director from 2005-2021. He's influenced generations of researchers, mental health professionals, lawyers, judges, school systems, families, and children. The Peter Jaffe Lectures on Ending Domestic Violence takes place annually and invites an anti-violence researcher to present a public lecture on their research. 

The inaugural lecture took place on December 6, 2021 by Dr. Peter Jaffe on Protecting children from domestic violence: It takes the Whole Community.

2023 Lecture

Keynote: Strong Connections: Gender-Based Violence and Mass Casualties 

Emma Cunliffe, LLB, LLM, PhD Professor at the Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia and Research and Policy Director for the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission 

The Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission was tasked with examining the events of April 18 to 19, 2020, when the most lethal mass shooting in Canadian civilian history occurred. The Commission stated that “for far too long, we have misperceived mass violence as our greatest threat without considering its relationship to other more pervasive forms of violence. We do so at the expense of public safety and community well-being.” In this lecture, Dr. Emma Cunliffe, who served as the Commission’s director of research and policy, explores these connections and the responses needed to prevent further tragedy.

2022 Lecture

Keynote: Children bereaved by domestic homicide: The implications for home, relationships and identity

John Devaney, PhD is the Centenary Professor of Social Work and Dean of the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh, UK.

When a parent is killed by their partner, their children experience multiple losses. One parent is deceased, the other is detained, on the run or has died by suicide, and the home has often become a crime scene. Post-homicide, key decisions have to be made regarding: where children will live; whether they will have contact with the perpetrator; and how to support children in the longer-term. Decisions on these and other issues have far reaching consequences while professionals often have little training/experience, and are often unclear about their role. Caregivers are central support figures, often with little assistance. Extended families often become spaces of contestation. Dr. Devaney’s lecture explores what we know about these issues and the implications for children in relation to their practical care, and their longer term sense of identity and relationships with significant others.

2021 Lecture

Keynote: Protecting children from domestic violence: It takes the Whole Community

The Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children launched a lecture series to honour Peter Jaffe, a psychologist and professor emeritus at the Faculty of Education. Dr. Jaffe was a founding partner in the creation of the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children in 1992 and was the Academic Director from 2005-2021.

He has influenced generations of researchers, mental health professionals, lawyers, judges, school systems, families, and individual children. The Peter Jaffe Lectures on Ending Domestic Violence which takes place annually, invites an anti-violence researcher to present a public lecture on their research.

“I’m extremely honoured to be recognized with the creation of this lecture series,” Jaffe said. “It’s my hope that these lectures will provide researchers, stakeholders and the public with opportunities to learn about how we can end domestic violence in our communities.” “Professor Jaffe has been instrumental in highlighting the problem of domestic violence and providing responses on how we, as a society, can overcome this societal problem,” Education Dean, Donna Kotsopoulos, said. “These lectures will give world-class researchers a chance to showcase what we can do to end domestic violence.”

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To learn more about how to donate, please email Rosie Triebner,
Director of Community Engagement & Development, Faculty of Education. 


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