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Teaching and Presentations by Lindner Until the End of October 2004

Teaching and Presentations by Lindner until the end of October 2004

Ydmykelse og konflikt, lecture in Applied Psychology at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, October 5, 2004, 10:15-12, Aud 3, HS

Studies of Humiliation, PSYPRO 4030 lecture at the Department of Psychology, NTNU, University of Trondheim, October 8, 2004, 12.00-16.00, Dragvoll, Låven, room 405

Humiliation as Psychological Risk Factor for Terrorism, presentation at Riskkollegiet, Stockholm, October 12th, 2004.

The effect of humiliation on the escalation of conflicts, presentation at the conference Activists under Attack: Defending the Right to be a Human Rights Defender, hosted by the Human Rights House Network at The Norwegian Human Rights House, Tordenskioldsgate 6b, Oslo, Norway,October 13, 2004, 14.30-14.50

The Role of Humiliation for Conflict in a Globalizing World, Redd Barna, Save the Children, Oslo, Norway, October 13, 2004, 10.30-12.00

The Role of Humiliation in Conflict and War, Høgskole i Lillehammer, October 20, 2004

Posted by Evelin at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
Words Not Weapons in 30 Seconds Video Contest Proposal

Words Not Weapons in 30 Seconds Video Contest Proposal

The Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California (ADRNC) is an organization made up of conflict resolution professionals, established in response to the rapidly growing interest in newly emerging methods of dispute resolution, also known as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

ADRNC works to increase public understanding and acceptance of ADR processes and of the roles of collaborative dispute resolvers.

ADRNC is the Northern California chapter of the national Association for Conflict Resolution.

In the interest of creating awareness of the importance of alternative dispute resolution, ADRNC is sponsoring the Words Not Weapons in 30 Seconds Contest.

The winner(s) will receive:

Submission of video for consideration as a video display at Make Talk WorkT, an exhibit on ADR that will run until December 15, 2004, at The Atrium Lobby of John Jay College Theater, which is located near Lincoln Center, New York City, NY. The Theater has hosted events for Lincoln Center as well as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater/Repertory Ensemble, HBO and many others. The Make Talk WorkT exhibit is a component of the City University of New York's Dispute Resolution Consortium housed at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Submission of video to the Luggage Store Gallery, San Francisco as a video display in the 'Blur Project'. Promotion by ADRNC of their video to San Francisco Bay Area television stations for use as a public service announcement (PSA). Inclusion of their video on ADRNC's website (adrnc.org) In addition to the forementioned submissions of their video, the first prize winner will also receive a $1000 cash prize. The second and third place entrants will have their videos submitted for consideration to the forementioned venues and outlets but will not receive a cash prize.

What Is Alternative Dispute Resolution or ADR?

ADR is the professional practice of non-violent conflict resolution through facilitated communication. ADR professionals help people resolve their disputes through facilitated communications and negotiations. The many ADR practices include mediation, negotiation, facilitation, arbitration and collaborative dialogue. With the assistance of an ADR professional, people often avoid going to court or ending a relationship. The public often does not realize that, when faced with overwhelming conflict, there are options besides, "I'll see you in court!" or "You're fired!" ADR helps people avoid the long, burdensome and expensive process of litigation and helps people rebuild broken relationships.

Contest Challenge!

The contestants will create a 30-second video that can be used as a public exhibit piece, PSA and as website content to inform the public and motivate them to consider using ADR in business and personal disputes.

The winning entry will educate the viewer about the value of ADR through the storytelling, graphic and creative medium of film. Examples of ADR subjects for film include, but are not limited to depictions of:

Creative settlements of disputes ADR professionals at work
Communications that prevent violent outcomes
Everyday peaceful outcomes to aggravating situations
Prevention of bullying
Effective harassment education
Inspiring communication breakthroughs
Individuals who dissolve cultural barriers
Understanding between groups in conflict

Location: Open
Deadline: October 15, 2004
Website: see http://adrnc.org/

Posted by Evelin at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)
Art for Refugees in Transition

Dear friends,

Sara Green announces the launch of A.R.T.'s website www.artforrefugees.org

Art for Refugees in Transition (A.R.T.), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, helps rebuild communities in refugee camps worldwide through preservation of indigenous arts. A.R.T. provides curricula and training programs to engage both children and adults in visual, performing and creative arts drawn from their own cultures. These activities provide international relief institutions with tools to help refugee communities cope with the trauma, terror and dislocation of war.

Posted by Evelin at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)
Two Recommended Movies

Dear All,
Please find below two movies that were recommended by Andrea Holley from Human Rights Watch Film Festival and if you can, please go and see them.
All the best, Judit

The funniest film of the HRWIFF-NY 2004!
THE YES MEN The Yes Men
Opens Friday the 24th Sept in NY and LA!!!
From The Yes Men...
Dear Friend,
If you live in New York, see our movie at the Sunshine or Lincoln Square cinema.
In L.A., go to the Pacific ArcLight or Laemmle Monica.
What you will see will be the two of us, armed with nothing but
thrift-store suits, representing the World Trade Organization on
international TV and at conferences worldwide. You will see us
advocating the auctioning of votes to the highest corporate
bidder, the recycling of food in the Third World, and worse--and you will
see our corporate audiences applaud.
"The Yes Men" has garnered a lot of critical acclaim, festival
awards, and standing ovations. Naomi Klein has called us "Jonathan Swift
for the Jackass generation." But for folks in smaller cities to see it
and like it too, "The Yes Men" has to be seen by many thousands of people
in New York and L.A. this weekend.
So please: this weekend, if you live near New York or Los Angeles, go see our movie. Take your friends. Take your enemies. Take people
you've never met. And forward this message widely.
Your friends,
The Yes Men
******************************************************************
Filmmakers Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis will be in attendance for
Q&A'safter the after 6:30 and 8:20 shows on September 22 and 23. See
you at"The Take!"

Just going to films that celebrate resistance is a political act
these days. If you want to help us spread the word about "The Take,"
please sign up at The Take and click on the "join us
button."
A great new documentary about the inspiring workers' movement in
Argentina is coming your way! Fresh from a triumphant screening
at the Venice Film Festival and a huge activist event on a squatted
beachnearby, "The Take" is opening in New York City next week. Buy
tickets online at Film Forum



Posted by Judit at 08:25 PM | Comments (0)
Seminar Education for Democracy, Culture of Peace an Human Rights / Global Campaign for Peace Education

Dear friends,
On the framework of the Global Campaign for Peace Education launched by the Hague Appeal for Peace , we invite you to the Post Graduate Seminar " Education for Democracy, Culture of Peace and Human Rights: an educational challenge for Educating Cities" , October 4 - 5 - 6 - 12 13. National University of Rosario, Argentina.Please see program below.
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Alicia Cabezudo
Director /
Educating Cities Latin America
International Relations Bureau
Municipality of Rosario, Argentina
Phone/Fax (54) (341) 480 2275
E-mail: ce_americalat@rosario.gov.ar
Buenos Aires 711, Piso 2
S2000CEB Rosario - Argentina

Educating Cities Latin America & Universidad Nacional de Rosario

Interdisciplinary Studies Centre - CEI - Universidad Nacional de Rosario

Association of Latin American Universities GRUPO MONTEVIDEO

CREDIT SEMINAR FOR POSTGRADUATES

Education for DEMOCRACY, CULTURE OF PEACE and HUMAN RIGHTS

An educational challenge for the Educating City

4th, 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th of October 2004. Headquarters of Rosario National University


FUNDAMENTALS
Education for Democracy, fostering a Culture of Peace and respect for Human Rights, has today evolved to become an issue of acute actuality at a time when democratic virtues stand in stark contrast with the direct and structural violence with which we are daily confronted.

The analysis of Democracy, Culture of Peace and respect for Human Rights should by no means be delegated a subsidiary role in politics nor in the field of higher education.

In the course of the past 20 years these concepts have been subject to a steady evolution. Today, the ample and complex notions of Democracy, Human Rights and Culture of Peace suggests that in a modern State of Rights, equity, justice, respect for peoples’ rights, cultures of multi-ethnicity and pluralism and civil participation in politics are regarded as necessary conditions.

The academic approach to these concepts constitutes a political and educational challenge. With this challenge a potential for rigorous reflection arises, a potential which must be regarded as a step on the road to the collective construction of possible solutions as a political social practise.

OBJECTIVES
To enable the development of a practical understanding of the concepts of Democracy, Civil Participation, Human Rights and Culture of Peace

To analyse the trends in the international protection of Human Rights; legal statutes and mechanisms ensuring its international survivability

To stimulate, within a transformational ethic-political framework of reality, the analysis of, and the reflection on, the restoration of Democracy


1- Introductory Session - 4/10 (6pm – 10pm)
Prof. Dr. Marcelo Ferreira / Prof. Dr. Alicia Cabezudo
The problem of the origins and historical genesis of Human Rights. Evolution of the modern conception of Human Rights. Universality of human Rights: Theory and criticism.
The so-called "Generations" of Human Rights. Historical and conceptual analysis.
Definitions and different conceptions of Peace. Peace and Violence as areas of investigations.
Positive and Negative concepts of Peace
The concept of Violence; Direct and Structural Violence.
Culture of Peace as an integration field of different issues. Reach and scope.

2- Governance and Democracy. The Inter-American System of Human Rights – 5/10 (6pm – 10pm)
Prof. Dr. Fabián Salvioli / Dr. Hermes Binner
Democracy as an institution conducive to the development of politics promoting Human Rights and a Culture of Peace
Democracy in the Inter-American system of Human Rights
Democratic Systems: categories of analysis; governance.
Policies of inclusion and of socio-economic transformation as strategies of governance. Representativity and Participation..

3- System of Human Rights International Protection – 6/10 (6pm – 10pm)
Prof. Dr. Fabián Salvioli
Trends in the international protection of Human Rights.
National and International legal instruments; Guaranteeing mechanisms
The specific protection of Human Rights as a stage in its historical evolution, and as a response to the needs of individuals; The particular case of Women's Rights.

4- The Ethical Reconstruction** of Economic Reality – 12/10 (6pm – 10pm)
Prof. Dr. Howard Richards
The Ethical Transformation of Economic Reality
A philosophical interpretation of the methodologies of social transformation: Paulo Freire, Antonio Gramsci and John Dewey.
The post-modernist challenge and contribution.
The functional and pragmatic equivalence of different ideologies.
Changing neo-liberal mythologies to an ethical-scientific proposal

5- Democracy, Human Rights and Culture of Peace - 13/10 (6pm – 10pm)
Prof. Dr. Fabián Salvioli / Dr. Hermes Binner / Prof. Dr. Alicia Cabezudo
The construction of Democracy from the basis of public administration. The perspective of local governments.
The relationship between micro and macro.
Participatory Democracy, Human Rights and Culture of Peace: a Challenge of our Times
The construction of citizenship as an interdisciplinary educational imperative in education, public policies and the professions.


Information: E – mail: cei@sede.unr.edu.ar / ce_americalat@rosario.gov.ar
Translator Spanish-English : Mr. Hans Ola Haavelsrud

Posted by Evelin at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)
Call for Editor: Peace Review Issue on the Psychology of War

Call for Editor: Peace Review Issue on the Psychology of War

We seek an editor to work with a co-editor to assist in the development of a special issue of Peace Review on “The Psychological Interpretation of War.” The key elements of the position include soliciting and receiving contributions, working with authors to refine their contributions, and editing. Please send a letter outlining the reasons for seeking the position, describing how your experience, expertise, skills and interests make you an appropriate candidate. Include a current CV and respond via e-mail to:

PeaceReviewEditor@earthlink.net

__________________________________________________________________

Special Issue of the Peace Review: The Psychological Interpretation of War

The belief that political disagreements can be nonviolently resolved often presumes that disputes leading to armed conflicts emanate from issues in the real world. If, however, political quarrels actually derive from inner, psychological conflicts, what would constitute a viable strategy for pursuing the objective of peace? This special issue of Peace Review will explore the anxieties and desires that fuel our attraction to and compel us to embrace the idea of war.

War often is conceived as an immutable element of society, even as “human nature.” We propose that the existence and persistence of warfare as an ideology and institution is a problem to be interrogated rather than something to be assumed or taken for granted. Why has war been a recurring feature of human social life and history? Why do people express a passion for war in spite of the misery it inevitably creates and disillusionment that follows in its wake?

Viewing war as a socially constructed institution or human creation does not diminish our recognition of the profound impact that war has exerted throughout history. This issue of Peace Review seeks papers examining how our internal, mental world impacts upon and interacts with our cultural world to generate wars and warfare. What are the sources and meanings of our attachment to an ideology whose primary product is suffering and death?

Writer’s deadline for this special issue: October 2005.

__________________________________________________________________

The Peace Review

Peace Review is a quarterly, multidisciplinary, transnational journal of research and analysis, focusing on the current issues and controversies that underlie the promotion of a more peaceful world. Social progress requires, among other things, sustained intellectual work, which should be pragmatic as well as analytical. The task of the journal is to present the results of this research and thinking in short, accessible and substantive essays. Recent contributors include Richard Rorty, Stephen Zunes and Drucilla Cornell.

Peace Review Home Page:
http://www.usfca.edu/peacereview/index.htm

Submission Guidelines for the Peace Review:
http://www.usfca.edu/peacereview/guidelines.htm

For further information call Orion Anderson at 718-393-1104.

Posted by Evelin at 01:07 AM | Comments (0)
Thomas J. Scheff Comments on Blind Trust (2004) by Vamik Volkan

Thoughts in response to Blind Trust (2004), by V. Volkan, a theory of collective violence
by Thomas J. Scheff

This book provides what seems to me a broad explanation of the otherwise improbable situation we find ourselves in today's world. Dr. Volkan is the founder of a widely known conflict resolution center at the U. of Virginia, and an experienced negotiator in conflicts between nations. He is especially knowledgeable about the longstanding disputes between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, and between Serbs, Croatians, and Bosnian Moslems.

Dr. Volkan's theory of descent into collective violence has four steps. The first is what he calls the chosen trauma. The defeat of Serbs by Turks at the battle of Kosovo in 1396 was the battle cry in the 1990's for ethnic cleansing of the Moslems. Although the defeat occurred six hundred years ago, it seems to live on in the minds and hearts of Serbians.

The second step is the failure to mourn for the losses sustained in the chosen trauma. That is why the trauma lives on. The third step is the feeling of entitlement to revenge. Rather than facing the anguish of mourning and self-examination, a group can find distraction in self-righteous anger and aggression against a purported enemy.

The fourth and final step is what Dr. Volkan calls collective regression. Under the pressure of hidden emotions, a majority regresses to an early childhood mentality: mixtures of good and bad are unavailable. One's parents and leaders are all good, and others, enemies, are all bad. This mentality views points to violence as the only alternative, since we are completely good, the enemy is evil.

These steps are implied in two of Dr. Volkan's earlier books, The Need for Enemies (1988), and Bloodlines (1997). However, the new book provides a fifth element not made explicit in the previous work. The key to the failure to mourn is that the group has experienced the chosen trauma as a humiliation, they are ashamed of their defeat. To avoid feeling shame, a "us-them" world is constructed: we have nothing to be ashamed of, its those bastards who did this to us. This path leads down the slippery slope of revenge. Even if no enemy is at hand, one can be fabricated in order to avoid one's true feelings.

The addition of the fifth element, humiliation, is a step toward an integrated conception of emotion dynamics in protracted aggression. In my own study (1994) of the origins of the Franco-German wars (1870-1945), I proposed that both sides had masked their humiliation with anger toward the other side. Dr. Volkan's theory suggests that my study should have also explored the failure to mourn as a further causal element.

It now seems to me that both of our approaches also need to be expanded to include fear, along with grief and shame, as an element in collective violence. Recent studies of "terror management" (Pyszczynski, et al. 2003) suggest that fear is an important element in response to violence. Although this work is stated in cognitive terms, it implies fear as a key element. Indeed, Landau et al (2004) in introducing their study of the terror management underlying support of G.W. Bush, quote Becker (1971, p. 161) to this effect:

It is [fear] that makes people so willing to follow brash, strong-looking demagogues with tight jaws and loud voices.

In a forthcoming book, Randall Collins will explore the role of collective fear in generating violence of all kinds, both at the level of individuals and of groups.

At the moment, with the exception of Volkan's 2004 book, work on emotional components in generating and responding to violence tends to be compartmentalized. All of Volkan's many earlier studies focused on the failure to mourn (grief). My own work on conflict (1997) has focused on shame and humiliation. Lindner's work on violence (2002) has been even more specialized, considering only humiliation. The studies in terror management mentioned above have considered only "mortality salience," which implies the emotion of fear, as causal.

Each of these sets of studies makes a plausible case for the particular emotion that they emphasize. But it seems to me that the time has come to integrate these elements into a wider consideration of emotional/relational worlds. These worlds, although next to invisible in Western societies, surely plays an important part either in sustaining peace or war. They would seem to be particularly crucial for generating either public support or opposition to collective violence.

A pertinent example of the virtual invisibility of the emotional/relational world can be found within the social and behavioral sciences themselves. Most studies in the various disciplines elide around emotions and relationships in favor of individual cognition and behavior, even though all four areas are probably equally important for understanding human conduct. Both laypersons and experts know little about the emotional/relational world, at least as compared with their precise knowledge of individual cognition and behavior.

As more aspects are considered, it becomes easier to see how large scale social institutions might play a part. One example would be gender. If individuals and/or groups suppress grief, shame and/or fear, the vulnerable emotions, either violence or silent withdrawal (depression) is likely. Boys and men learn that vulnerable feelings are interpreted to be signs of weakness, but anger, even if faked, is seen as a sign of strength.

In Western cultures, at least, boys and men hide their vulnerable feelings, and act out anger instead. That is, young boys learn first in their families, and later, to a greater extent, in school, to disappear any and all of three vulnerable emotions they actually feel, in favor of acting out one emotion, anger, whether they feel it or not.

Since men usually dominate state and ethnic nationalism, the theory predicts a future filled with violence unless something can be done about understanding emotions.

The first step would be to devise ways of testing the general idea that numbing of emotions occurs, and that it effects behavior. To this point it is only a hypothesis. To the extent that it is supported, many other questions could be raised.

It would seem to be necessary to study these four emotions separately, and also their intereactions. Are there gradations of numbing, or is it all or nothing? Can numbing a single emotion, such as fear, lead to silence or violence, or does it take all three? Does the numbing of a single emotion spread to other emotions? As far as I know, none of these questions have been directly addressed in the literature on emotions.

Collective regression of the kind described by Volkan has less direct effect on the conduct of one's daily life than it does on large scale matters at a distance. But it completely incapacitates judgment with respect to these distant matters. One is the grip of a massive delusion. Might as well believe that the earth is flat, or that water flows uphill, with complete and unwavering confidence.

Volkan's theory seems to explain many elements in today's world. For example, the state of Israel has taken the Holocaust as its chosen trauma, and public support for Sharon's destructive policies toward the Palestinians is generated by the suppression of grief, shame and fear. In this country, we have 9/11 as our chosen trauma. The failure to collectively mourn our losses and to face our fear and shame has resulted in the completely gratuitous Iraq war. Hidden vulnerable emotions and all too obvious anger may be the matrix from which unnecessary violence arises.

A recent chance encounter at a memorial to our war dead illustrates some of the details of Volkan's theory. The father of a soldier who died in Iraq was showing me pictures of his son in uniform, a handsome young teenager. After viewing many photos, I began to cry. The father was surprised: "What's the matter?" I said: "I was wondering if the war in Iraq is worth the death of your son." Again he looked surprised. "But we had to do something." Why is that? I said. "9/11." I said "But Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11." "Well," the father said, " They're all Moslems." The responses of this father hints at various aspects of the us-them thinking that dominates today's world. We must find a way out before it is too late.

References
Landau, Mark, Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Florette Cohen, Tom Pyszczynski, Jamie Arndt, Claude H. Miller, Daniel M. Ogilvie, and Alison Cook 2004. Deliver us from Evil: The Effects of Mortality Salience and Reminders of 9/11 on Support for President George W. Bush Pers Soc Psychol Bull 30: 1136-1150

Lindner, Evelin (2002). Healing the cycles of humiliation: How to attend to the emotional aspects of "unsolvable" conflicts and the use of "humiliation entrepreneurship". In Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 8 (2), 125-139.

Pyszczynski, Tom, Sheldon Solomon, and Jeff Greenberg. 2003. In the Wake of 9/11 : The Psychology of Terror. WDC: APA.

Scheff, T. J. 1994 Bloody Revenge: Emotion, Nationalism and War. Westview Press (Reissued by iUniverse 2000)

Volkan, Vamik D. 1988. The need to have enemies and allies: from clinical practice to international relationships. Northvale, N.J.: J. Aronson, Inc.

_______________ 1997. Bloodlines: from ethnic pride to ethnic terrorism. New
York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux,.

______________ 2004. Blind trust: large groups and their leaders in times of crisis and terror. Charlottesville, Va.: Pitchstone.

Posted by Evelin at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
Citizens Forum: Rule of Law or the Violence of War

Dear friends of the Peace Education Center,

Please kindly share information about this event with your friends and colleagues. This forum is a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other and explore potential for citizen action to strengthen the possibilities for international law to overcome armed conflict and the violation of human rights, including efforts to further educate and energize the public toward “replacing the law of force with the force of law.”

Best wishes,
Tony Jenkins & Janet Gerson
Peace Education Center
Teachers College, Columbia University
web: www.tc.edu/PeaceEd

FREE PUBLIC EVENT!

The Law of Force or the Force of Law?

“The rule of law has been contemptuously ignored in contemporary conflicts.... Knowledge of and recourse to international law must also be made more accessible to individuals.” --- -- The Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century

A Citizens Forum on the Rule of Law or the Violence of War

with:
Peter Weiss
President, Lawyers Committee for Nuclear Policy and Vice-President, Center for Constitutional Rights

Rhonda Copelon
Founder and Legal Advisor, Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice, and Professor of Law and Director International Women's Human Rights Law Clinic, CUNY.

Ayça Çubukçu
A founding organizer of the World Tribunal on Iraq, New York Session

Betty Reardon
Founding Director Emeritus, Teachers College Peace Education Center, 2001 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, Honorable Mention

Saturday • October 9, 2004
10am-4pm
The Riverside Church, South Hall
91 Claremont Avenue
Between 120th and 121st Streets

PLEASE RSVP to:
The Peace Education Center
Email: peace-ed@tc.edu
TEL: (212) 678-8116
WEB: www.tc.edu/PeaceEd/

SPONSORED by:
Peace Education Center,
Teachers College, Columbia University
The Riverside Church Global Justice & Peace Ministry

A Citizens Forum on the Rule of Law or the Violence of War
October 9, 2004 • The Riverside Church, New York

With the revelations of prisoner abuse in Iraq, the tribunals on crimes against humanity committed in Bosnia and Rwanda, and the debates over the International Criminal Court, there is both flouting and application of a body of international law still largely unknown to most citizens. Yet, the history of war and peace since the close of World War II has indicated that international humanitarian and human rights law provides a set of significant tools through which to build a just world peace.

This forum, inspired by the preparations for the World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) will present, in terms accessible to ordinary citizens, the substance and possibilities of international law which is fast becoming a major instrument of peoples’ movements to protect human rights and demand accountability for crimes of war. The evidence and arguments to be advanced at the WTI will be presented for discussion by persons involved in the organization of the tribunal; representatives of the Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice, an NGO that played a significant role in the establishment of the International Criminal Court; and the staff of the Teachers College Peace Education Center.

Potential for citizen action to strengthen the possibilities for international law to overcome armed conflict and the violation of human rights will be considered, including efforts to further educate and energize the public toward “replacing the law of force with the force of law.”


Program

Morning Session
9:30am
Registration

10:00am
Welcome and Statement of Purpose
Janet Gerson, Acting Director, Teachers College Peace Education Center

Law as a Strategic Tool for the Peace Movement
Betty Reardon, Founding Director Emeritus, Teachers College Peace Education Center

International Law and the Iraq War
Peter Weiss, President, Lawyers Committee for Nuclear Policy
and Vice-President, Center for Constitutional Rights

Discussion and Questions
Gender Violence: A War Crime and a Crime against Humanity”
Rhonda Copelon, Founder and Legal Advisor, Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice, and Professor of Law and Director International Women's Human Rights Law Clinic, CUNY

Discussion and Questions

Lunch Break

12:45pm

Screening of video:
International Women’s Tribunal on Military Sexual Slavery in Tokyo in 2000

Afternoon Session
2:00pm
World Tribunal on Iraq: Crimes, Issues and Purposes
Ayça Çubukçu, A founding organizer of the World Tribunal on Iraq, New York Session

Discussion and Questions
Citizen’s Actions to Support the Rule of Law as an Alternative to War & Action Summary
Discussion led by Janet Gerson and Betty Reardon

4:00pm
Adjournment

Posted by Evelin at 06:55 AM | Comments (0)
Monthly News Bulletin of Dignity International: September 2004

DIGNITY INTERNATIONAL: MONTHLY NEWSBULLETIN - September 2004

Dignity News
* Third Global Linking and Learning Programme on ESC Rights: Selection in Process
* Dignity in the field with European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN)-Portugal
* Website Migration
* Tanzania completes a draft of its PRS II

Other News
* The World Urban Forum, 13-17 September, Spain
* Join the People´s Caravan for Food Sovereignty!
* The Hunger Map
* Struggle of Landless Tribals continues
* HIV/AIDS impeding the farming know-how
* Paul Hunt, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health in Romania
* The UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights: 21
resolutions and decisions on human rights and fundamental freedoms
* The World Bank ignores the Extractive Industries Review (EIR)

Publications
* COHRE’s Housing and ESC Rights Law Quarterly second edition

Announcements
* ESCR-Net’s new contacts
* A New Internet Portal on the MDGs
* Job announcement: Senior Rights Based Approach Coordinator (Malawi)

Forthcoming Events ­ Highlights
* Fifth University on Youth & Development, Spain, 8-15 October 2004
* Conference on Lessons Learned from Rights Based Approaches to Health,
Emory University Conference Center, Atlanta, USA, 14-16 April 2005.
* Seminar on Good governance practices for the promotion of human rights,
Seoul, Republic of Korea, 15 ­ 16 September 2004.
* Conference on Membership based organizations of the poor, Ahmedabad,
India, 17-21 January 2005 - call for papers

DIGNITY NEWS

*** Third Global Linking & Learning Programme on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights 1-10 December 2004 ­ The application procedure for the
programme is now closed. Three hundred applications were received and the
selection of approximately twenty participants is currently in process. All
applicants will be notified of the outcome by the end of September.

*** On the 31st of August, Susana Godinho (EAPN-Portugal) took Dignity’s Aye
Aye Win and Simone Andrade to visit anti-poverty projects carried out by
member organisations of the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN). Many
thanks Susana for arranging the visits!

The aim of the project visit was to find ways of bringing in local realities
and challenges for poverty eradication and social integration in Portugal
into the Global Linking & Learning Programme on ESC Rights.

Organisations and projects visited include the Social Centre of Palmela that
amongst other projects provide nursery, pre-school, and after school support
to low-income families in the area, a shelter and food distribution project
of CARITAS Portugal, as well as some rural projects to support young people
in their free time. The team also visited integration projects for children
with disabilities run by CERCI, a rehabilitation centre for drug dependents
as well as shelter for immigrant families in the suburbs of Lisbon.

Poverty is a global phenomenon existing in developing and the developed
countries. In the enlarged European Union of 25 countries there are 68
million people who face poverty and social exclusion. A project visit by the
Learning Programme participants could expose them to the situation of
poverty in one of the European Union member states.

*** Website Migration ­ At the end of September Dignity International
website will be migrating to a new host. This may cause some interruptions
on our website and we apologise for the inconvenience caused. We will also
be redesigning our website and an announcement will be made when this is
completed.

*** Tanzania completes a draft of its PRS II ­ The government of Tanzania
published its draft of the second Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS II) on 16
August 2004. In an attempt to make the PRS process participatory, it invited
NGOs and other stakeholders to submit revisions to the draft.

The NGO Policy Forum of Tanzania (NPF), of which Dignity International´s
Regional Coordinator Thomas Nzumbi is a member, is coordinating the feed
back from the NGO sector. The popularized version of the Draft PRS in both
English and Kiswahili have been prepared. The simplified version also
appeared as supplements (pull-outs) in some newspapers for general public
consumption and input. Dignity International also made a modest attempt to
help introduce the Draft Human Rights Guidelines to the PRS process. These
Guidelines drafted by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights can be found at http://www.unhchr.ch/development/povertyfinal.html

Further information on the NGO input in the PRS review process in Tanzania
can be Joseph Kisanji
PRS Review Coordinator for the NGO Policy Forum at [npf@cats-net.com]


OTHER NEWS
The World Urban Forum opens in Barcelona (13-17 September) - Some 3,000
delegates attended the opening ceremony of the World Urban Forum in the
Spanish Mediterranean port city of Barcelona.
Held every two years, the forum is a key event on the international
calendar, a new groundbreaking global initiative to address and keep abreast
of the main challenge of the new Millennium. The theme of this year's forum
is: Cities: Crossroads of cultures, inclusiveness and integration?

Human rights activists including Minar Pimple, Executive Director of the
People’s Decade for Human Rights Education (PDHRE) are present there. For
further information see http://www.unchs.org/wuf/2004/ For the message of
the UN Secretary General to the World Urban Forum calling for world cities
to become genuine examples of inclusiveness, equity see
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sgsm9479.doc.htm

*** Join the People´s Caravan for Food Sovereignty ­ The People´s Caravan,
organised by a coalition of people´s organisations asserting the rights to
land and food that started on August 31, will pass by 13 countries in Asia
and 3 in Europe before culminating in Nepal at the end of this month.
Prem Prasad Dangal, secretary-general of ‘All Nepal Peasants Association’,
expressed solidarity with the participants emphasising the importance of the
theme of Food Sovereignty. “Peasants and farmers grow food for the world to
eat, yet still most of them are poor and hungry” - he said. The caravan has
already made its way to the Philippines and to China where it is
contributing to the process of strengthening social movements there. Be part
of the journey! Join and support the People's Caravan! www.panap.net/caravan

*** The Hunger Map - To highlight the major global hunger emergencies in
real-time, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) created a "Hunger
Map" - an interactive colour-coded map, which presents the geography of
hunger hotspots around the world. "There are more than 800 million
undernourished women, men and children in the world, but how many people
know where they live?" WFP Executive Director James T. Morris said. "The WFP
Hunger Map puts them on the map." This map was also designed for use as an
education tool in schools.
Map: http://www.wfp.org/index.asp?section=2

*** Struggle of Landless Tribals Goes On ~ On the evening of 21 August
2004, 30 huts built by tribals in Maharashtra, India, were destroyed by the
government officials. Earlier, in July 2003, the Maharashtra State Farming
Cooperation (MSFC) had already destroyed about fifty homes without
demolition notice. This rendered 200 tribals households homeless. As the
tribes try to build up their homes, they are repeatedly demolished. Local
groups ask for solidarity with the tribals in their struggle for their land
rights. These tribals live in fear of eviction every day. Since the right to
land is not regulated, the government's action/demolition is considered
inappropriate. See http://www.acpp.org/

*** HIV/AIDS impeding the farming know-how - According to a FAO’s new study
on subsistence agriculture, Mozambique, together with other African
countries, is loosing many varieties of grains, tuber, legumes and
vegetables due to HIV/AIDS, flood and drought. “Most of the farmers use
seeds that they produce themselves to grown their own crops; the way they
pass on knowledge about how to identify, improve and conserve the seed is
from parent to children” ­ says Anne Waterhouse, author of the study.
HIV/AIDS is impeding the farming know-how from passing from one generation
to another, since infected adults are becoming incapacitated and stop
planting several crops. The local knowledge around seeds and the traditional
crops varieties is very important - as they are adapted to local conditions,
they are an important weapon against hunger.
www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/49917

*** Paul Hunt in Romania - Paul Hunt, Special Rapporteur of the United
Nations Commission on Human Rights on the right of everyone to the enjoyment
of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, visited
Romania at the invitation of the Government from 23 to 27 August 2004. The
report of the visit will be presented at the 61st session of the Commission
on Human Rights, in March-April 2005.
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/C14BB7B8D058227BC1256EF9003444B2?opendocument
Professor Paul Hunt, also agreed to be interviewed for the upcoming issue of
the Essex Human Rights Review. You are invited to submit questions for
Professor Hunt, and the most interesting proposals will be used for the
interview. Please send your questions to Eunna Lee, e-mail: eleek (add
@essex.ac.uk) by Friday 24 September 2004. The interview will be published
in the December issue of the Essex Human Rights Review, available at
http://projects.essex.ac.uk/ehrr/ and http://www.ehrr.org.uk.

*** The United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of
Human Rights (news release 9 August 2004) adopted 21 resolutions and
decisions on the question of the violation of human rights and fundamental
freedoms. On the specific subject of Economic, Social and Cultural rights
several decisions were taken:

Indigenous peoples - Final report on the study of their permanent
sovereignty over natural resources. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/L.14 ­

Social Forum ­ The Sub-commission also reiterates the decision that the
Social Forum shall meet every year, and decides that the theme for the
Social Forum in 2005 will be “poverty and economic growth: challenges to
human rights” and that it will be addressed within the context of the
five-year assessment of the goals set in the United Nations Millennium
Declaration. The sub-commission also invites the Social Forum to submit to
the Sub-Commission at its fifty-seventh session a separate report containing
a comprehensive and detailed summary of the discussions, including
recommendations and draft resolutions. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/L.22

Corruption - on the theme of corruption and its impact on the full enjoyment
of human rights, in particular economic, social and cultural rights. The
decision urges States that have not done so to introduce national mechanisms
to prevent and combat corruption through the adoption and implementation of
specific anti-corruption legislation.
E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/L.17 ­ In this respect there was an appointment of Mr.
Marc Bossuyt, as Special Rapporteur on corruption and its impact on the full
enjoyment of human rights, in particular economic, social and cultural
rights, to undertake a study on non-discrimination as enshrined in article
2, paragraph 2, of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights.

Right to drinking Water and Sanitation - The decision affirms that the
access of everyone to drinking water supply must not be subject to any
restriction but must be subject to regulation and control by the public
authorities; affirms also that the right to water is an individual and
collective human right and is closely linked to other rights.
E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/L.20 The sub-commission also requested Mr. El-Hadji
Guissé, Special Rapporteur, to prepare a set of draft guidelines for the
realization of the right to drinking water supply and sanitation.
E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/L.51 ­

Extreme poverty - on the implementation of existing human rights norms and
standards in the context of the fight against extreme poverty.
E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/L.21

Right to development - E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/L.24

Right to food - decision regarding the right to food and the progress in
developing international voluntary guidelines for its implementation,
calling upon all Governments and interested and affected parties to continue
the drafting process and renew their efforts to reach consensus on the
remaining issues so as to make possible the completion and adoption of that
set of guidelines. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/ö-25

Debt and human rights - E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/L.31

For the full press release and further information, see
http://www.unog.ch/news2/documents/newsen/sc04018e.htm

*** The World Bank ignores the Extractive Industries Review (EIR)
conclusions ­ The World Bank was said to ignore a report presented by the
Extractive Industries Review (EIR) after a 3-year investigation, which was
requested and instigated by the World Bank itself. The report concluded that
the financial support given to projects in oil, mining and gas sectors have
not led to direct poverty alleviation. The report included many other
recommendations, as to establish a consent mechanism for affected
communities, to protect areas of biodiversity, to end financing for oil and
coal projects and to respect human rights.

“The World Bank’s response is a deep insult for those affected by its
projects” said Samuel Nguiffo of Friends of the Earth Cameroon, who also
recalled the on-going Bank’s project Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline. For the
Bank this project is a model of poverty alleviation, on the contrary, to
Nguiffo it is becoming a model for misery.
See: www.foei.org/media/2004/0803.html


PUBLICATIONS
*** The second edition of COHRE’s Housing and ESC Rights Law Quarterly is
now available. This a publication of COHRE ESC Rights Litigation Programme
that focuses on recent cases and housing legislation, seeking to provide
advocates and other interested persons with information about national and
international developments related to housing and ESC rights. It can be
found at http://www.cohre.org/esc-law-quarterly.htm


ANNOUNCEMENTS
*** ESCR-Net’s new contacts ­ Please note the following new e-mail addresses
for the secretariat of the ESCR-Net. Daria Caliguire, Director
dcaliguire@escr-net.org Chris Grove, Associate cgrove@escr-net.org Suad
Elías Atala, Associate selias@escr-net.org Heidi Dorow, Office
Administrator hdorow@escr-net.org, General information info@escr-net.org

*** A New Internet Portal on the MDGs ­ The United Nations NGO Liaison
Service NGLS presents its new Millennium Development Goals Internet Portal,
Check this out at www.un-ngls.org/mdg

*** Job Announcement - Concern Universal, an international development and
emergency relief organisation is looking for a Senior Rights Based Approach
Coordinator for Blantyre, Malawi. See: http://www.concern-universal.org/


FORTHCOMING EVENTS ­ HIGHLIGHTS
*** 5th University on Youth & Development 8-15 October, Mollina Spain - As
part of the annual university on Youth & Development, the North-South Centre
of the Council of Europe will organise the 2nd Africa-Europe Training Course
for Youth Organisations: on the theme of "Youth participation for Poverty
Reduction". For further information see
http://www.coe.int/T/E/North-South_Centre/#TopOfPage

*** Conference on Lessons Learned from Rights Based Approaches to Health -
Emory University Conference Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA - April 14-16,
2005, organised by The Institute of Human Rights of Emory University, in
collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), CARE USA, the Carter
Center human rights office, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and Doctors for Global Health. The conference aims at
exploring evidence-based relationships between health and human rights.
The call for abstracts and for collaborating partners is already open at:
http://humanrights.emory.edu

*** Seminar on Good governance practices for the promotion of human rights,
Seoul, Republic of Korea, 15 and 16 September 2004. The Commission on Human Rights has been requesting the High Commissioner and the UNDP to convene this seminar since 2002. The purpose of the seminar is to discuss effective examples of governance practices that have had an impact on the promotion of human rights and to draw lessons from them and to report to the Commission on the outcome of the seminar. To attend the seminar relevant national and international non-governmental organizations, together with states, national human rights institutions, relevant organs and bodies of the United Nations are invited.
http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/development/governance/seminar.htm

*** Cornell University (www.cornell.edu), SEWA (www.sewa.org) and WIEGO
(www.wiego.org) are co-organising an international conference on “Membership
based organizations of the poor: theory, experience and policy” and are
asking for the submission of papers on Membership based organizations of the
poor ­ organizations with governance structures responding to the needs and
aspirations of the poor and accountable to their members. Submissions should
be sent electronically, by September 30, to Ravi Kanbur at
sk145@cornell.edu.
For more information see:
http://www.arts.cornell.edu/poverty/kanbur/MBOPCall.pdf.


CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
For the updated Calendar of Activities for 2004, please see:
July ­ September and October - December
http://www.dignityinternational.org/2004monthly_planner3.html
http://www.dignityinternational.org/2004monthly_planner4.html
=============================================
This is a monthly electronic news bulletin of “Dignity International: All
Human Rights for All”. Dignity International does not accredit, validate or
substantiate any information posted by members to this news bulletin. The
validity and accuracy of any information is the responsibility of the
originator.

If you are working in the area of human rights with a special attention to
different aspects of economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR), we would
love to hear from you. To contribute, email us at
info@dignityinternational.org.

To subscribe send an e-mail to info@dignityinternational.org. If you do not
wish to continue receiving this email service, then send an email to the
same address with subject heading unsubscribe and you will be taken off our
mailing list.

Posted by Evelin at 06:33 AM | Comments (0)
Message from the Peace Education Center at Columbia University in New York

Dear Friends of the Peace Education Center,
We are very fortunate to have you as our friends and would like to thank each and every one of you once again for sending your congratulations or attending our June 10th symposium honoring the work of Dr. Betty Reardon and celebrating the future work of our Center.
Because of your interest we would like to keep you updated on our activities, including upcoming seminars, international conferences, workshops, and research. From time to time we would also like to share with you exciting publications, articles and curriculum that will be available on our website.
If you are interested in receiving these updates please let us know by responding to this email and we can add you to our email listserv. We try to keep our emails to a minimum to avoid the typical burden of belonging to the normal email list – typically no more than 2-3 emails in a month (unless we are particularly busy!).
In the meantime you may be interested in some of our upcoming events which are featured on our website. This weekend, on September 11th, we are co-sponsoring a teach-in and commemoration service at Riverside Church entitled “Working Towards a World Free From Fear,” and on October 9th we are sponsoring a “A Citizens Forum on the Rule of Law vs. the Violence of Force” which has been inspired by the preparations for the World Tribunal on Iraq that will take place in Turkey later this year. You can learn more about these events through our website at www.tc.edu/PeaceEd.
We appreciate your willingness to learn with us about the possibilities of and for peace education.
Best wishes,
Tony Jenkins & Janet Gerson
Peace Education Center
Teachers College - Box 171
Columbia University
New York, New York 10027
tel: (212) 678-8116 fax: (212) 678-8237
web: www.tc.edu/PeaceEd

Posted by Evelin at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)
Applying the Pedagogy of Positiveness to Diplomatic Communication by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Gomes de Matos, Francisco (2001). Applying the Pedagogy of Positiveness to Diplomatic Communication. In Jovan Kurblija and Hannah Slavik (Eds.) Language and Diplomacy. Msida, Malta: DiploProjects.

This text was first published by DiploFoundation in their book Language and Diplomacy (2001).

APPLYING THE PEDAGOGY OF POSITIVENESS TO DIPLOMATIC COMMUNICATION
by
Francisco Gomes de Matos
Departamento de Letras
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Recife, Brazil
fcgm@cashnet.com.br


Introduction: Views of Communication

As one of the key-concepts in human linguistic life, “communication” has prompted several definitions for linguists, for example, that term can broadly refer to every kind of mutual transmission of information using signs or symbols between living beings (humans, animals), as well as between people and data-processing machines. (Bussman, Hadumod Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics. London and New York, Routledge, 1996, p.83).

In its narrowest sense, however, “communication” can be taken as meaning “The transmission and reception of information between a signaler and a receiver” (Crystal, David The Penguin Dictionary of Language. Second edition. London: Penguin Books, 1999, p.62).

If we look at perceptions of communication by communication theorists, we can come across characterizations such as these: “Communication is the generation of meaning “or that “communication is a ubiquitous and powerful source in society” (Bowers, John Waite and James J. Bradac, Contemporary Problems in Human Communication Theory, in Carroll C. Arnold and John Waite Bowers, Handbook of Rhetorical and Communication Theory. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1984, p.872, 874).

If we leave the language and communication sciences and turn to international relations, what interpretations of “communication” can we find? That it is a process of negotiation “between states seeking to arrive at a mutually acceptable outcome on some issue or issues of shared concern.” (Cohen, Raymond Negotiating across Cultures. International communication in an interdependent world. Washington, D.C. United States Institute of Peace Press, 2nd ed., 1997, p. 9).

How about communication in diplomacy, or rather, among diplomats? Here is a definition taken from a dictionary for diplomats: “Communication among diplomats is a two-way street: one cannot expect to obtain much information unless one is able and willing to convey information”. (Karl Gruber,1983, quoted in Chas. Freeman, Jr., The Diplomat´s Dictionary. Revised edition, 1997, p. 49. Washington, D.C United States Institute of Peace Press).

What is shared in such definitions/characterizations? The shared nature of the process: Communication is first and foremost an act of sharing.

How do we communicate orally?

By sharing the language used in a particular context at a specific time, by interacting, by co-constructing a dialogue or a multilogue, by expressing our attitudes, emotions, feelings in a friendly or in an unfriendly manner, by relying on many nonverbal signals (body language, facial expressions), by sometimes emphasizing what is said -- content -- and sometimes emphasizing how it is said -- form, or we can communicate, more typically by integrating forms and meanings in contexts of use which can create different effects on our interlocutors. We can communicate by being explicit or by preferring implicit speech. We can communicate by hedging, by avoiding coming straight to the point, through purposely vague language. We can communicate by using not only words but terms (typical of different professional fields), as for instance in International Relations, lexical items used for talking about anti-globalization: inhuman labor conditions, risky technology, abject poverty (cf. Varyrynen, Raimo, “Anti-globalization movements at the crossroads,” in Policy Brief. No.4, November 2000, p. 3. University of Notre Dame: Joan B. Kroc Institute).
As humans, we can communicate by expressing both positive and negative (or “questionable”) perceptions, by delivering both good and bad news, or by leaving out the positive side. We can communicate in socially responsible or irresponsible ways; in other ways, to bring out communicative harmony or disharmony. These reflections would lead us to questions such as: How are diplomats perceived? Why does there seem to be a practice of presenting diplomacy/diplomats negatively in books of quotations, for example? What would be the ratio of positive and negative perceptions of diplomats in such books, if a world bibliographic survey were conducted? How about diplomatic communication? How has it been described and why? What misperceptions are there concerning such process? What positive features and questionable features are being associated to the way diplomats communicate in speaking (face-to-face or on the telephone, etc) and in writing?

In a recent Conference held in Maryland, U.S., in July last year, U.S. negotiators were described as tending “to be explicit, legalistic, blunt, and optimistic.” (Peace Watch, United States Institute of Peace Press, October 2000, Vol.VI, No. 6, p.1). Note that one of the adjectives conveys a potential negative or questionable meaning: “blunt” (discourteous, abrupt, curt) What is it that sometimes leads negotiators to communicate in such questionable ways? What would seem to be missing in the linguistic/communicative preparation of diplomats?

When I was asked to share a little of the philosophy underlying my Pedagogy of Positiveness, it occurred to me that to make it transparent, I should state some of its Principles. Here they are:

Applying the Pedagogy of Positiveness to diplomatic communication: A Checklist

1. Emphasize “what to say constructively. Avoid “what not to say”.

2. Implement diplomatic communication as a humanizing form of interaction. Definitions of “diplomacy” of the type Art + Science or Science + Art leave out the humanizing responsibility of diplomats´ communication.

3. Communicate national and international values constructively. What “national’ values do diplomats communicate? How?

4. Learn to identify and to avoid potentially aggressive, insensitive, offensive, destructive uses of languages. Do your best to offset dehumanizing ways of communication, often the outcome of human communicative fallibility.

5. Think of the language you use as a peace-building, peace-making, peace-promoting force. Do you challenge yourself to transform your communicative competence into competence in communicative peace?

6. At all times, do your very best to view yourself positively, to view the diplomatic profession positively, to view life positively and to communicate such view as constructively as you can.

7. Learn to exercise your communicative rights and to fulfill your communicative responsibilities in a sensibly balanced way. Remember that you have the right to question and to criticize, but do so responsibly, in a human-dignifying manner.

8. Handle differences of opinion in a constructive way. Remember that “negative talk” tends to predominate or often dominate in face-to-face diplomatic interactions.

9. Treat others with respect by being as communicatively friendly as you can.

10. Choose your words on the basis of their Peace Power rather than on their strategic value alone. Communicative both tactfully and tactically.

11. Try to see and describe both sides of an issue. Challenge yourself to make balanced (rather than biased) statements. Don’t be a polemicist.

12. Avoid hiding behind pompous language to question someone.

13. In reading diplomatic texts, look for fair comments. Try to reconstruct (infer) the method used by the authors. Learn to apply Discourse Analysis to your processing.

14. Avoid blurring the meanings of key words such as Politics. It is standard polemical practice to blur the meanings of Politics, etc.

15. It is a truism to state that no communication is neutral, so commit yourself to communicating as humanizingly as you can. Remember if language is definitional of what is human, constructive language use is definitional of what is humanizing in communication.

16. Communicatively, aim at linguistic probity and integrity.

17. Conflict can be managed to some extent, and so can language use, especially if you adopt a constructive perspective, for expressing your attitudes, beliefs, and emotions. What parts of a diplomat´s vocabulary (lexical repertoire) can be systematized for constructive communicative purposes?
Educate yourself in identifying “positivizers” in spoken and written texts in your field and challenge yourself to make increasing use of such constructive, human-dignifying adjectives, verbs, and nouns.

18. Learn to monitor more confrontational sentence types by replacing them with listener/reader friendly sentences.


Some Pleas/Recommendations

1. Considering the apparently widespread misperceptions of diplomats and diplomacy in the media and in reference works (see especially Books of Quotations), in the light of our Pedagogy of Positiveness, a plea is made for (present/emerging/future) diplomats to launch an international movement which would help build an accurate, fairer image of the work (being/to be) done by those who commit themselves to helping bring about a truly interdependent world, through the international discourse of diplomacy. Having come across small but convincing evidence that a positive, public perception of diplomats and their activity is urgently needed -- a plea is similarly made for organizations engaged in the education of diplomats to join in such cooperative effort.

2. Also considering that one of the most salient positive senses of "diplomatic" -- to the public at large -- is that of " being tactful" or displaying a friendly attitude toward other human beings -- a plea is similarly made for that "positively marked sense of the term" to be capitalized on, through more research on the spoken/written vocabulary used in diplomatic communication as well as on the teaching of a constructive-human-dignifying use -- and monitoring -- of such lexicon to emerging/ future diplomats so that they can be deeply aware of language using as a great humanizing force in human interaction, especially in situations involving peace negotiation, mediation, and other challenging processes experienced by diplomats as true world citizens. One of the strategies suggested for the semantic preparation of diplomats would be their sensitization to the functions of "positivizers" in diplomatic discourse (verbs, adjectives, and nouns which reflect/enhance inherently constructive actions and attributes or qualities in human beings). Another strategy would be that of learning how to read diplomatic texts constructively, by identifying "positivizers" in such texts: frequency of occurrence, potential impact, ratio of "positivizers" and "negativizers", confrontational types of sentence structures, types of hedging and vague uses of language, among other features.

3. Considering the pioneering nature of this Conference and the growing interest of linguists and other language-related interdisciplinarians in Political Discourse in general and the emerging interest of language-centred researchers on Diplomatic Discourse, a recommendation is made that that Conference be sustained and broadened -- through workshops, intensive Seminars, and other pre-Conference events which can enable participants to benefit from the expertise of specialists in the several language-focused domains of theoretical and practical relevance to the challenges of today´s diplomacy.

4. Considering that Diplomacy has its own distinctive repertoire of terms -- cf. Chas. W.Freeman Jr´s The Diplomat´s Dictionary. Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace Press, 1997. 2nd ed. -- and that a profession’s lexicon should realistically reflect collective decisions and choices -- another plea is made for a Project centered on a Dictionary of Diplomacy (as multilingual as possible) to be prioritized on the Agenda of Relevant Reference Works for the Preparation of Diplomats. What I have in mind is a collectively shared, international project which could very well be sponsored by this Conference’s host institution: the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies.

5. Last but not least, a final plea is made for the study of Human Linguistic Rights to become a required subject in the education of diplomats. As promoters of "communicative peace" among persons, groups, and nations, diplomats need to become knowledgeable in that new category of human rights. A visit to the site of the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (www.linguistic-declaration.org) may give an idea of the breadth and depth of the insights which can inspire needed research on the communicative rights and responsibilities of diplomats. In short, it is my conviction that a Pedagogy of Positiveness can contribute to the education of diplomats, especially in close interaction with International Relations, Linguistics, Communication Science, Peace Psychology, Peace Linguistics, and Human Linguistic Rights, to name but a few of the contributory domains.

We have made some progress since the mid-seventies, when researchers’ attention was focused on DoubleSpeak (Cf. Daniel Dieterich, Editor, Teaching about DoubleSpeak. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1976. See especially the chapter on Guidelines for the Analysis of Responsibility in Governmental Communication, by Dennis Gouran, pp.20-32) to the present-day investigation of DiploDiscourse (for an example, see Ray T. Donahue and Michael H. Prosser, Diplomatic Discourse: International conflict at the United Nations -- Addresses and Analysis. Greenwich, Connecticut and London: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1997) but much more should be accomplished if we are to start transforming Diplomatic Communication into dignified and dignifying discourse, thus contributing to harmonizing and humanizing an important domain within Political Discourse. For a suggested strategy on how to read a political text positively, see my article Harmonizing and humanizing Political Discourse: the contribution of peace linguistics, in Peace and Conflict. Journal of Peace Psychology. Vo. 6, No. 4, 2000, pp. 339-344. In short, if I may adapt my characterization of "communicating well" therein to the diplomatic context, I would say that "communicating well diplomatically means communicating for the well being of diplomatic interlocutors and, more broadly, for the well-being of humankind".

Posted by Evelin at 12:09 AM | Comments (0)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: A Tale of Humiliation?

Dear All,
It is a while ago that I read Emily Brontë and saw the film Wuthering Heights.
On reflection, I realise that this classical literature (and film) plays out a tale of humiliation and shows to which dark results it may lead.
Most warmly,
Evelin

Please find the entire book manuscript on http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/9/16/frameset.html, and read here the introducion:
Perhaps the most enduring and affecting of the Brontë sisters' work is Wuthering Heights. Emily Brontë's tale of heartbreak and mystery still resonates on an emotional level with its theme of doomed romance. It was written between October 1845 and June 1846, appearing in print finally in December 1847. Emily's sister Charlotte spoke of the "horror of great darkness" surrounding the novel in her memoirs and it only received recognition after Emily's death from consumption in 1848. Much of the first half of the novel concerns the passionate and illicit relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Mr Heathcliff as narrated by a number of individuals: primarily by Mr Lockwood and Nelly Dean, the housekeeper of Thrushcross Grange. There is intrigue concerning Heathcliff who has taken over the Grange and keeps a clumsy boy called Hareton Earnshaw. We learn of how his morose and stern attitude began and the cruel twists of fate which have torn two families apart. The death of Catherine and the true intentions of the novel's various mysterious characters have been the source of much speculation and even now Wuthering Heights remains genuinely harrowing and cathartic.

Posted by Evelin at 03:08 AM | Comments (0)
Breezy (1973): Film Showing How a Young Girl Dignifies an Old Cynic

Dear All,
Yesterday I saw the film Breezy, directed by Clint Eastwood in 1973, that features Kay Lenz (Breezy) as a teen, enjoying the hippie way of life in Los Angeles, and William Holden (Frank), a real estate salesman above fifty, who does not seem to expect anything anymore from life.
What captured my interest was the brilliant description of age as a way of getting tired and cynical, as opposed to becoming more mature (William Holden's part). The young girl Breezy, in contrast, embodies hope, authenticity, spontaneity, and the ability to be alive. She slowly infuses liveliness into the stultified and dead existence lead by her aging cynical friend.
This film plays out how people can be lifted up and dignified within relationships. It also spells out the strategy: the young Breezy shows how it can be done.
Most warmly!
Evelin

Posted by Evelin at 02:43 AM | Comments (0)
Humiliation in the Middle East

Dear All!
Sam Bahour made me aware of the following article:

Racism Within the Ranks: Zionism also trampled over Arab Jews
by Yehudith Harel
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 - 8 September 2004
Issue No. 706
Opinion

Please see the article at http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/.

Thank you, dear Sam!
Most gratefully,
Evelin

Posted by Evelin at 04:00 AM | Comments (0)
Signs of Hope for the Middle East?

Dear All!
Sam Bahour made me aware of the following article:

New Jewish-Arab School Preaches Equality
by Daniel Ben-Tal
The Jerusalem Post
September 1, 2004

A bilingual school for Jewish and Arab children, Bridge Over the Wadi, was inaugurated in Kafr Kari yesterday.

See the article on
http://www.jpost.com/.

Thank you dear Sam!

Most warmly!
Evelin

Posted by Evelin at 03:55 AM | Comments (1)
Seventh International Conference on Health and Human Rights

Seventh International Conference on Health and Human Rights
2-5 February 2005, Vadodara, India

The Conference will be held in Vadodara, Gujarat, India, and will be preceded by two-day skill focused workshops on various topics to be held during 31 January 2005 and 1 February 2005.

The conference will bring together practitioners and researchers from around the world to look into ways to promote recovery and reconciliation among people affected by violence and conflict. The focus of the conference will be on the health and human rights issues affecting populations affected by violence and conflict, including the situation of displaced communities, and refugees and asylum seekers in both first countries of asylum and countries of resettlement. The conference will be organized along the following program tracks:

· The causes and consequence of forced migration and internal displacement
· Approaches to treatment and recovery
· Learning from the efforts and experience in reconciliation.
· Current development in prevention and treatment of torture.
· Building community resilience.

The venue of the conference, Vadodara, is a city on the western side of the Indian Peninsula. An exciting social program will provide an opportunity to get an insight into India’s fascinating cultural life and historical landmarks. The city is easy to access by air and land from major cities in India, the nearest being Mumbai (Bombay).

The deadline for submission of papers (symposia, round tables, oral papers and posters) is 15 September 2004.
To take advantage of the reduced early registration conference fees please register before December 1, 2004. For more information please visit the conference web site at http://www.ishhr2005.org This site will feature regular updates to the conference, workshop and social programs.

For further information on the International Society or to join ISHHR to take advantage of reduced conference fees please visit the ISHHR web site at http://www.ishhr.org

Posted by Evelin at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
9-11 Teach-in and Commemoration Service in NY

This is a message from the Peace Education Center at Columbia University:

This coming Saturday, September 11th, we hope very much that you will be able to join with us and share in a special Teach-In and Commemoration Service at The Riverside Church in New York. This event has been organized with several local and international groups. Details are below and we hope that you can forward this on to your friends, family and colleagues.

The theme is "Working Towards a World Free from Fear." We look forward to seeing you again, and we hope that on September 11 we can draw together in solidarity and strength in finding ways to make the world a better and more peaceful place.

(FOR MORE INFORMATION, including PROGRAM DETAILS or to download a FLYER to distribute PLEASE VISIT: www.tc.edu/PeaceEd/9-11.htm )

Yours in peace,
Tony Jenkins and Janet Gerson
Peace Education Center
Teachers College - Box 171
Columbia University
New York, New York 10027
tel: (212) 678-8116 fax: (212) 678-8237
web: www.tc.edu/PeaceEd
FREE PUBLIC EVENT!! REGISTER NOW
(FOR MORE INFORMATION, including PROGRAM DETAILS or to download a FLYER to distribute PLEASE VISIT: www.tc.edu/PeaceEd/9-11.htm )

WORLD FREE FROM FEAR
Teach-in
Working Towards a World Free From Fear
Bringing together people from across New York City and the world, to commemorate the third anniversary of the September 11 tragedy, to mourn those who have lost their lives to violence and to share experiences, ideas and hopes for the non-violent building of a world free from fear.

TIME and PLACE
September 11th, 2004
The Riverside Church, New York
120th Street and Riverside Drive
Open to all - everybody is welcome

********************************

Part 1: 1:00-5:30pm Workshops

Part 2: 6:00-8:30pm Ceremony

********************************

Part One: Workshops / Action towards a World Free from Fear
Workshops on various themes using activities to approach alternative solutions to negative reactions towards fear.
Doors Open: 1pm
Workshops from 1.30 to 5.30pm
REGISTER NOW! freefromfear@gmail.com

Welcome Remarks
Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., Senior Minister, The Riverside Church
Keynote Speakers include
*Lila Lipscomb, the Mother in Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11
*Mark Rosenblum, Founder, Americans for Peace Now
*Debbie Almontaser, Women in Islam Inc.

Workshops
A. “Building Bridges - Architects for a New Century”
B. "Spirituality, Violence, and Non-violence"
C. “Peace Education: Transforming Fear Into Action”
D. “Abolition Now! - Youth workshop on nuclear disarmament”
E. “Overcoming Xenophobia Post 9/11”
F. “Being Muslim American in New York City post September 11th”
G. “The Reflective Activist: Sustaining our own resilience and hope in uncertain times”
H. “Independent media and post 9/11 reporting”
I. “Bias, Discrimination and Civil Liberties”
J. “Conflict Prevention - Youth voices from Israel, Palestine and the United States”
Details of workshops: http://www.tc.edu/PeaceEd/9-11.htm

Part Two:Commemoration Ceremony in the Riverside Church
Doors Open 6pm, Ceremony from 6.30pm
No pre-registration required

Speakers include
*Rev. Otis B. Moss, III, Pastor, The Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church
*Terry Rockefeller, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
*Cora Weiss, Hague Appeal for Peace
*Candle lighting from the “Peace Flame” brought by Peace Boat from Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
*Music and dance performances, including Japanese traditional drums

2 Ways To Get Involve!
1. Please Forward this e-mail to people
We are trying to spread the word about this event, please forward this e-mail to your friends, colleagues, and family.
2. Please join us!
Join us for this exciting free public event of Teach-in Working Towards a World Free From Fear
Part 1, Workshops, registration necessary.
Register now freefromfear@gmail.com
Part 2, Commemoration Ceremony, no registration necessary

Contact
For further information and to register for participation in workshops, please contact:
Tel: (646)981-7839, (917)330-2265
Fax: (212)246-2340
Email: freefromfear@gmail.com
Website: http://www.tc.edu/PeaceEd/9-11.htm

Co-sponsors
Mission and Social Justice Commission & Global Justice and Peace
Ministry, The Riverside Church
Mobilization 2004: Ring of Hope Initiative
Hague Appeal for Peace
Peace Education Center, Teachers College, Columbia University
Educators for Social Responsibility Metro Area
Project Renewal of the Tides Center
Global Kids
Temple of Understanding
Women in Islam Inc.
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Peace Boat, Japan (Peace Boat’s ship is in New York September 10-12)

Endorsers
Abolition 2000
American Friends Service Committee New York Regional Office
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
The Ribbon International
Union Theological Seminary
The Dialogue Project
Muslim American Society

Posted by Evelin at 12:43 AM | Comments (0)
The Peace Education Center at Columbia University Offers Innovative Training

The Peace Education Center, through the Center for Educational Outreach & Innovation (CEO&I), offers an innovative set of Peace Education designed trainings and workshops for educators, curriculum and policy developers, community-based and civil society organization members as well as other constituencies concerned with the needs and possibilities of education about issues of security, peace and war, human rights, social justice and ecological balance.

The trainings and workshops can be taken non-credit without registering in a degree program at Teachers College, or for credit as a compliment to other programs at Teachers College. These intensive workshops are designed for participants who wish to study at Teachers College for concentrated periods and does not require continual residency.

Certificates of attendance are awarded to non-credit participants upon completion of five trainings including one special workshop offered by international visiting scholars. The trainings provide a conceptual base and training in the pedagogy and methodologies of peace education, with emphasis on practical application. All involve substantive participation by staff from the Peace Education Center.

The Peace Education Center also conducts a series of trainings and workshops at the Teachers College Tokyo Campus. For more information visit their website at www.tc-japan.edu.

CORE OFFERINGS
(Each of the following workshops are offered at minimum at least once annually - consult the current & upcoming offerings listed on the back of this flyer or on our website for dates and times)
�� The Pedagogy of Peace Education ��
�� Peacemaking and Conflict ��
�� Education for a Culture of Peace and Justice ��
�� Peace Education Perspectives on Security ��

Additional information can be obtained by visiting the Peace Education Center website at: www.tc.edu/PeaceEd (click on Trainings & Workshops)

REGISTRATION & CONTACT INFORMATION
If you are already a Teachers College student you may register for our workshops as normal (via the phone or web) without prior instructor approval. For non-credit or non-matriculated registration for our trainings or workshops, please contact The Center for Educational Outreach & Innovation (CEO&I) by phone 800-209-1245 or by email: ceoi_mail@tc.columbia.edu. For larger or community groups, please contact the Peace Education Center to discuss possible collaborations and/or discounts.

Coordinated by:
www.tc.edu/PeaceEd
peace-ed@tc.edu
212.678.8116.

Sponsored by:
The Center for Educational
Outreach & Innovation
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/ceoi
ceoi_mail@tc.columbia.edu
(800) 209-1245


Peacemaking and Conflict:
Conflict Approaches for Social Justice & Change
October 1, 2 & 8, 9, 10
Fridays (4:00pm-9:00pm), Saturdays (9:00am-6:00pm), Sundays (12-5pm)
Instructor: Janet Gerson
ITSF4094.017/CRN 31202
Available for 2 credits @ $870 per credit or 2.6 CEU’s@ $400

Description: This 5 day intensive will explore conflict approaches and processes with consideration of their impact toward peace, violence and social change. The problematic of violence will be defined holistically with special focus on the effects of the institution of war. Understanding justice issues and responses to violent conflict as well as alternative strategies will be explored. Experiential learning will be emphasized. Specific activities and discussion for curriculum development for K-12 will be presented.

This course will also include participation in the public event “A Citizens Forum on the Rule of Law vs. the Violence of War” on Saturday, October 9 from 10AM - 4PM. This forum, inspired by the preparations for the World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) will present, in terms accessible to ordinary citizens, the substance and possibilities of international law which is fast becoming a major instrument of peoples’ movements to protect human rights and demand accountability for crimes of war. Potential for citizen action to strengthen the possibilities for International Law to overcome armed conflict and the violation of human rights will be explored, including efforts to further educate and energize the public toward “replacing the law of force with the force of law.”

Speakers will include keynoter International Human Rights lawyer Peter Weiss, Center for Constitutional Law; Organizers for the World Tribunal on Iraq; Representatives of the Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice, an NGO that played a significant role in the establishment of the International Criminal Court; and the staff of the Teachers College Peace Education Center. For further information on the event, call the Peace Education Center at Teachers College Columbia University at 212 678 8116 or e-mail peaceed@tc.edu. After September 10th you can consult the Center’s website for more information:
www.tc.edu/PeaceEd.

Education for a Culture of Peace & Justice:
Human Rights Perspectives
October 29-30; November 5-6
Fridays (4:00pm-9:00pm), Saturdays (9:00am-6:00pm)
Instructor: Peter Lucas
ITSF4094.016/CRN 31275
Available for 2 credits @ $870 per credit or 2.6 CEU’s @ $400

This workshop offers an introduction to the international standards of human rights, the historical generations of rights, the conceptions and distinctions between them, and the universality of rights that are all conceptual attributes of a culture of peace. Students will also learn about international human rights organizations, how advocacy groups can and do respond to violations, and how people represent human rights in print and media. This intensive is built around peace education methodologies and participatory demonstrations of curricula and lessons that can be adapted to K-12 learning environments.

Students will leave with sample lessons, a comprehensive bibliography, and resources that include the basic human rights documents and a directory of organizations that offer curricular materials.

Posted by Evelin at 11:52 PM | Comments (0)
New Book by Azza Karam: Transnational Political Islam

Transnational Political Islam: Religion, Ideology and Power
Edited by Azza Karam
www.plutobooks.com


£ 15.99 / US$ 19.95 PAPER

2003/11 / 176pp / DEMY (215x135mm)
ISBN: 0745316255
Critical Studies on Islam

Political Islam, to be distinguished from Islam as a culture or a religion, and from Islamic Fundamentalism, is an increasingly important feature of the western political scene. The ideologies of Political Islam reflect the fact that some of their adherents live and work within a Western socio-political context. Although Political Islam has been widely written about in Muslim countries, very little has been published the West, and this book attempts to redress that imbalance. / With a range of outstanding contributors that includes academics and human rights advocates, this book tackles the diversity of Islamist thinking and practice in various Western countries, including Germany, Sweden, the UK, Bosnia, and the US, and explores their transnational connections in both East and West. The book analyses developments in Islamist thinking and activities, and their connections to the latest global political and economic trends, and discusses future evolutions of the ideology and its manifestations.

Series editor of Islamic series Lecturer in Politics (Middle East, Islamic, and Gender Studies), QueensUniversity Belfast Programme Manager at the Centre for the Study of Ethnic Conflict (Middle East and Gender). Author and editor of four books 1996 to 1999

I. Why Transnational? Why Political Islam?
II. Case Studies/Issues from the North
III Case Studies from the South
IV Futures of Transnational Political Islam / Bibliography / Index

Posted by Evelin at 12:52 AM | Comments (0)
Are You a Humanizer? A Checklist

ARE YOU A HUMANIZER? A CHECKLIST
by Francisco Gomes de Matos

In the No. 36/April 1996 issue of FIPLV WORLD News, I made a plea for Humanization as a new approach to language education, based on such values as human rights, justice, peace, dignity, and intercultural understanding. In that brief text, I characterized the mission of “humanizers” as that of providing language learners with dignifying-and-edifying learning experiences. As a follow-up here is a Checklist for teachers and teacher educators to ask themselves to what extent and how deeply they can consider themselves as veritable humanizers.

I am a humanizer when I….

1. perceive and treat my students as persons having rights and responsibilities

2. approach language education/teaching as a system for helping learners grow personally, socially, intraculturally and interculturally

3. view and implement assessment of learners´ performance as positive, humanizing system which emphasizes the strengths employed by students in their language learning. On the strategic relevance of using psychological knowledge positively, see the pioneering Handbook of Positive Psychology, edited by C.R. Snyder and Shane J. Lopez, Oxford University Press, 2002.

4. apply human communicative rights in the classroom and assure learners of their right to hear (what is being said by other members of the classroom community) and the right to be heard and to see to it that students fulfil their corresponding communicative responsibilities.

5. adapt/change portions of teaching materials which do not contribute to personal or group humanization. In such case, the key-question would be: what needs to be changed in such and such lesson, etc., so that language learning can become a deeply humanizing experience? How can that be done?

6. adopt and sustain a positive view of the language and culture which are being experienced in the classroom and motivate students to share such constructive linguocultural perception.

7. create humanizing, peace-building, peace-enhancing, peace-promoting activities so that learners build up their competence as caring and compassionate language users

8. probe language resources -- especially vocabulary -- as tools with which students can both humanize themselves and the persons they interact with. In such spirit, investing cognitively on how to teach vocabulary positively can pay off good humanizing dividends. The corresponding key-question would be: How can the learning of vocabulary contribute to strengthening the learners´ sense of self-respect, mutual respect, and dignity?

9. capitalize on literature which provides examples of humanization through interaction (dialogue between/among characters) and personal narrative. Testing the humanizing effects of such uses of literary texts would be a corollary to that pedagogical practice.

10. preparing students to make the most humanizing uses of the Internet, through chatting with e-friends sharing a commitment to changing our world into a constructive place.

Every teacher and teacher educator is a creative person, so it is up to you to probe, refine and expand the above Checklist. As a humanizer sharing the belief that languages are systems for humanizing their users, you are herein invited / challenged to play your role as committedly and constructively as possible.

Dr. Francisco Gomes de Matos is an Applied Peace Linguist and Teacher / Educator from
Recife, Brazil. He is a frequent contributor to this Newsletter. E-mail: fcgm@hotlink.com.br

Posted by Evelin at 01:41 AM | Comments (0)
To Beslan Children: The World Misses You!

TO BESLAN CHILDREN: THE WORLD MISSES YOU
Francisco Gomes de Matos
Applied Peace Linguist from Recife, Brazil

When you died
because of a war
Human dignity cried :
"Don´t close my door !"

When you were killed
in acts of violence
Human Rights denounced:
"Where's the protection of innocence ?"

When you were sacrificed
in abominable terrorism
Planetary citizens proclaimed:
"Let´s create a new humanism"

Where peace and justice prevail
where differences disappear
where human beings sail
all waters without fear

where memories of you
will show us a new way
which will change history
your heroism is here to stay

Francisco Gomes de Matos
Applied Peace Linguist from Recife, Brazil

Posted by Evelin at 01:16 AM | Comments (0)
Just Visiting: A Film Illustrating Humiliation That Once Was Normal

Dear All!

I recently saw a number of films that seem relevant to our topics of dignity and humiliation. I wrote postings about The Remains of the Day, as well as Pleasantville earlier.

Just Visiting (2000) is an American remake of the 1993 French comedy Les Visiteurs. Jean Reno and Christian Clavier star as 12th century French nobleman Count Thibault and his servant André, transported to modern-day Chicago. They basically wreak comic havoc in both centuries.

This film is interesting (the French original is to be preferred), because it illustrates in a funny way how behavior appears to be humiliating in one century that is perfectly normal in another.

The count's servant, for example, is expected to sit on the floor and receive rests of the master's meal; he is altogether nothing more than his master's property. The servant seems perfectly accustomed to being treated in that manner and does not protest. However, the modern-day hosts of the count and his servant do not at all enjoy such a treatment of a human being. The contrast is made visible, humorously.

Most warmly!
Evelin

Posted by Evelin at 11:42 PM | Comments (0)
CSMHI Seminar and Lecture on Trauma: October 23 - 24, 2004

SEMINAR - UNRAVELLING TRAUMA: PERSPECTIVES OF PSYCHOANALYSTS,
PSYCHOSOCIAL PROVIDERS, AND TRIBUNALS
OCTOBER 23 - 24, 2004
Center for the Study of Mind and Human Interaction
University of Virginia

including the
Second Annual Volkan Lecture
given by
Henri Parens, M.D.
Renewal of Life - Healing from The Holocaust
on Saturday, October 23rd

CONFERENCE SITE:
University of Virginia
Central Grounds
Minor Hall - Room 125
Charlottesville, Virginia


SATURDAY, October 23, 2004
8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

8:30 - 8:50 AM Registration and Refreshments

8:50 - 9:00 AM Introduction - Lisa Aronson

9:00 - 11:30 AM On Genocidal Persecution And Resilience - Ira Brenner

Throughout WWII, European Jewry underwent stages of massive psychic traumatization. Follow-up studies of survivors by pioneers in the field of Holocaust trauma, such as Henry Krystal, focus on psychological resilience. Dr. Brenner will link these findings to the fate of "infantile omnipotence", the sense of all powerfulness, egocentricity, and cognitive immaturity in early childhood, as described by developmentalists including Donald Winnicott and Margaret Mahler. Dr. Brenner will examine resilience in light of recent neurobiological discoveries. Film clips from The Pawnbroker, Life is Beautiful, and The Pianist will illustrate the themes developed in this presentation.

11:30 - 12:45 PM Lunch

1:00 - 2:30 PM Second Annual Volkan Lecture
Renewal of Life - Healing From The Holocaust - Henri Parens

May 10, 1940, the German army attacked and invaded Belgium. I was 11. In Bruxelles, alarmed Jews - and others - fled to safety in France. Safety there soon turned into concentration camps. Encouraged by my mother, I escaped and found temporary asylum in a Home for Children - war orphans and refugees. Then, coming to American with 49 other refugee children, to permanent asylum, to start the work of recovery from psychic injury and losses, to start life anew.

Healing from The Holocaust is a life-long process, a process facilitated by healing others, and by studying aggression: what it is and how it develops in early childhood, what developmental and experiential factors make us prejudiced, and what we can do toward preventing, or at least toward mitigating, the development in ourselves and our children of malignant prejudice - working toward preventing holocausts.

3:00 - 4:30 PM Actualized Unconscious Fantasy And Therapeutic Play - Vamik Volkan

When a child experiences a trauma, this event becomes intertwined with the child's and adult's unconscious fantasy life. When the distressed adult comes for psychoanalysis, the usual methods of understanding and interpreting the adult's unconscious fantasy are not curative in and of themselves. This presentation will discuss the real-life treatments of several adults whose unconscious fantasies have been complicated by a real world event(s). The actions that the patient takes, in addition to the analyst's interpretations and understandings that lead to improvement, will also be presented.

SUNDAY, October 24, 2003
8:30 AM to 1:00 PM

8:30 - 8:50 AM Registration and Refreshments

8:50 - 9:00 AM Introduction - Lisa Aronson

9:00 - 11:00 AM International Criminal Tribunals: Traumatized Witnesses And Staff - William Stuebner

This presentation explores what can be learned from the activity of international courts about the psychological trauma experienced by victims and the investigators, forensic specialists, attorneys and interpreters in advance of and in the course of the trials. Additional emphasis will include the early failures in the investigation of gender crimes, the presenter's particular observations of various war criminals including Radovan Karadzic, and the relationships that developed among the imprisoned. Handle With Care, a film produced at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, will be shown.

11:15 - 12:15 PM Understanding Adolescent Vulnerability In Societies Under Severe Stress - Lisa Aronson and Paula Gutlove

The normal pressures of identity formation during adolescence can, in a society under stress, propel adolescents into behaviors that are damaging to themselves and to society as they substitute their individual identities and family ties with group identities. In some cases, extremism provides a persuasive identity for marginalized teenagers, filling their powerful needs for identity, security, relationships, and self-esteem during a critical developmental phase.

REGISTRATION FEES
Two-day (Saturday and Sunday) seminar fee:
Non-UVA registrant - $175.00
UVA Faculty / Staff / non-UVA full time student - $80.00

Saturday only seminar fee (Includes the Second Annual Volkan Lecture):
Non-UVA registrant - $100.00
UVA Faculty / Staff / non-UVA full time student - $50.00

Sunday only seminar fee:
Non-UVA registrant - $75.00
UVA Faculty / Staff / non-UVA full time student - $30.00

All fees above include advance reading materials mailed to registrant and refreshment breaks and boxed lunches.
(Dinners and lodging costs not included)

UVA students - FREE (Includes above except boxed lunches):
Please specify on the Registration form if you would like to purchase a lunch. Cost is $10.00 per day.

For directions / maps, see: http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/csmhi

LAST YEAR WE SOLD OUT - PLEASE REGISTER BY OCT. 12, 2004 !


SEMINAR REGISTRATION

Check one: I am a...

UVA Faculty / Staff or non-UVA full-time student
UVA Student - Graduate or Undergraduate
Non-UVA Registrant

Check one: I will attend...

Saturday and Sunday
Saturday only - includes Volkan Lecture
Sunday only

UVA Students only -
Check all that apply: I will purchase lunch for...

Saturday - $10.00
Sunday - $10.00

Name _______________________________
Title ________________________________
Department/Division/Center _______________
Institution/Organization __________________
Address _____________________________
City/State/Zip _________________________
Phone and Fax ________________________
Email Address _________________________
Special Requests or Requirements ___________

Please send payment with completed Registration Form by Oct. 12, 2004 to:

CSMHI, UVA
PO Box 800657
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0657


Lodging and travel information

Rooms are being held for the nights of:
Friday, October 22nd and
Saturday, October 23rd, 2004
under a group name and rate.

Reservations MUST be made by:
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2004
to ensure receiving a room and at the group rate.

RED ROOF INN ($135.00 ++ per night)
1309 West Main Street
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Call: 1-800-733-7663
Refer to group # B246001491

ECONOLODGE ($69.99 ++ per night)
400 Emmet Street
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Call: 434-296-2104
Refer to room block "UVA - CSMHI"

QUALITY INN ($79.00 ++ per night)
1600 Emmet St.
Charlottesville, VA 22901
Call: 434-971-3746
Refer to group name "UVA-CSMHI"
DOUBLETREE HOTEL ($116 ++ per night)
990 Hilton Heights Rd.
Charlottesville, VA 22901
Call: 800-494-9467
Refer to group name "UVA Center for the Study of Mind and Human Interaction"
Red Roof Inn and Econolodge are within walking distance of the seminar venue. The Quality Inn is approximately 2 miles north of the seminar venue on Rt. 29. The DoubleTree Hotel is approximately 5 miles north of the seminar venue on Rt. 29. This is a very busy time in Charlottesville. All attendees are not guaranteed accommodations so please reserve early.

AIR TRAVEL:
Charlottesville's airport (CHO) is located 10 miles from the University of Virginia and is served by USAIR, United Express, and Delta Connections (Comair). Visit on-line at http://www.gocho.com.

TRAIN TRAVEL:
Amtrak also services Charlottesville (CVS) and the station is within walking distance of the University of Virginia grounds and the Red Roof Inn. For reservations and schedules, call 800-872-7245, or visit them on-line at http://www.amtrak.com.

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/csmhi
TO DOWNLOAD FORMS AND FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

***********
Lisa Aronson, Ph.D., Director
Center for the Study of Mind and Human Interaction
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 800657
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0657 U.S.A.
434-982-1045
fax 434-982-2524
la8n@virginia.edu
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/csmhi

Posted by Evelin at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
African Review of Books Latest

African Review of Books' latest
Dear Subscriber,

Nigerian writer and activist Wole Soyinka celebrated his 70th birthday in July and in tribute to the man who won the Nobel prize in 1986 a group of Nigerians has come together to create a coffee-table book, including more than 600 photos and personal tributes in WS: a life in full. A fitting and unique tribute to the literary genius.

In further recognition of the work of Soyinka we reproduce a paper presented earlier this year by Abiola Irele at a conference dedicated to the man and his work, entitled 'The Achievement of Wole Soyinka'.

Other recent reviews on www.africanreviewofbooks.com include a study of African cinema by Josef Gugler.

People Who Have Stolen from Me by David Cohen is a fascinating journalistic journey into the world of crime in South Africa, but is crime really an industry?

Boy by Lindsey Collen is a linguistic journey through Mauritius and more obviously a coming-of-age novel.

Aryan Kaganof¹s latest publications are, as ever, self-reflective diaries; narratives formulated from ceaseless notetaking, filtered through carnal nets of young girls, alcohol and cinema and guided through the maelstrom by the philosophers Hegel, Nietzsche and Wittgenstein.

At a more practical level is The Aids Handbook which gives a broad overview of the physiological, biomedical, social and political issues surrounding the disease.

On the news front two titles from African have made it into the prestigious Booker prize longlist and we highlight the list of Zimbabwe's 75 best books, which are a tribute to indigenous publishing.

All this is available at www.africanreviewofbooks/.com and please remember that all books highlighted on our site can be bought through our shop. If you can't find what you're looking for or prefer not to use the internet to buy books, then give us a call on (+44) 08707128932.

Thanks for your support

Raks and Richard

Posted by Evelin at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
Suidice Attacks As a Way to Humiliate?

Dear All,
At least 10 people have been killed in an explosion outside an underground railway station in Moscow on 31st August 2004.

Please see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3615970.stm for a news coverage.

On this website we read:
"An Islamist group has issued a statement claiming responsibility for the bombing and warning it would carry out further attacks.

The statement, said to be from a group calling itself the Islambouli Brigades, described the attack as "part of the wave of support and assistance to the Muslim Chechens".

The statement, posted on a website used by militants in the past, said the attack would be 'followed, with God's help, by more waves until we humiliate the state of heresy called Russia'."

In other words, there seems to be a logic, pursued by those perpetrating suicide attacks, that killing is a way to humiliate. One may ask what would be gained when Russia was indeed "successfully" humiliated. What would Russia do? Most probably, merely a cycle of humiliation is kept in motion and nothing is gained for anybody.

It seems thus not sufficient to merely condemn suicide attacks, as is widely thought of as appropriate response, or engage in a war on terrorism. What seems necessary it to probe the feasibility of its inner logic.

It seems that strategies to humiliate people are counterproductive to everybody, including those who apply this strategy. People who believe in its feasibility, have not thought through their own goals and the consequences of their actions and it seems timely to bring this insight to wider populations, who otherwise might be unaware.

Our group, Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, aims at creating more awareness as to strategies of humiliating people and how they are not only morally and ethically to be condemned, but furthermore counterproductive even to those who believe in their feasibility.

Liberation from humiliating living circumstances is not gained by humiliation-for-humiliation; not least Mandela showed that liberation is best attained by more constructive means.

Sincerely,
Evelin

Posted by Evelin at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)
Alfred Adler Institutes Invites to Online Discussion

Dear All,
Please read further down Henry T. Stein's invitation to an Online Discussion of Alfred Adler's Journal Articles, beginning September 13th.
Most warmly,
Evelin

Henry T. Stein, Ph.D., Director, Alfred Adler Institutes of San Francisco & Northwestern Washington, writes:

Join us for the first online study and discussion of Alfred Adler's
newly translated journal articles and discover his remarkable legacy
of psychological wisdom. Our new Discussion Forum at BehaviorOnline
www.behavior.net/bolforums/forumdisplay.php?f=6 has an appealing,
efficient interface. We will explore Adler's fascinating
development--from the early roots of socially responsible medicine,
through the evolution of unequaled insight into the personality, and
the development of an inspiring philosophy of living. Starting with
his earliest published writings, and proceeding chronologically, each
week or two (starting September 13th), we will focus on an article
from "The Collected Clinical Works of Alfred Adler."

Everyone is invited to participate--students, professors, clinicians,
and anyone interested in learning more about Classical Adlerian
Psychology. You can share your comments, ask questions, and respond
to the messages left by other forum members. If you can't start right
away, just follow the threads and participate when you are ready.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to study Adler's original writings in
depth and engage in dialogs with a wide community of Adlerians from
all over the world.

First, visit www.behavior.net/bolforums/forumdisplay.php?f=6, and
register as a member. Next, order "The Collected Clinical Works of
Alfred Adler, Volume 2, Journal Articles 1898-1909" at
http://go.ourworld.nu/hstein/cw-v2.htm, read Chapter I "Health Manual
for the Tailoring Trade," then start posting your comments and
questions.

Henry T. Stein, Ph.D., Director
Alfred Adler Institutes of San Francisco & Northwestern Washington
Distance Training in Classical Adlerian Psychotherapy
Web site: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/hstein/
E-mail: HTStein@att.net
Tel: (360) 647-5670

Posted by Evelin at 01:58 AM | Comments (0)
New Book: Emotions in Crosslinguistic Perspective

SIL Electronic Book Reviews 2004-009
URL: http://www.sil.org/silebr/2004/silebr2004-009

Emotions in crosslinguistic perspective
Edited by Jean Harkins and Anna Wierzbicka

Cognitive Linguistics Research 17. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 2001. Pp. vi, 421. hardback €84.00, $101.00. ISBN 3-11-017064-7.

Thanks to Francisco Gomes de Matos for forwarding this review to us!

Reviewed by Les Bruce
Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics

The purpose of the studies in this book is to demonstrate how the tools of linguistic analysis can be applied to produce accurate descriptions of the meanings of emotion terms. Each of the studies in this book demonstrated a good depth of knowledge of the languages studied. The articles in the volume include:

Introduction (Anna Wierzbicka and Jean Harkins)

Testing emotional universals in Amharic (Mengustu Amberber)

Emotions and the nature of persons in Mbula (Robert Bugenhagen)

Why Germans don’t feel “anger” (Uwe Durst)

Linguistic evidence for a Lao perspective on facial expression of emotion (N. J. Enfield)

Hati: A key word in the Malay vocabulary of emotion (Cliff Goddard)

Talking about anger in Central Australia (Jean Harkins)

Meanings of Japanese sound-symbolic emotion words (Rie Hasada)

Concepts of anger in Chinese (Pawel Kornacki)

Human emotions viewed through the Russian Language (Irina B. Levontina and Anna A. Zalizniak)

A culturally salient Polish emotion: przykro (pron. Pshickro) (Anna Wierzbicka)

An inquiry into “sadness” in Chinese (Zhengdao Ye)

The studies support several claims of the Natural Semantic Meta-language (NSM) theory. Lexicalized emotion concepts are not universal. The rigorous analytical and descriptive approach of NSM can illuminate the similarities and subtle differences between concepts in different languages. This capability is of great interest to translators since they struggle with expressing the meanings of words from one language into another language often keenly aware of the inadequacy of any single lexical item they might choose as a translation equivalent. NSM semantic descriptions in two languages can identify components that need to be added to an “equivalent” term in a translation, be that as a modifying phrase or as a full proposition.

Robert Bugenhagen’s article examines body part expressions of emotions in Mbula, an Austronesian language of Papua New Guinea. Mbula conceptualizations of emotions include a physical component which can be very specific as to the part of the body that is involved, including the eye, insides, liver/chest, genitals, skin, stomach, and less commonly, the ear, mouth, throat, and lips. Most emotion expressions involve body part images; primary lexical items referring to emotions are few in number. He maintains the focus of a cognitive approach to meaning, i.e., how the Mbula community conceptualizes emotions, while leaving open the question of a biological basis of emotions. (NSM theory acknowledges the biological component of emotions; this may eventually lead to recognizing biological limitations to the cultural relativity of the perceptions of emotions.)

In general, negative emotions in Mbula are more precise and therefore greater in number than are positive emotions. Bugenhagen suggests some cultural dynamics that might be reflected by that pattern of vocabulary.

Uwe Durst studies German expressions related to “anger”. He depends heavily on formal linguistic contrasts to distinguish the meanings of similar expressions.

N. J. Enfield discusses Lao expressions that describe facial expressions, and then maps the kinds of emotional and cognitive states and actions people attribute to those expressions. His study concludes that facial expressions are both culture specific and in many cases broad in their scope of the inner states or activities reflected by them. He discusses the issue of the biological basis of emotions, which he does not deny. His emphasis, however, is that linguistic expressions in natural human languages express cultural-specific conceptualizations of emotions. Facial expressions are interpreted within the lexical categories of the language, thus even the universal features of emotions and facial behavior are not necessarily exhibited by the vocabulary of a given language.

Enfield’s article is distinctive in this collection of articles in that he focuses on facial expressions of emotions. Facial expressions of emotions is a topic, however, which is important in the theory of emotion concepts.

Cliff Goddard presents a study of the Malay term hati ‘liver’. He covers the term’s range of usage and collocation possibilities; a semantic explication of hati, and explications of idioms involving the term.

Goddard also discusses the form of NSM explications. He notes that “feeling towards” is not a universally possible syntactic pattern; he uses “think about,” but “about” in this sense is not a semantic primitive. Goddard’s explications express prototype situations in a simple and easy to understand manner.

The co-editor of the volume, Jean Harkins, points out that analyzing meanings of concepts necessarily requires attention to cultural contexts and variations within a speech community. On the other hand, a culture-independent semantic description that enables comparative semantics to be done, minimizing ethnocentric perspectives, and addresses intercultural dynamics is necessary to address questions of universality in human concepts of human experience. She discusses anger-like words in the Australian language Arrernte, giving consideration of the impact of the cultural perspective on the process and conclusions of analysis. Her analysis boldly tests the universality of the semantic primitives and formalism of NSM descriptions by using explications of Arrernte terms written by Arrerente speakers in their own language.

Irina Levontina and Anna Zalizniak discuss Russian emotions radost’ ‘joy’, udovol’stvie ‘pleasure’, toska ‘yearning’. They identify the basic parameter of “elevated, sublime” versus “earthy, corporeal” that characterizes several domains.

This article has a different character from the others in the volume. The authors discussion the positive emotions informally, i.e., radost’ ‘joy’ and udovol’stvie ‘pleasure’, but no formal semantic explication is offered.

Anna Wierzbicka analyzes the Polish concept of przykro and compares it to similar concepts in English, offended, hurt, sorry, feel bad. She points out the ways these terms contrast in conceptual structure.

Zhengdao Ye describes and contrasts three Chinese terms, bei, ai, and chou. These terms are classified as representing sad-like emotions, but their meanings only overlap in meaning with similar English concepts, sad, worry, grieve, mourn, melancholy, and anxiety.

Translatability of concepts is an important axiom upon which linguists base comparative semantic studies and psychologists base hypotheses of universal elements of human cognition. Several of the authors hedge about or deny the translatability of certain terms into other languages. Wierzbicka and Harkins in their introduction refer to the “never perfect intertranslatability” of some emotion terms (p. 21). These statements are clearly intended to point out that lexical items in one language are sometimes unique, lacking a single lexical equivalent in another language. This fact should not deny the underlying principle of translatability. It rather clouds the issue somewhat by bringing assumptions about translation theory into the discussion. Translation is not limited to word-for-word equivalents as is required by the literalist approach to translation. A word in one language may be translated by a modified phrase in another language, for example, as promoted by meaning-based approaches to translation. The importance of this for semantic theory is that NSM theory claims that there is a set of universal, primitive concepts that can be expressed in any language. These concepts, the theory claims, being expressed in any language, can be used to formally define any concept in any language. Zhengdao Ye rightly observes this idea stating that framing definitions in the NSM framework “allows definitions to be translated into different languages while retaining neutrality” (p. 397). Whether or not such a definition would pass as a translation of a given word, or whether a more complex but more perspicuous expression would be necessary, is a question for translation theorists. In denying the translatability of Russian terms nadryv, obidno, and sovestno (p. 302), Levontina and Zalizniak are claiming that they are uniquely Russian concepts, the reader should not conclude that they are saying that their meanings cannot be rigorously defined in the words of another language.

In practice, NSM theory requires that emotion concepts be defined in terms of prototypical scenarios. Primitive, universal concepts like “think,” “feel,” “good,” “bad,” “want,” “happen,” and “do” are combined with cultural-specific prototypical scenarios to explicate emotion concepts. Commonly the scenario is presented followed by the inherent meaning of the lexeme, which is stated as, for example, “someone feels something like those people do.” This approach must be careful to distinguish between the prototypical components of the scenario and the necessary components of the concept being explicated. For example, in the Mbula expression ni-ise the meaning is the good feeling like (prototypically) people get when (1) something good happened to them, (2) it did not happen to other people, (3) they think their experience is unique among people, (4) they do something overtly, (5) resulting in public awareness of how those people are feeling. From Bugenhagen’s discussion of the term a person who is ni-ise “feels ‘special’ and others can see it from the way the person behaves.” (p. 101) These are necessary conditions for ni-ise to be used, therefore all of these components need to be indicated as necessary components in the explication of the term, distinct from the prototypical scenario part of the explication. Is ni-ise a complex, psycho-physical-social event that requires someone else to perceive it through the experiencer’s overt physical manifestations, or is it only an internal psycho-physical event that is only prototypically overtly expressed and perceived by someone else?

In the author’s opinion NSM scholars must continue to refine semantic explications at this point. Goddard (1990:270) explains why the prototype scenario is necessary in a definition. For the Yankunytjatjara term mukuringanyi (sense two),

We have no way of knowing whether a specified X, who is, let’s say, “filled with fondness for” Y actually thinks the precise thought “Y is good”; or actually becomes aware that she wants to be with Y, etc.

Goddard’s definition claims that the experience is like what X would experience if she were thinking these thoughts about Y. The prototype scenario part of an explication should be restricted to this type of unverifiable component, or observable features that are prototypical, but not necessary in a situation to felicitously use the term to refer to that situation.

Wierzbicka (1999:12–16) explains basic modes people use to describe feelings. One is to use primitive concepts like “I feel good,” “I am thinking about what happened.” Another is to use a comparison, e.g., “I feel like an abandoned child.” Both of these modes of description can be expressed in a language-independent meta-language and therefore understood by a speaker of any language. An outsider, however, cannot directly associate a feeling with a scenario that a person in another culture experiences, since the same scenario may arouse different emotions in different cultures. An explication of an emotion must include more than a description of the typical cultural cause or expression of it. It must also include the invariant components described by primitives apart from the prototypical scenario.

References

Goddard, Cliff. 1990. The lexical semantics of “good feelings” in Yankunytjatjara. Australian Journal of Linguistics 10(2):257-92.

Wierzbicka, Anna. 1999. Emotions across languages and cultures: diversity and universals. Cambridge: Cambridge Universiy Press.

Copyright © 2004 SIL International

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