19th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies

“In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of Equality in Dignity or likeverd
27th - 30th August 2012, at the University of Oslo, Norway, and in Portland, Oregon, USA,
in cooperation with the World Dignity University initiative

Please see Newsletter 19, written after this conference - you are warmly invited to contribute to it!
Please see the programme of this conference further down and on the University of Oslo website


This conference had two parts:

Part 1
Three-day Workshop, 27th August - 29th August 2012
Primary location: Georg Sverdrups hus, the University Library of the Blindern Campus of the University of Oslo, in "Personalkantinen," and live video broadcast
(registration here, there was no registration fee, we always share minimal cost according to ability at the end)
Secondary location: Online Pacific Rim Edition, a condensed version of the larger conference in Oslo, led by Linda Hartling's HumanDHS Dialogue Home in Portland, Oregon, USA, 9:30 AM-12:30 pm Pacific Daylight Time
(registration here)

Part 2
Public Event, 30th August 2012, 13.00 - 16.00

Georg Sverdrups hus, the University Library of the Blindern Campus of the University of Oslo, in "Personalkantinen"
This event was titled "In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of (Gender) Equality and Dignity"
(open entrance, you were invited to bring friends and colleagues!)


Local Hosts, Organisers, and Conveners

oekland
Jorunn Økland, Director of the Centre for Gender Research (STK) at the University of Oslo, Norway, and Professor of Interdisciplinary Gender Studies in the Humanities
See the conference programme also on the UiO-STK website

Inga Bostad
Inga Bostad, Vice-Rector of the University in Oslo, Norway
See a personal message by Inga Bostad after the 22/7 terror attacks in Oslo and Utøya.
In this message, Inga Bostad encouraged and urged everybody to engage in dialogue. This message was recorded on 26th August 2011 by Lasse Moer.
See also: Learning From Norway's Tragedy, by Jonas Gahr Støre, July 19, 2012.

Host, Organiser, and Convener in Portland, Oregon, USA

Linda Hartling, Ph.D.
Linda Hartling, Director of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies network

All

 

This year, we offered multiple ways to connect to this conference online

(Our aim is always to include participants who cannot travel to the conference venue, and in this way we also to gain experience for our World Dignity University initiative)

1. Live Video Broadcast from Oslo
In addition to our face-to-face meeting in Oslo, Lasse Moer facilitated a live video broadcast using Adobe Connect. This video link was available to all who wished to watch the unedited, real-time proceedings of the meeting as it unfolded. (The times were Norway dates and times. To determine the exact time in your time zone, please go to a time converter URL, such as timezoneconverter.com.) To enter the Adobe Connect meeting room you were invited to use this URL, select the "Enter as a Guest" option and type in your name. Then you were admitted into the video conference. You were invited to learn about Adobe Connect here before joining us.
If you could not join us in real time, please note that we recorded the conference so you can view everything at your convenience later. These will be available as soon as Lasse Moer and Evelin Lindner have downloaded and edited the Adobe Connect video material and announced here.
For our next conference: We will need someone to sit with the computer and reply to and nurture the chat conversations on Adobe Connect! Please, if you feel you would like to serve in this way in our next conference, come forward!

2. Online Pacific Rim Edition of the Annual HumanDHS Conference
For those of you who could not travel to Oslo or join the live broadcast described above, particularly those of you who live in very different time zones from Europe, Linda Hartling, in Oregon, on the West Coast of the United States, invited you to join her for an online Pacific Rim Edition of the Annual HumanDHS Conference! This was a condensed version of the larger conference (9:30 AM-12:30 PM, Pacific Daylight Time). You were invited to sign up for the Pacific Rim Edition by emailing Linda Hartling directly. She sent you the instructions for joining in the dialogue.

Welcome!

In commemoration of the tragic events that took place in Norway last year, this conference had the title "In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of Equality in Dignity or likeverd." The conference advocated the notion of dignity, not just locally, but globally. The conference also included activities for our new initiative, the World Dignity University. We are very thankful to Jorunn Økland, Director of the Centre for Gender Research, and the University of Oslo for their generous hospitality in hosting this conference!

Our "unconference" conference: This was a unique, co-created conference! Rather than organizing time around keynote presentations, we organized around human-to-human conversations, taking a highly collaborative approach to planning our time together. More precisely, we used a format of Open Space Sessions. These are conversations on topics proposed by participants. On the first day of the conference, those participants who wished to propose a topic describe it. Then, as a group, we combined and prioritized the ideas as needed to finalize the schedule for the rest of the conference. We invited you to offer a topic and be open to other proposals. Also, if you made a proposal, we invited you to please kindly be prepared to be a dialogue facilitator/leader for the session. The Open Space process encouraged all of us to meet in a spirit of mutual support, equal dignity, and flexibility, which enriched the conversations throughout our "unconference" conference!

A new activity! As a special feature this year, we invited volunteers to videotape "Dignity Dialogues" for the World Dignity University Initiative following each Open Space Session. These dialogues were intended to briefly summarize the key points from the Open Space discussions, providing documentation of the group's conversation. For an example of a video dialogue, please see here.

Our public event is open to all: In addition to the three-day workshop for HumanDHS members and friends, Jorunn Økland hosted a Public Event entitled "In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of (Gender) Equality and Dignity," August 30th, 2012, 13.00 - 16.00, in Auditorium 2 of the University Library of the Blindern Campus. You were invited to bring all interested colleagues and friends to this event!
During this event, Anne-Katrine Hagelund received the Beacon of Dignity Award in honour of her crucially important work. Subsequent to the Public Event, Inga Bostad, Vice-Rector of the University of Oslo, on behalf of the Rectorate of the university, celebrated Anne-Katrine with a wonderful reception to which all conference participants were invited! OUR WARMEST THANKS!

We greatly appreciate your support: In all our conferences, we would like to kindly ask participants who reside in the location of our conferences to give a helping hand to those traveling from afar. We greatly appreciate everyone's efforts to keep our events collaborative and affordable for all, since everybody is fully responsible for their own travel, transportation, and accommodation arrangements.
There is no charge for the HumanDHS conferences or our online sessions. However, in the spirit of shared responsibility, we always attempt to assess expenses during the conference and invite participants to contribute according to their ability. We also gladly welcome electronic contributions in support of our work!

Our warmest welcome to YOU! Again, we warmly welcome you to all our conferences. We appreciate your willingness to be an essential part of our gatherings. Your participation is of great importance. We are certain that your contribution will have helpful reverberations not only for your work, but also for our network of scholars and practitioners working throughout the world. With the highest regards and the warmest wishes!
Evelin Lindner, Linda Hartling, Jorunn Økland, Uli Spalthoff, & Michael Britton

UNIVERSITY OF OSLO SHOWS THE WAY
Francisco Gomes de Matos, peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, co-founder of World Dignity University initiative, kindly sent us these rhymed reflections in honour of our conference:
The University of Oslo, by hosting the World Dignity University initiative, you have inspiringly shown the way
That will help all dignity-supporting people and institutions rejoice and say:
May DIGNITY in human actions, East and West, support PEACE on Earth every day!

 


 

•  How you could get to Oslo and the conference venue
1. If you came from outside of Norway, you could fly to Oslo, Norway's capital. You could take the airport train or bus to the city. The conference venue was the Blindern Campus of the University of Oslo, Georg Sverdrups hus, which is the University Library, in the room called "Personalkantinen."
2. Do not hesitate to ask people. Everybody in Norway speaks English very well.
3. From Oslo Central Railway Station or Oslo Central Bus Station, you could take public transport to our conference at the Blindern campus of the University of Oslo. First, you had to buy a public transport ticket card called Flexcard or Ruter card (or #, see ruter.no). You were able to buy this card in any Narvesen kiosk you saw. It was perhaps be a good idea to buy a 7 days card for 225 NOK.
4. To plan your trip with public transport, you could use reiseplanlegger.ruter.no. There you could put in the address where you wanted to start your trip and the endpoint. You would then be given the best alternatives for your trip.
5. One option was to take trikk (tram) number 17 or 18 (there is a station not far from the Central Bus Station) to the conference venue, direction "Rikshospitalet" (this is a big hospital complex). See a map of Oslo's tramways. The station is called Blindern. You had to ask for the library building.
6. Oslo has also a T-bane (metro) network, see the map of Oslo's metro. You could use metro lines 3, 4, or 5. They all pass through Majorstuen station, so there you could switch line in case you got there with another line. Also here the station is called Blindern. When you had done so, you just had to ask for the library building.
If you lost your way, you were invited to please contact our host, the Centre for Gender Research/Senter for tverrfaglig kjønnsforskning (STK) at the University of Oslo, Gaustadalléen 30 D (NEMKO-bygget), 0315 Oslo. The reception is in the fourth floor, open 9.00-15.30, Tel. +47 22858930.

• Where you could stay in Oslo
• Student housing of the University of Oslo
• Oslo Vandrerhjem Holtekilen (8 kilometers from the centre of the city)
Haraldsheim Vandrerhjem (4 kilometers from the centre of the city)
• Theater Ship MS Innvik (in the very centre of the city, near the central railway station, opposite to the Opera)
• Cochs Pensjonat, Parkveien 25, 0350 Oslo (in the very centre of the city, closer to the Blindern campus)
• Apartmentservice.no (more expensive)

•  Please kindly note that...
• There is no registration fee for our conferences. To cover our expenses, we always summarise the costs during the conference and invite participants to contribute according to their ability. This collaborative approach to financing allows us to keep the conference affordable for all.
• We like to get to know participants prior to our conferences and workshops, and prior to issuing an invitation.
• All our gatherings are by invitation only, please approach us so that we can include you and register you. Only our Public Events are open to everybody without registration.
• The Non-Public Parts of our gatherings have limited enrollment.
• Participants are encouraged to find their own sources of funding or economic support to participate in our conferences. We offer our nurturing work as our gift of love and care to you, and we would like to lovingly invite everybody to contribute to this gift economy. If you need funding for your travels and housing, please inquire in your country and your university about possibilities. See, among others, for the US, www.supportcenter.org and www.foundationscenter.org. The Weinstein International Fellowship program, inaugurated in 2008, provides opportunities for individuals from outside the United States to visit the U.S. to learn more about dispute resolution processes and practices and to pursue a project of their own design that serves to advance the resolution of disputes in their home countries.
• Participants in all our conferences are kindly asked to handle all of their travel arrangements and required documentation, including requests for visas, on their side. HumanDHS is a volunteer initiative and does not have the staff or resources to assist with visa requests.

•  Permissions
During our conferences, we always ask all participants for their permission to have their pictures or videos posted on our website, however, if you change your mind later, either in total or for specific pictures/videos, please let us know! Thank you! Since we wish to walk the talk of dignity, it is very important for us to do our utmost in respecting everybody's privacy. We refrain from gathering written permissions from you during our conferences, since we value the building of mutual trust in relationships, and we also would like to refrain from contributing to an ever more bureaucratic and legalistic society.

•  Green conference
We strive to organize our conferences as "Green Conferences". Lynn King kindly advises us.

•  What happened in our previous conferences?
Please have a look at all our previous conferences and the newsletters written after these conferences.

 


 

Contents List of this Conference Webpage:

•  Frame of the Conference
•  List of Conveners
•  Programme of the Conference
•  List of Participants
•  Pictures and videos

Still pictures:
Nine web galleries with still pictures have been created for this conference:
Day Four of the conference, Public Event
Beacon of Dignity Award to Anne-Katrine Hagelund on Day Four
Day One of the workshop part of the conference
Day Two of the workshop part of the conference
Day Three of the workshop part of the conference
Open Space process during the workshop part of the conference
Appreciative Introductions
Pre-conference reception at Nina Witoszek's home the day prior to the conference
Three participants arriving the day prior to the conference at the airport Oslo-Gardermoen

Videos:
•  Please see introductory videos created by Linda Hartling:
•  Welcome to Everybody, created on 12th August 2012 for our 2012 Norway Conference
•  Appreciative Enquiry, a video recorded on October 30, 2011, in Portland, Oregon, USA, for the World Dignity University initiative
•  Our Appreciative Frame, created on 12th August 2012 for our 2012 Norway Conference
•  Our Open Space Dignilogue Format, created on 12th August 2012 for our 2012 Norway Conference

Lasse Moer made it possible for us to use the Adobe Connect video platform to record certain parts of our conference: Inga Bostad, Vice-Rector of the University of Oslo, welcomes all participants and Carmen Hetaraka from New Zealand presents the Maori world view on Day Two, 28th August 2012 (see also here)
"Compassion, a Voice from the Past to Voices of the Future," presentation by Michael Britton on Day Three, 29th August 2012

• 01 World Dignity University video: Music, Movement, the Arts, and Mindfulness to Integrate Victims and Perpetrators of Violence: Randi Gunhildstad from Norway, Tomoko Ishii and Sayaka Iwazaki from Japan, and Carmen Hetaraka from New Zealand
• 02 World Dignity University video: Grandmothers for Peace in Oslo: Mai-Bente Bonnevie and Trine Eklund explain the activities of the Grandmothers of Peace in Oslo. This video inspired the Grandmothers for Peace to create a more official film (see the English version and the Norwegian/English version) on 5th December 2012 in front of the Parliament in Oslo, Norway. Roger Haugen did the filming. The first part of this video is in Norwegian, the second part in English. You see Sissel Melbye explaining in English, Mai-Bente Bonnevie, Berit Waal, Trine Eklund, and many others.
• 03 World Dignity University video: Gabriela Saab and Wellington Lira Discuss Linguistic Discrimination

• 04: Anne-Katrine Hagelund Received the Beacon of Dignity Award on 30th August 2012
• 05 Evelin video-taped the evening of Day Three, when Carmen made everybody dance in the cafeteria of the university. Carmen would wish to keep this video private. If you like to see it, please contact Evelin Lindner

Lasse Moer and Evelin Lindner are currently downloading all the recordings from our video platform Adobe Connect. The recordings need to be edited before they can be placed on YouTube.

•  Papers
•  What happened in our previous meetings? Please see our Newsletters! See Newsletter 19 written after this conference



 

Frame

by Linda Hartling, 2004

In our meetings we aim at creating a humiliation-free, collaborative learning environment characterised by mutual respect, mutual empathy, and openness to difference. The perspective of "appreciative enquiry" is a useful frame of our work. Our HumanDHS efforts are not just about the work we do together, but also about HOW WE WORK TOGETHER. At appropriate points during our meetings, for example at the end of each day, we take a moment to reflect on the practices observed that contributed to an appreciative/humiliation-free learning experience.

It is important to emphasise that an appreciative approach is not about expecting people to agree. In fact, differences of opinion enrich the conversation and deepen people's understanding of ideas. Perhaps, this could be conceptualised as "waging good conflict" (Jean Baker Miller), which means practicing radical respect for differences and being open to a variety of perspectives and engaging others without contempt or rankism. As we have seen in many fields, contempt and rankism drain energy away from the important work that needs to be done. Most people only know "conflict" as a form of war within a win/lose frame. "Waging good conflict," on the other side, is about being empathic and respectful, making room for authenticity, creating clarity, and growth.
Please see:
An Appreciative Frame: Beginning a Dialogue on Human Dignity and Humiliation, written by Linda in 2005
Appreciative Facilitation: Hints for Round Table Moderators, kindly written in February 2006 by Judith Thompson to support the moderators of our workshops.
Buddhist Teachings on Right Speech, kindly provided to us by Thomas Daffern in 2006, relating to our quest for appreciative enquiry, caring and being.
Linda Hartling: Presenting the Frame of Appreciative Enquiry, a video uploaded onto YouTube on August 4, 2012, in preparation of this conference.

Please see introductory videos created by Linda Hartling:
•  Welcome to Everybody, created on 12th August 2012 for our 2012 Norway Conference
•  Our Appreciative Frame, created on 12th August 2012 for our 2012 Norway Conference
•  Our Open Space Dignilogue Format, created on 12th August 2012 for our 2012 Norway Conference

 



List of Conveners

 

Evelin Gerda Lindner, Medical Doctor, Clinical and Social Psychologist, Ph.D. (Dr. med.), Ph.D. (Dr. psychol.), Organiser of the HumanDHS Conferences, Supporting the Local Conveners

Evelin Gerda Lindner is the Founding President of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS) network and initiator of the World Dignity University initiative. She is a transdisciplinary social scientist and humanist who holds two Ph.D.s, one in medicine and one in psychology. In 1996, she designed a research project on the concept of humiliation and its role in genocide and war. German history served as starting point. She is the recipient of the 2006 SBAP Award and 2009 "Prisoner’s Testament" Peace Award. She is affiliated with the University of Oslo, Norway, with its Centre for Gender Research, and with its Department of Psychology (folk.uio.no/evelinl/), furthermore, with the Columbia University Conflict Resolution Network (CU-CRN), which was superseded, in 2009, by the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity (AC4) at Columbia University, New York. She is also affiliated with the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme in Paris. Lindner is teaching globally, including in South East Asia, the Middle East, Australia, Africa, and other places globally. [read more]

Linda Hartling, Ph.D., Social Psychologist, Organiser of the HumanDHS Conferences, Supporting the Local Conveners

Dr. Linda M. Hartling is the Director of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS). She is also a Member of the HumanDHS Global Advisory Board, HumanDHS Global Core Team, HumanDHS Global Coordinating Team, HumanDHS Research Team, and HumanDHS Education Team. She is the Editor of the Journal of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (JHDHS).
Hartling is affiliated with the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute (JBMTI) at the Stone Center, which is part of the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Until November 2008, she was its Associate Director. Hartling is a member of the JBMTI theory-building group advancing the practice of the Relational-Cultural Theory, which is a new model of psychological development. In addition, Hartling coordinates and contributes to training programs, publications, and special projects for the JBMTI. She holds a doctoral degree in clinical/community psychology and has published papers on resilience, substance abuse prevention, shame and humiliation, relational practice in the workplace, and Relational-Cultural Theory. [read more]
Please see:
• Humiliation: Real Pain, A Pathway to Violence, the draft of Linda's paper for Round Table 2 of our 2005 Workshop on Humiliation and Violent Conflict, Columbia University, New York.
Humiliation: Assessing the Impact of Derision, Degradation, and Debasement, first published in The Journal of Primary Prevention, 19(4): 259-278, co-authored with T. Luchetta, 1999.
• Shame and Humiliation: From Isolation to Relational Transformation, the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute (JBMIT), Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College No. 88, Wellesley, MA 02481, co-authored with Wendy Rosen, Maureen Walker, Judith V. Jordan, 2000.
• Humiliation and Assistance: Telling the Truth About Power, Telling a New Story, paper prepared for the 5th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Beyond Humiliation: Encouraging Human Dignity in the Lives and Work of All People', in Berlin, 15th -17th September, 2005.

Jorunn Økland, Host, Organiser, and Convener

Jorunn Økland is the Director of the Centre for Gender Research at the University of Oslo, Norway, and Professor of Interdisciplinary Gender Studies in the Humanities at the Centre for Gender Research (Senter for tverrfaglig kjønnsforskning, STK). She has earned her Dr. theol. from the University of Oslo, Norway. Her current research focuses on gender-critical interaction with New Testament texts, and gender-critical reception history: The Bible and Women: An Encyclopaedia of Exegesis and Cultural History, and Die Bibel und die Frauen. She is also supervising a research group with a project in Feminist Text Studies, Philosophy and History of Ideas, called Canonicity, Gender and Critique.
From 2005-2007, Jorunn was a Senior Lecturer in the New Testament in the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield, UK.  She is a Member of the Editorial Board for The Bible & Critical Theory Journal and Chair of the Council for Gender Studies in Norway, as well as a Member of the Research and Publications Committee of the Society of Biblical Literature. She is also the President of the European Association of Biblical Studies, and Chairman of the Board of KILDEN - Information Centre for Gender Research in Norway. She is a Member of the steering committee for the program “Gender, Sexuality, and the Bible” of the Society of Biblical Literature, and Member of the editorial board for the Journal for the Study of the New Testament, as well as Member of the Steering Committees for the program ”Archaeology of Religion in the Roman World,” of the Society of Biblical Literature. She is Co-editor for The Bible in the Modern World Series (Sheffield Phoenix Press).

 


 

26th August 2012: Small Pre-Conference Reception at the Home of Nina Witoszek

 

27th - 29th August 2012: Programme in Oslo - Non-Public Part of the Conference, Georg Sverdrups hus, the University Library of the Blindern Campus of the University of Oslo, in "Personalkantinen"

 

 

Day One, Monday, 27th August 2012, in Oslo

 

9.00 - 9.30 Registration
See our Appreciative Introduction template (Word File / PDF File) for you to download, fill in, and bring with you!

 

• Voice by Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer and Randi Gunhildstad

 

9.30 - 10.45 Welcome


Jorunn Økland welcomed everybody on behalf of the Centre for Gender Research


Please click on the picture above or here to see all the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day One.

Linda Hartling welcomed everybody on behalf of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies network (pre-recorded on 12th August 2012)

Linda M. Hartling, Ph.D., Director of HumanDHS. Linda is also affiliated with the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute (JBMTI) at the Stone Center, which is part of the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Until 2008, she was its Associate Director.
Linda M. Hartling usually welcomes everyody and sets the frame of our conferences within "Appreciative Enquiry" (until his passing in 2007, she did this together with Donald Klein). Please read An Appreciative Frame: Beginning a Dialogue on Human Dignity and Humiliation, that Linda wrote for us in 2005.

Evelin G. Lindner explained the programme of our conference


Linda Hartling explained our appreciative frame (pre-recorded on 11th August 2012)

 

10.30 - 10.45 Tea Break

 

• Everybody introduced themselves, click here see all 100 photos of Day One



Please click on the pictures above or here to see all the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day One.

10.45 - 12.00 Introductory Presentation: Introducing Who We Are and Our Latest News

Evelin G. Lindner, Founding President of HumanDHS
This talk highlights how globalisation is interlinked with new and unprecedented psychological dynamics that call for novel solutions at all levels - macro, meso and micro levels, and in all fields of public policy.
Please see background material:
A Dignity Economy: Creating an Economy that Serves Human Dignity and Preserves Our Planet, Evelin Lindner's fourth book, published by Dignity Press, 2012
• See introductory lectures given at the University of Oslo, Norway at www.sv.uio.no/tjenester/kunnskap/podkast/index.html (search for Lindner)
Invitation into the World Dignity Initiative

12.00 - 13.00 Lunch

 

13.00 Launch of Open Space Sessions

13.00 - 14.30 Planning of the Open Space Sessions, facilitated by Stephen V. Gerardo, Michael Britton, and Ulrich Spalthoff (see here the photos of the Open Space process)

Introduction to the Open Space Format by Linda M. Hartling (pre-recorded on 13th August 2012)

Please read here more about the Open Space and what it entails. Open Space means developing the programme of the conference on the first day (see Open Space Tools by Peggy Holman).
As special feature this year, we will invite willing members of the group to create mini-videos of dialogue for the World Dignity University. For an example, please see www.worlddignityuniversity.org. See further down a list of topics that have been already proposed prior to the conference.
Linda Hartling (24th August 2012): "Our Open Space sessions are meant to be a springboard of ideas that you can later continue going forward with. This is a banquet of ideas. We will never have enough time to do everything we want to do, or say everything we want to say. We have an opportunity to get a taste."
We have given a lot of thought, over the years, to how to have conferences not just about dignity, but bring the notion of dignity into the way how we conduct our conferences. The main aim of our conferences is to build relationships and dialogue, rather than have "presentations" from a presenter to a passive audience. Our conferences, rather than stand-alone events, aim at being part of a global process of building long-lasting global relationships. We hope to co-create a global alternative community of people who have dignity at heart.
Therefore, we will make the programme of Day Two and Day Three of our conference on its first day, in the afternoon. Everybody who wishes to contribute with a theme, will be invited to give a very short presentation (maximal 2 minutes). Then, we will co-create the programme for Day Two and Day Three of our conference together. Usually, one session lasts for 1 hour or so, and you can shape this hour as you like. Usually, the initiator of the session would give an introduction and then enter into dialogue with the participants of his or her session. At the end we would like the initiator and her/his group to make a video of ca. 10-15 minutes for our World Dignity University initiative, if you feel this to be appropriate. Sometimes, we also merge sessions, when the same theme is overlapping, in other words, we try to use the time we have together in the optimal way for all of us.
Our dear Linda Hartling, who usually introduces the Open Space approach, can unfortunately not come to Oslo, she lives in Portland, Oregon. She has kindly prepared a video presentation of the Open Space approach.
In other words, all our conferences are relational adventures with the aim to manifest dignity also within the conference! WELCOME!
We might also wish to think of our visitors from Brazil, Burma, Pakistan, etc., who might want to see a little bit of Oslo's beauty. Since the weather will be very varied, perhaps our Oslo-based participants can keep in mind that it might be an idea to have some sessions outside, very spontaneously, just when the sun shines? Frognerseter might perhaps be an idea?


Please click on the picture above or here to see the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on DayOne.

 After the 22nd July 2011, Particular Relevance for Norway
On 22nd July 2011, Norway suffered two sequential terrorist attacks against the civilian population, the government, and a political summer camp in Norway. Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old Norwegian right-wing extremist, was responsible for both attacks.
Lindner wrote (22nd July 2011): "Joining hands, nurturing a culture of mutual care, of dignity, locally and globally, is what we need to invest our energy in. Even though we cannot undo harm that has happened in the past, we will, hopefully, help contribute to preventing more harm being perpetrated in the future. Never has work for dignity been more important."

 Introduction into the World Dignity University Initiative and Dignity Press, by Ulrich Spalthoff

15.00 - 15.15 Tea Break

 

• Voice by Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer and Randi Gunhildstad

Start of Open Space Sessions (see here the photos of the Open Space process)

 What makes life good for you now? What would make this a world you feel is good? An historical era you would love? by Michael Britton, see the notes taken by Selina Köhr

 Banality of Servility and the Lord Syndrome: A Journey through Words and Concepts in a Landscape of Applied Evil, by Bernt Hauge
Bernt Hauge wrote on 23th July 2012:
Norwegian original (see English translation further down): Hele rundreisen reisen av min presentasjon tar mer enn 20 minutter. Det er imidlertid ikke nødvendig å ta forsamlingen med på hele runden. Det er et gammelt pedagogisk prinsipp at du ikke skal kjede din neste. Jeg merker imidlertid at det er netttopp det jeg er i ferd med å gjøre, gammel og tørr, med manuskript og uten power point. Jeg regner med å ha klart kortinnlegget i løpet av et par dager. Jeg tar gjerne en tilbakemelding.
English translation: The entire round trip of my presentation takes more than 20 minutes. But it is not necessary to take everybody onto the entire journey. There is an old educational principle that you should not bore your fellow friends. I notice that I am about to do just that, old and dry, with a manuscript and no power point. I expect to have clear a short presentation in a few days. I welcome any feedback.

End of Day One

 




 

Day Two, Tuesday, 28th August 2012, in Oslo

 

9.00 - 9.30 Welcome by Inga Bostad (see the video recording on Adobe Connect)

 


Please click on the picture above or here to see all the ca. 50 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Two.

9.30 - 10.30 Carmen Hetaraka (see the video recording on Adobe Connect)


Please click on the picture above or here to see all the ca. 50 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Two.

Vegar Jordanger participated in our conference via video connection from Trondheim. He asked the following question via chat:
How can we overcome defensive toughness and move towards maternal love, compassion and interconnectedness? I think the Maori practice of educating about birth process is very relevant in this regard. It is an example of a concrete practice which makes it possible to connect with prisoners carrying a mask of being "a tough guy" (self-centered, defending the limited ego identity)". It's fascinating how through learning about the birth process, including the pain the mother experience through the delivery process, the prisoner can emphasize with their mother, and perhaps all women who give birth. This is a remarkable movement towards maternal love, compassion, and embodied interconnectedness. I'm wondering if this approach, educating about the birth process, might be applied also in other cultures, to connect with the heart of prisoners, and more generally people who are stuck in a defensive "tough" mask. What can we learn from the Maori birth process education practice... which seems to be such a profound and direct way to experience maternal love, compassion and interconnectedness? Could we imagine having a dialog educating about the birth process, as way to transform defensive toughness to move towards embodied interconnectedness, in other cultures, for example in African, American, Asian, and Western cultures? This is a question that I would like to invite the participants at the conference to explore in more detail!


Please click on the pictures above or here to see all the ca. 50 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Two.

10.30 - 10.45 Tea Break

 

Continuation of Open Space Sessions (see here the photos of the Open Space process)

 How to dismantle hierarchies and work with policy makers to promote dignity, respect and equal rights with regard to gender, race, education, and class, by Mai-Bente Bonnevie, Trine Eklund, and Zehlia Babaci Wilhite.


Please click on the pictures above or here to see all the ca. 50 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Two.

 How to use music, movement, the arts, and mindfulness to inspire victims and perpetrators of violence to reintegrate within themselves and their communities, by Randi Gunhildstad from Norway, Tomoko Ishii from Japan, and Carmen Hetaraka from New Zealand. See the video Music, Movement, the Arts, and Mindfulness to Integrate Victims and Perpetrators of Violence that they created at the end of their session
- Prevention Program of Family Violence in Japan, by Tomoko Ishii
Tomoko Ishii wrote (18th January 2012): "I am doing research about domestic violence, the main theme is "Prevention program of family violence in Japan – development of the support program for breaking the intergenerational transmission of violence". At the 19th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies in Oslo, I would like to present the prevention program of family violence, using the mindfulness skill."
- Language As a Right in Education: A Case Study of Zanzibar Curriculum Reform, by Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite
Over the course of the past two decades globalization and marketization has impacted education in many parts of Africa. African countries are struggling with the dilemma of maintaining local learning context in an increasingly competitive globalizing world. The concern is that the need to be economically relevant will emasculate curriculum resulting in the loose of cultural reproduction. Read more here.


Please click on the pictures above or here to see all the ca. 50 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Two.

 What Really is Humiliation?, by Kebadu M. Gebremariam, and Humiliation and Suicidal Behavior, by Latha Nrugham, see the notes taken by Selina Köhr
Latha wrote on 11th July 2012:
Humiliation diminishes our sense of worth, both as we perceive ourselves and as others perceive us. In short, it hurts our inner self, the subtle identity of who we think we are. When this identity is damaged and the person does not have inner or outer resources to cope with this damage or live with it, can suicide appear as a practical solution to the pain? Whether intended or not, humiliation can be perceived as either the complete loss of social face or severe and apparently irreparable and irreversible damage to the social face. If the person is able to keep the humiliation aside and move on, or move on with the humiliations, is suicidal behaviour less likely to happen? However, if the person is unable to neither bear the humiliation nor keep it aside, can suicidal behaviour emerge? Is it the loss or stressful life events per se that makes one consider suicide or is it the perceived humiliation in it and the inability to face it or accept it, within oneself and in relation to others? When this inner face, which may or may not be the social face one has, is lost, does it appear that all is lost? However, if one accepts that change is a certainty and this too will pass, is one able to stand the storm, no matter how hard it rages within and outside? Could perceived humiliation and the inability to cope with it or accept it be one of the several pathways to suicidal behaviour?


Please click on the pictures above or here to see all the ca. 50 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Two.

12.00 - 13.00 Lunch

 

Continuation of Open Space Sessions (see here the photos of the Open Space process)

 

15.00 - 15.15 Tea Break

 

15.15 Unfortunately, Dan Baron could not speak to us, due to an unexpected and sudden health problem. We wish you a speedy recovery, dear Dan!

The plan was that Day Two would be concluded by Dan's talk via video connection from Brazil (7 hours time difference, it is early in the morning in Brazil) on the Arts-based Pedagogical Work in the Amazonian North of Brazil that he and his partner Mano Souza conduct in Brazil.
Dan planned to tell the story of Alexandre and how he was executed in his wheelchair. See Alexandre in the picture on the left. Click on the pictures or here to see more photos. See the videos made in Brazil when Evelin spent time there in June 2012. See also Evelin's Digniventure reflections.


 

Dan Baron Cohen
Dan Baron, please click on the picture to see it larger.
Monument
The Castanheiras of Eldorado dos Carajas 1999 (10m x 15m x 25m), please click on the picture to see it larger.

Military police is moved to sing in the school of the assassinated art educator Maria Silva, 24th August, NovaIpixuna, Para, Amazonia. Please click on the picture to see it larger. See also Colheita em Tempos de Seca or Harvest In Times of Draught, a CD that provides a celebration of the Amazon as a source of human values and rich popular culture, by those who live both everyday. But it also reminds of its vulnerability. It is an inspiring resource for all educators and communities who seek a sustainable future

Daniel Baron is a playwright, community-based arts-educator and cultural activist, presently living and working in Marabá, in the Amazonian state of Pará, northern Brazil. He studied English Literature at Oxford University where he did doctoral research into theatre as popular education. After a decade of community theatre and mural collaborations dedicated to conflict transformation and social justice with excluded communities in Manchester (Northern England) and Derry (North of Ireland), in 1994 Dan accepted a permanent post in theatre and popular education at the University of Glamorgan, in Wales. He left Wales in 1998 to collaborate as a Visiting Professor at the State University of Santa Catarina and has been collaborating with communities within the Landless, Indigenous, Trade Union and University movements of Brazil ever since. His Pedagogy of Transformance emerged through these collaborations and dialogues with other cultural movements in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. Two national awards in 2008 and 2010 from the Ministry of Culture and a national UNICEF award in 2011 allowed Dan to accept an invitation to live and collaborate with the Afro-Indigenous community of Cabelo Seco ("dry hair"), founding community of the city of Marabá, in the quest to develop sustainable communities through living popular culture.
Between 2004-10 Dan was the President of IDEA (International Drama/Theatre and Education Association), and Coordinator of the World Alliance for Arts Education between 2006-2010. He is a member of the World Council of the World Social Forum.

Dan wrote from Cabelo Seco ("dry hair"), in Marabá, southeast of Pará, in the Amazonian north of Brazil, on 22nd August 2011:
Good morning from the Amazon! On this world day of action against the building of the hydro-electric plant, Belo Monte, on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon (to be the third largest plant in the world), with unpredictable, irreversible sociocultural and environmental damage in the region which will impact on all of our lives, we present two songs...
- Alerta Amazonia (Zequinha de Cabelo Seco)
- Clamor popular (Zequinha de Cabelo Seco)
- See the booklet of songs from the Brazilian Amazon which includes the translation of Alerta Amazonia (from the Transformance Archive)
Both songs have emerged in Cabelo Seco, an afro-indigenous community on the periphery of Marabá, Pará, where we live and work. The riverside community is already suffering serious consequences of the large dams completed in the past two years. The songs have been developed by our friend, project collaborator and art-educator Zequinha de Cabelo Seco, inside our project Backyards of Cultural Solidarity. We hope they contribute to the broadening of the international quest for a living, sustainable Pan-Amazônia.
Even if you don't understand the poetic lyrics, we believe you'll understand their emotions. Please write to us if you would like a translation, and feel free to use the songs in your own projects and community. Here are some links if you'd like more information:
www.avaaz.org/en/amazon_under_threat/
www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_amazon_a/?fp

Many thanks. An amazonian hug!
Dan Baron e Mano Souza
Cabelo Seco, Marabá
Institute Transformance/ABRA

Dan wrote on 23rd August 2011:
"The conference takes place during my final 5-day period of intensive writing (and type-setting of my new book 'Harvest in Times of Drought: a pedagogy of life for sustainable community', written with 50 rural, riverside and forest arts-educators), but I would like to make myself available for 90 minutes, if that works for you. Is there a definite open or closed space where I could share reflections on what we have learned from arts-based pedagogical work in response to the destruction of the Amazonian forests? I could speak very concretely on how a group of 50 teachers transformed a culture of collusion into an community-based ethics of co-responsibility, based on reflexive solidarity and cooperation. This could also connect to our response to the assassination of our student/grandmother/eco-pedagogue Maria Silva (on May 24). Alternatively, or within the same contribution, I could speak about our work with young people as cultural organizers and artists, transforming themselves, to transform their own afro-indigenous community, one of the poorest and allegedly most violent in Maraba, cradle of the 'industrialization of the Amazon'."

Later in the evening, Carmen made everybody dance! (If you wish to see the video, please contact us!)

 

End of Day Two

 


 

Day Three, Wednesday, 29th August 2012, in Oslo

 

9.00 Welcome


Please click on the pictures above or here to see all the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Three.

We celebrated Zehlia Babaci Wilhite's birthday! From Carmen Hetaraka, she received a Haka performance as her birthday gift! Thank you so very much, dear Carmen!


Please click on the pictures above or here to see all the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Three.

9.45 - 10.30 Compassion, a Voice from the Past to Voices of the Future
Presentation and discussion with Michael Britton (see the video recording on Adobe Connect)

Michael Britton always holds our Don Klein Celebration Lecture in place for the lecture that Don usually presented in New York: The Humiliation Dynamic: Looking Back... Looking Forward


Please click on the picture above or here to see all the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Three.

11.00 Continuation of Open Space Sessions (see here the photos of the Open Space process)

• Human Dignity as a Key to Confront the Future, by Hans Kolstad and Sturla Flem Rinvik
Abstract: Do we need disasters and catastrophes as a wakeup call in order to change the society, or are these events themselves in vain if they are not understood on the basis of a more radical paradigm shift in the underlying theories about the human mind and its way of grasping reality? In this paper I will present some reflections as to this latter question, starting with some words on the task of philosophy, and then passing to a special theory of human consciousness and society as a presupposition for critical analysis. Finally I will draw some conclusions as to the understanding of the challenge of human dignity in the aftermath of the 22nd July 2011.
Key words: Philosophical analysis, human consciousness, society, social rights and obligations, human dignity


Please click on the pictures above or here to see all the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Three.

 Prejudice, Linguistic Humiliation and Human Dignity: An Analysis in the Brazilian and the Global Context, by Wellington Lira
Abstract: In this paper we are going to discuss the nature of linguistic prejudice and humiliation in the relations between people from the north and the south of Brazil compared to the same phenomenon occurred in the relations between the north and the south of the USA, as well as the prejudice between North Americans and Latin Americans living nowadays in the USA. Starting from the approach of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies we want to answer two initial questions: 1. How does the linguistic prejudice appear in both cases above mentioned? 2. What are the effects of this type of humiliation on College students? This paper is just a starting point for an interdisciplinary research in the field of Human Rights applied to Linguistic Dignity.
Key words: Linguistic Rights. Linguistic Prejudice, Linguistic Humiliation, Human Dignity, Dignity in Language Teaching.
See also the video that Wellington Lira and Gabriela Saab created later in the afternoon with the help of Anna Strout, titled, Gabriela Saab and Wellington Lira Discuss Linguistic Discrimination.


Please click on the picture above or here to see all the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Three. See also the video that Wellington Lira and Gabriela Saab created later in the afternoon with the help of Anna Strout, titled, Gabriela Saab and Wellington Lira Discuss Linguistic Discrimination.

• Voice by Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer and Randi Gunhildstad

 

12.00 - 13.00 Lunch

 

Voice by Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer and Randi Gunhildstad

Meditation by Berit Waal


Please click on the pictures above or here to see all the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Three.

Grandmothers for Peace


Please click on the picture above or here to see all the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Three.See also the video that Anna Strout created in the afternoon of Day Three, titled: Grandmothers for Peace in Oslo!

13.00 Continuation of Open Space Sessions (see here the photos of the Open Space process)


Please click on the picture above or here to see all the 100 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Three.

 Screening of Undocumented & Unafraid with Discussion of Media Projects that Empower, by Anna Strout
To elicit sympathy for an oppressed group and support for change efforts, documentarians often display their subjects as helpless in the face of their plight, as needy and weak, and the people at the center of the production can be made to feel more object than subject, embarrassed rather than empowered. Can filmmakers play a more dignifying role by providing opportunities for skill-building and turning the tools of documentary making over to the subjects?

 The Interaction Between Science and Leadership, by Kristin Støren Wigum and Sigurd Støren (see here Sigurd introducing himself)
Sigurd Støren wrote on 9th August 2012 and on 25th June 2012:
My main concern is related to the interaction between science and leadership, i.e. the relation between "truth" and "decisions and their materializations (actions)". Above and in between there are intentions and design proposals (creative ideas). I think the 22. July 2011 is an example of that, ending in a fatal massacre. From where are intentions, design proposals (creative ideas) coming? How and why are bad, destructive, non-sustainable or evil intentions and design proposals (creative ideas) developing, instead of good, beautiful and sustainable intentions and design proposals (creative ideas)? The meaning of design proposals is here not only design of products and services, but also design proposals of regulations, laws, political proposals and agreements at all levels from a single person decision up to global decisions ( i.e Rio 2012).

 From Exclusion to Extermination, Lessons from July 22, by Kjell Skyllstad
Kjell Skyllstad wrote (15th February 2012):
I will be continuing in situ research in Austria in April on the ideological backgrounds of ethnic cleansing and extermination in Europe with direct bearing on the concentration camp killing fields and the background for the July 22 Norwegian massacre It will especially touch on the close connection between aesthetic and ethnic cleansing promoted by the Templar movement of early 20th century (Lanz Liebenfels ), its influence on Hitler and its application in the Eugenics movement for "racial hygiene" in the Nordic countries (sterilization laws) and the renaissance of the Neo-Nazi and Templar movement in Europe.

 The Kashmir-Conflict from a Psychological Perspective: How do Humiliations and Emotions on the National Level Account for the Development of the Donflict? by Selina Köhr
Selina Köhr wrote on 15th April 2012:
I see a strong connection between the HumanDHS and the vision of the Noragric department at UMB - University of Life Sciences in Ås, Norway (where my master's program belongs to), i.e., "a world where human inequality, conflicts, environmental degradation and poverty has been substantially and sustainably reduced (for details please see "About the Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric" and "Noragric Strategy 2010-2013").

 Human Dignity and Human Rights, by Julia-Catherine Huber

 Conflict Transformation in the Field, by Stephen Gerardo

Summary of all Sessions both of the Oslo conference and the Pacific-Rim

Closing the conference with everybody reflecting on the following question and making a short statement in the plenum:
What is one thing you are taking away from this conference, one question that you still have, or one thing you appreciated about this conference?

Conference Appreciative Enquiry: If you wish, please write down your thoughts and send them to the organisers of the conference: What worked well for you? What would work even better or what would you do differently? How would you like to help in the future?


Please click on the picture above or here to see all the photos of the Open Space process that Anna Strout kindly took during the conference.

Closing the Workshop Part of the Conference

 

End of Day Three

 

 

Public Event "In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of (Gender) Equality and Dignity," Thursday, 30th August 2012, 13.00-16.00, Personalkantinen, Georg Sverdrups hus, the University Library of the Blindern Campus of the University of Oslo

June 24th, 2011, the World Dignity University-initiative was launched at the University of Oslo. The network behind this initiative, the "Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies" (established by Evelin Lindner), is a global, interdisciplinary network of concerned scholars and practitioners. The Centre for Gender Research is the local host of the network at the University of Oslo, and also hosts the network’s 19th annual conference.


Please click on the picture above or here to see all the 122 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Four.

13.00-13.30. Introduction

• Ragnhild Nilsen, song
• Inga Bostad, welcome from the management, University of Oslo
• Jorunn Økland, welcome from the Centre for Gender Research

13.30-15.20 Panel debate: In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of (Gender): Equality and Dignity

• Panelists:
Anne Hege Grung, Sara Mats Azmeh Rasmussen, Gorana Ognjenovic, Evelin Lindner (respondent)
Chair: Jorunn Økland

15.30 Beacon of Dignity Award: Anne Katrine Hagelund

Anne-Katrine Hagelund received the Beacon of Dignity Award on 30th August 2012. See a video-taping of the award ceremony and still pictures of the ceremony as pdf file.


Please watch a video-tape of the award ceremony.
For a webgallery of the still pictures please click on the picture above or here to see all the photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Four of Anne-Katrine's award ceremony.
You can also see the still pictures as pdf file.


• Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer, song
• Evelin Lindner, closing words
• Linda Hartling, from Portland Oregon, sent the following message via the chat function of our video connection: "The whole Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies Network celebrates your Beacon of Dignity Award, dear Anne Katrine Hagelund! BRAVO to Anne Katrina Hagelund!!!"

16.00 Reception hosted by the University of Oslo

Speakers:
• Jorunn Økland, director, Centre for Gender Research
• Inga Bostad, pro-rector, University of Oslo
• Sara Mats Azmeh Rasmussen, freelance writer, author, activist from Syria, just having published an autobiography, see, among others, Aftenposten
• Anne Hege Grung, researcher, Department of Social Anthropology, UiO
• Gorana Ognjenovic, philosopher, Norway
• Evelin Lindner, founding president, Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies

• Linda Hartling, greeting (videolink) from the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies network

• Ambassador Shahid Kamal sent the following message via the chat function of our video connection: "The quest for human dignity must continue. Your conference has been an important event to highlight the importance of human rights and dignity. Diversity is richness. We need to promt tolerance for the challenges of the new age... We must work for openness, diversity and tolerance. We must learn to accept our differences and live by respecting each other... Ambassador Shahid Kamal: Congratulations for holding a successful conference. I wish all the organizers and participants continued success in their noble endeavours. Good luck and all good wishes."


Please click on the pictures above or here to see all the 122 photos that Anna Strout kindly took on Day Four.

Responsible for event at STK: Jorunn Økland, STK
Til norske deltakere:
Ingen påmelding til seminaret 30. august.
Deltakelse på konferansen 27.-29. august ved påmelding (til Linda Hartling, Lhartling@humiliationstudies.org).

Closing of the event

 




27th - 29th August 2012: Online Pacific Rim Edition of the Annual HumanDHS Conference led by Linda Hartling in Portland, Oregon, USA

For those of you who could not travel to Oslo or join the live broadcast, Linda Hartling, in Oregon, on the West Coast of the United States, invited you to join her for an online Pacific Rim Edition of the Annual HumanDHS Conference! This was a condensed version of the larger conference (9:30 AM-12:30 PM, Pacific Daylight Time). If you wanted to sign-up for the Pacific Rim Edition, you were invited to email Linda Hartling directly. She sent you the instructions for joining in the dialogue!

Collaborators:
• Hélio Dias from Brazil
• Hari Bansh Jha from Nepal
• Victoria Fontan from Costa Rica
Jacqueline Howell Wasilewski from New Mexico
• Rachel Aspögård, from Sweden
• Roger Hand, from California

DAY 1

• The Theme of the Conference
Inga Bostad Reflects on the July 22nd Shooting

• Who Are We?
Greetings! An Introduction to Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies

• How Do We Go About Meeting?
Presenting the Frame of Appreciative Enquiry by Linda M. Hartling (pre-recorded on 12th August 2012)

Introducing Evelin Lindner

• The Open Space Approach
Introducing the Open Space Format to the HumanDHS Network by Linda M. Hartling (pre-recorded on 13th August 2012)

DAY 2

• Open Space Session #1 Spiritualizing Society: The Role of a Spiritual University Host, hosted by Hari Bansh Jha
Collaborators: Linda Hartling, Jackie Wasilewski & Rachel Asporgard
Linda Hartling's notes:
Here are some of the questions we touched on:
1. Why establish this center and where to have such a center?
2. What is a "spiritual economy"?
3. What are others doing that is along these lines and how would this initiative be different?
4. How could this center influence policy makers?
5. How would this center/university be inclusive of the nonspiritual?
6. What would be the fundamental philosophy of such a center?
7. Would such an initiative fit with in the World Dignity University initiative?
8. How do we create a sense of "oneness" without "sameness"?
9. How does understanding generations of history help us go into the future together?
10. How would a "spiritual university/center" move people beyond the security dilemma?
11. What is "greedonomics" and what is "needonomics"?
12. How do we empower the young in this effort, e.g., in education, etc?
13. What is the potential of media to create a new quality of engagement that realizes an understanding that violence on others is violence to ourselves?
14. How do we challenge and be firm with opposition without using humiliation?

DAY 3

• Open Space Session #2 Decolonizing Peace, hosted by Victoria Fontan (author of the forthcoming book Decolonizing Peace)
Collaborators: Linda Hartling, Jackie Wasilewski, Hari Bansh Jah, Hélio Hamarana Dias, Rachel Aspögård, Roger Hand
Linda Hartling's notes of Victoria's presentation:
Decolonizing Peace
• Peace and conflict studies are a very Northern domineered, it is a neo-colonizing discipline that establishes theories from a Northern perspective.
• Many of the solutions for the global South are established in the North without understanding the South.
• Initiatives of the North can do more harm than good in the South.
• Aid and humanitarian industries can create or sustain conflict.
• See Oliver Richmond's book (2007) The Transformation of Peace: The metaphor of producing peace is like repairing a car, let's throw in good governance, elections, and institutions and peace is going to break out.
• Power dynamics and neo-colonizing elements: William Easterly looked at the narratives: we are coming to help, we are benevolent, etc.
• The main problem is the Cartesian paradigm that looks at the world as a giant machine.
• Colonization uses tools of education systems and disseminates the thinking of the North. Educational systems transmit the Cartesian paradigm, the infrastructure of colonization has never left.
• Victoria Fontan is removing the lenses of the Cartesian paradigm and offers new lenses, a different array of theories to make sense of the world in relation to peace, for example, through exploring local initiatives that are sustainable and through strengthening them.
• Departing from "peacebuilding"... which implies that there is nothing in the field already, that there are no communities that have effective practices for creating and sustaining peace.
• Neo-colonist addiction to help with contributions.
• We need to refrain from help addiction of the North and create a space for local peace practices to unfold.
• It is not for the North to decide when, where, how, and for how long.
Decolonizing Peace is trying to create a space for dignity within the field of peace and conflict studies.
• At the end of the book, Victoria calls for the global South to educate the North about successful sustainable peace practices.

A few discussion points:
• We need to decolonize academia...
• Academia seduces people with an illusion of inclusion...
• We need to decolonize our minds!

Rachel Aspögård offered these quotes from Stein Ringen's article "Faith in Freedom," which describes our belief in unrestrained liberty:
• Liberty of choice is not freedom. It is a condition of freedom.
• Restraint does not subtract from freedom. It is another condition of freedom.
• The free life does not come spontaneously to people once they have the liberty of choice. It is something that must be learned.
• Freedom is not separate from values, norms and faith. These are tools for people who aim to be the authors of their own lives.
• The managing of freedom is not something to turn to after the having of freedom. It is part and parcel of the free life itself.
• The actual experience of freedom is not individual, but is realized in social living where people interact and deliberate with each other.

 

 

Participants: See all Appreciative Introductions
(If you wish to participate in one of our future conferences, email us!)

Linda Hartling, from Portland, Oregon, USA, via video connection

Richard Slaven, from Portland, Oregon, USA, via video connection

Dan Baron Cohen, from the Amazonian North of Brazil, via video connection

Philip L. Brown, from New Jersey, USA, via video connection

• Chandra Prasad Siwakoti, via video connection from Nepal

Evelin Lindner, in Oslo

Michael Britton, in Oslo

Kjell Skyllstad, in Oslo

Sigurd Støren, in Oslo, see his introduction

Selina Koehr, in Oslo, see her introduction

• Julia-Catherine Huber, in Oslo, see her introduction

• Latha Nrugham, in Oslo

Nina Witoszek, in Oslo

Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite, in Oslo, together with Anna Strout

Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer, in Oslo

Dong Jingy, in Oslo

Oda Klempe, in Oslo

• Bernt Hauge, in Oslo

Tomoko Ishii, in Oslo, together with Sayaka Iwasaki, a clinical psychologist who works at the domestic violence shelter of the Japanese government.
Tomoko wrote (18th January 2012): "I am doing research about domestic violence, the main theme is "Prevention program of family violence in Japan – development of the support program for breaking the intergenerational transmission of violence". At the 19th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies in Oslo, I would like to present the prevention program of family violence, using the mindfulness skill."

Gabriela Saab, in Oslo

• Wellington Lira, in Oslo

• Sturla Flem Rinvik and Hans Kolstad, in Oslo

• Hans Morten Haugen, in Oslo

• Berit Waal, in Oslo
Berit wrote (8th June 2012): "I would also like to present a short fairytale that was presented to me in a dream after I had been in a discussion concerning 22 juli. The title is: 'The songswans who got their songvoice back'."

• Anja Tiller, in Oslo

• Randi Gunhildstad, in Oslo

• Gunaketu Kjønstad, in Oslo, on Tuesday

• Grandmothers for peace: Mai-Bente Bonnevie, Mirella Bussoli, Trine Eklund, Sidsel Mellbye, Irene Nygårdsvik, in Oslo

• Stephen Gerardo, in Oslo

• Mohammad Mostafaei, in Oslo

• Else Nygård, in Oslo

• Ellinor Halle, in Oslo

• Jonas M. N. Sørensen, in Oslo

• Kebadu M. Gebremariam, in Oslo

These participants were unfortunately hindered to participate:

• Trine Haagensen, in Oslo

• Brett Shadle and James Hawdon, in Oslo

• Sima Barmania, in Oslo
See her Blog in the Independent about collective inaction regarding Syria

• Lars Kirkhusmo Pharo and Tashi Nyima, in Oslo

• Michalina Ziemba, in Oslo

Anoop Swarup, in Oslo

• Rosemarie Lucero, in Oslo

Ashfaq Ishaq, in Oslo

• Laurent Nsenga, in Oslo

• Kaare Torgny Pettersen, in Oslo

Helga Arntzen, Marit Langmyr, and Lillian Hjort, in Oslo

Online Pacific Rim Edition of the Annual HumanDHS Conference led by Linda Hartling in Portland, Oregon, USA:

• Hélio Dias from Brazil

• Hari Bansh Jha from Nepal

• Victoria Fontan from Costa Rica

Jacqueline Howell Wasilewski from New Mexico

• Rachel Aspögård, from Sweden

• Roger Hand, from California

 


Open Space and What It Entails

Introduction into the Open Space Format by Linda M. Hartling (created on 13th August 2012)
(see also Open Space Tools by Peggy Holman)

Donald Klein explained the Open Space design as follows (2006): It involves creating a kind of 'marketplace' of possibilities based on topics nominated by participants. The only requirement is that whoever nominates the topic, acts as the convener of the discussion of the topic and takes responsibility for having notes taken. A report is subsequently made about the essence of what was discussed, including any conclusions or recommendations, at a plenary session following the topic groups.
The Open Space design has the advantage of focussing on whatever is of greatest interest to participants at the moment. It allows for parallel discussion of multiple topics, followed by a period of sharing and general discussion.

Alan Klein kindly wrote (31/10/2005): One of the key elements in making an OS event successful is the focusing of the question that the participants respond to. Another is being clear about what will be done with the information presented and/or decisions made in the OS event itself.

I would like you all (and any others who should be involved in this as well) to begin thinking and dialoguing about what would be the most question that you would most like to see grappled with by the participants. This may or may not include a sense of the decision(s), or type of decision(s) that you want the participants to come to or you may decide that the OS event is just for gathering and focusing energy and not to some to any decisions.
Thanks,
~Alan

On 14th December, 2005, we had a Board Meeting in NY:
We discussed our Open Space Section. Don explained that we could have different levels, a more open and general level and a more focused level. At the more open level we would discuss what is on our minds, at the more focused level, we would form 'buzzgroups' on particular topics, such as business, research, education, fundraising, non-profit.

Don Klein kindly wrote (30/12/2005):
[...] The main point I recall dwelling on at some length had to do with deciding first on the content of a session and its purpose; then deciding what meeting technology to use. Open Space is often used when the purpose is to make it possible for individuals to focus on aspects of a general topic that are of special interest to them. The participants themselves choose what they want to discuss.  No one knows in advance how many groups there will be and what they'll be  discussing.
Buzz groups are used as a way to break a large meeting down into smaller sections (usually from six to twelve or so people). All the buzz groups can be assigned the same topic; or different buzz groups can be assigned different aspects of the same topic; or buzz groups may be divided among two or more different - usually related - topics.
The main point is to decide what is to be the topical focus and what outcomes are desired from a session.  Then pick the technique that promises to help us achieve the purpose.
Love, Don

Sophie Schaarschmidt kindly wrote (02/01/2006):
What I would suggest for a following workshop (and this is my very personal view) is to create discussion forums as open choices. The open space technology as I know it, and as it is used mainly in the field of training involves participants in a unique way. The first step is like an open brainstorm session involving all participants. In this session, participants can come up with a topic that they want to (present and) discuss. All topics are written down and similar topics might be combined into one topic. This process can happen either beforehand via email or a web-forum or at the workshop on a blackboard. Once the discussion topics are defined the person that proposed a certain topic would announce a time and a space when and where the topic will be discussed. In a full day of open-space, up to 50 topics could be discussed. People are free to join and leave a discussion. As a metaphor, people are like bees flying from one topic to another, participating in a discussion as long as it feeds their interest and taking the honey from it as well as contributing to it, and leaving the discussion when it takes a turn into a direction that they are less interested in or when they wish to participate in other discussions on other topics as well. Normally people take part in 3 to 10 discussions a day. Therefore, people are free to select the topics they are interested in and move to other discussions, as listener or both, listener and contributor. Each discussion group is also free in putting their time frame, and scheduling breaks. Of course, there should be a time frame for the open-space session, let's say it would take place from 1pm to 5pm in the afternoon. Yet, discussion groups can schedule their space (location), time frame (a discussion could last half an hour or three hours: as much as it takes to explore the issue) and breaks themselves. The only condition is that the discussion topic, its location and starting time will be announced (or written down on a public board) so that all participants know when which subject will be discussed where.
I participated twice in such an open-space session and I was very much impressed by its power and evolving possibilities. Not only were people more active, excited and engaged, taking little breaks, but also people felt they could gain and contribute most in this process. They felt they were free to choose which discussions to engage in, and it was an easy way to make contacts with those people interested and engaged in topics similar to one's own. By being able to set an own time frame discussions were deeper than usual, and by participants moving from one topic to another, joining (and making new contributions) or leaving a discussion the discussions stayed vivid and interesting, and many perspectives could be shared. At the end of a discussion each group filled in an A4 page which contained the title of the discussion group, a list of the names of the people who contributed in the discussion, and a summary of what was discussed (the main stances). All the discussion summaries can be combined to a book at the end of the conference providing people with a tremendous treasure of topics and insights.
Another advantage of the open-space technology (as I experienced it) is that people stay 'fresh' in the workshop. The discussion excites and revives people and forms a good basis for getting to know each other and going on with the discussions at a later time in the workshop (e.g. during lunch).
It might be worthy to try the open-space technology in a HumanDHS workshop meeting substituting the round table sessions, or in addition to them. The only difficulty I'm aware of might be that we would need many spaces (rooms) where the discussion groups could spread for their discussions.
[...]
Good luck for your work in 2006!
Yours warmly,
Sophie Schaarschmidt

Linda M. Hartling kindly wrote in response to a message from Carlos Sluzki (21/01/2006):
How do we maximize the quality of work together when we are a group of individuals with dramatically varying levels of experience? This is such an important topic I think we should discuss it at our next meeting in Costa Rica. Perhaps, we could use some of our Board meeting time to discuss this? In addition, perhaps we could use some of our 'open space' time to explore people's view of this dilemma? I suspect that all of us involved with the operations of this network share a desire to optimize our efforts, to move the work forward efficiently and effectively. When we use an all-inclusive format at our meetings, we risk back tracking and dealing with questions that have obvious answers (e.g., convincing some newer attendees of the significance humiliating behavior). (...) In the words of Peter Drucker, I would like to see our group create conditions that 'strengthen our effectiveness and make our weaknesses irrelevant'. But, how do we do this in a way that promotes the dignity of all the people who attend our meetings?  I'm trying to think of some examples of organizations that do this... perhaps, Linda Stout's Piedmont Peace Project? Not too long ago I read a book entitled, 'The Wisdom of Crowds', which I think is relevant to our questions about inclusion/exclusion. It
describes the conditions for 'wise crowds'. (Surowiecki, J. (2004). The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies, and Nations. New York: Doubleday.)

Don Klein kindly responded (28/01/2006):
I very much support the focus on where we want to go. Suggest working in interest groups part of the time: i.e., education, research, civic action, global community building. And include a way for groups to emerge around other areas of interest.  for that matter, if only one person had an
interest and wanted to develop it further and then share his/her thoughts with us, that might also be possible.
Love, Don

Don Klein kindly wrote (28/01/2006):
I'd like to offer some experiences with the network originally known as National Training Laboratories.  This network, begun around 1950, is sstill in existence today; it has changed, however, in ways that seem relevant to the issues raised.
The network originally was a group of 'originators' of theory and practice in the area of group dynamics.  Most of them had participated in the discovery of 'sensitivity groups' or the t=group method.  After almost a decade, the more experienced people in the network became Fellows, as distinct from ordinary Members of the network.  To admit someone to their membership, all the Fellows had to agree that the applicant's credentials merited inclusion in the Fellows.  During t his initial period, which lasted about ten years, selected members of the network participated as staff members of two and three-week training programs for the general public, using the t-group method.  An enormous amount of theory building took place as faculty spent three or four days preparing each of the training labs.  It should be noted that most of the network were academics engaged in one or another of the social sciences, in areas related to democratic participation in social change.  They were all motivated by their common passion and some of them felt that the two or three weeks they spent with their  colleagues from around the country were the most meaningful and exciting of the entire year.
In the 1960s, questions arose about the suitability of having a 'class' system in the network.  The Fellows were seen as an anti-democratic perversion of the ideals and purposes of NTL.  And so the Fellows class was discontinued.
At about the same time, financial difficulties led to a reorganization of NTL, which included dissolution of the existing netework and inviting a more diverse group (sex, race, and ethnically) to form a new network.  The theory and practice of Organization Development, meanwhile, had emerged and more and more of NTLs network members became engaged in OD practice, while fewer and fewer network members were engaged in academic pursuits.
In my view the social impact and creativity of the current network have been reduced by NTL's growing emphasis on operating profitably as a 'business'.
There is currently an upsurge (how strong we don't know) of those wishing to advocate working on participative ways to democratize our institutions and our society.  Some of the network members are placing an increased emphasis on creating an international network and of promoting global community.
A major point in all of this history for me is that there is no 'ideal' and certainly no 'absolute' way of resolving questions having to do with competency, interest, and inclusion.  Based on the above history, my inclination is to favor the 'class' system; i.s., creating a group of qualified researchers, practitioners, and policy shapers to work together to shape, participate in, and contribute knowledge and skills to the work of HDHS network, including those activities that enable it to raise money by grants, contracts, income from training programs, and contributions.
These comments are lengthy. I hope they're helpful.
Love,
Don

Linda M. Hartling kindly wrote (27/04/2006):
In terms of Open Space...I think we should have some of the same groups we had in Berlin, with room for a couple of new groups. For example, we could have an education group, a research group, a business group, etc. It would be helpful to have these key groups continue their discussions, rather than creating all new groups. Didn't we talk about having 'buzz groups', meaning groups addressing topics that people want to continue to move forward? The education, research, and business groups could be buzz groups.

The following Dignilogue topics were proposed in different conferences, yet, the facilitators are unable to come. The topics are listed here, because they might inspire you.

•  Giving Voices to the Environmentally Humiliated and Misrecognized: Nature and Women by Keitaro Morita (adapted from a similar presentation at the 9th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies in Hangzhou, China, 13th-16th April 2007)

•  Peace: A World History, by Antony Adolf (2009)

•  Native Hawaiian and Polynesian Communities, by Dharm P. S. Bhawuk and Neil Ryan Walsh (Neil was unfortunately hindered to join us) (2009)

•  Familiarization and Its Ways: Is Ragging/Bullying an Archaic Method of Interaction, by Harsh Agarwal (2009)

•  Humiliation and Dreams, a talk/session by Dakshinamoorthi Raja Ganesan (2009)

•  Asian Religious Worldviews and Alienation, and/or Alienation and Dreams, a talk/session by Dakshinamoorthi Raja Ganesan (2009)

•  Video Series of the Causes and Patterns of Humiliating Experiences Through Role Play by Dakshinamoorthi Raja Ganesan (2009)
D. Raja Ganesan kindly wrote on January 15, 2009: 'I take this opportunity to suggest that a video series of the causes and patterns of humiliating experiences through role play of well established principles of social psychology--both culture free and culture fair--through role play and simulation be taken under the auspices of our group'.

•  Intercultural Research, faciliated by International Academy of Intercultural Research (IAIR) researchers (2009)

•  The Role of Dignity and Humiliation for How We Relate to Other Animals by Michael W. Fox (2010)

 The Role of Human Dignity in Nepal by Chandra Prasad Siwakoti (2012)
Synergy in understanding between the occurrence of violence in Norway and Nepal will be explored.

 Between Conspiracy Theories and Madness, by Katrine Fangen (2012)
Katrine Fangen, Ph.D., is a Professor in Sociology at the Department of Sociology of the University of Oslo. She has published several books and journal articles within the research-field of racism, national, political and ethnic identity, stigmatisation and youth subcultures. [read more]

 The Concept of Human Dignity in Indigenous Philosophies Project, by Lars Kirkhusmo Pharo and Tashi Nyima (2012)

 


 

Papers

All participants are warmly invited to send in papers.
Please notify us, if you wish to submit any of your papers also as a book chapter or as a journal article.

Please see earlier submitted papers here:
• List of All Publications

Kebadu M. Gebremariam, Latha Nrugham, and Selina Köhr (2012)
What is Humiliation?, by Kebadu M. Gebremariam, and Humiliation and Suicidal Behaviour, by Latha Nrugham
Combined Open Space session convened by Kebadu M. Gebremariam and Latha Nrugham at the 19th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies "In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of Equality in Dignity or likeverd," in Oslo, Norway, 27th - 30th August 2012. Notes taken by Selina Köhr.

Michael Britton, and Selina Köhr (2012)
What makes life good for you now? What would make this a world you feel is good? An historical era you would love?
Open Space session convened by Michael Britton at the 19th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies "In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of Equality in Dignity or likeverd," in Oslo, Norway, 27th - 30th August 2012. Notes taken by Selina Köhr.

Tomoko Ishii (2005)
Most Domestic Violence Victims Suffer PTSD
The Daily Yomiuri, June 4, 2005.

Tomoko Ishii (2012)
Overcoming Stress: Psychological, Physical Methods for Mindfulness
The Daily Yomiuri, September 9, 2012
, see also www.yomiuri.co.jp.

Hans Kolstad (2012)
Human Dignity as a Key to Confront the Future
Paper presented at the 19th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies "In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of Equality in Dignity or likeverd," in Oslo, Norway, 27th - 30th August 2012.

Selina Köhr (2012)
The Kashmir-Conflict from a Psychological Perspective: How do Humiliations and Emotions on the National Level Account for the Development of the Donflict?
Paper presented at the 19th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies "In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of Equality in Dignity or likeverd," in Oslo, Norway, 27th - 30th August 2012.

Bernt Hauge (2012)
A Journey through Words and Concepts in a Landscape of Applied Evil
Paper presented at the 19th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies "In the Aftermath of the 22nd July: How to Sustain a Global Culture of Equality in Dignity or likeverd," in Oslo, Norway, 27th - 30th August 2012.

Evelin Lindner (2011)
Terror in Norway: How Can We Continue from a Point of Utter Dispair? Promoting a Dignity Culture, not Just Locally, but Globally
Paper prepared for the 17th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies "Enlarging the Boundaries of Compassion," in Dunedin, New Zealand, 29th August - 1st September 2011.