27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies
'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity'

in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Monday 19th - Friday 23rd September 2016

Early arrivers came on Sunday, 18th September, and on Saturday and Sunday, 24th and 25th September, we went on post-conference excursions

Please see Newsletter 27, written directly after this conference - you are warmly invited to contribute to it!
Please see here your personal invitation and a short programme for print-out.
If you wish to participate in our future conferences, please email us! Please know that you are always invited to spend the entire conference with us, so that real dignity-family-building can emerge! All our events are part of an ongoing effort to nurture a global dignity community.
For all our conferences, you are always invited to fill out our Appreciative Introduction form, print it out, and bring it with you.

This conference followed up on the 'Urban Cultures at the Crossroads' conference in Dubrovnik, 14th – 15th September 2015,
and it led up to the Urban Research Plaza’s 15th Urban Culture Forum in Bangkok, 7th – 8th March 2017, and to the conference titled The University as Urban Cultural and Social Engine in Dubrovnik, 18th – 19th September 2017.
You were warmly invited to contribute to the Journal of Urban Culture Research.
There is no registration fee to be paid for our conferences, we usually share minimal cost according to ability at the end. In this case, our conference host, the Inter-University Centre (IUC) Dubrovnik, usually charges 40 Euro per participant of the conference for the utility, operational, and technical costs. If you were able to, you were warmly invited to contribute. The IUC system would collapse without such contributions.
After our conference, a related conference was held at the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik: 'Tools and Practices for the Collective Mind Revolution', the 5th biennial meeting of the Knowledge Federation, 25th September – 1st October, 2016.

Please see a view on Dubrovnik on the left side, and our conference venue, the Inter-University Centre, on the right side


Please see the Inter-University Centre in the middle of the picture, with Fort Lovrijenac in the foreground on the left side

Pre-Conference for Early Arrivers to Meet and Share
Sunday 18th September
• Dubrovnik Exploratory City Walk: Discover the Old Town
We gathered at 17.00 at Sesame, a small restaurant at the entrance to the Inter-University Centre (IUC), which is very close to the Pile area (Brsalje 11), where all the buses meet, right before the main city entrance. From there, we started the city walk with brilliant Marko Milos. After the walk, it was time for a communal meal at the old harbour.
• The Ston Wall Marathon Course was an alternative for those interested in adding to their once-in-a-lifetime experiences (38 Euro, upon personal registration).

This conference evolved in three stages:

1. Workshop with Dignilogues
Monday - Wednesday, 19th – 21st September
Inter-University Centre (IUC), Don Frana Bulica 4, Dubrovnik, big classroom number 1
Together, we examined the threats to the ways we live and the increasing humiliation that often precludes and disrupts the unfolding of equal dignity throughout the world

2. Public Town Hall Meeting
Thursday 22nd September
Inter-University Centre (IUC), Don Frana Bulica 4, Dubrovnik, big conference hall
With the citizens of Dubrovnik, we explored the situation for the cities in Southeastern Europe through the medium of a Town Hall meeting with special focus on common problems of contemporary living and prospects for the future with a recommendation for collective initiatives

3. Researcher Meeting
Friday, 23rd September
Inter-University Centre (IUC), Don Frana Bulica 4, Dubrovnik, big classroom number 1
We explored and shared with researchers experiences and models for future urbanism based on dignity for all, following up on the 2015 conference on urban cultures in Dubrovnik, summing up the conference, and planning ahead

Post-Conference Activities for those Interested
• Saturday 24th September: excursion from Dubrovnik to Mostar (note: the participants from within the European Union had to bring not just their ID card, but also their passport, because to go to Mostar, we had to cross the outer border of the European Union). Swimming on the island of Lopud would have been an alternative.
• Sunday 25th September: We were privileged to be invited to take part in the beginning of the conference 'Tools and Practices for the Collective Mind Revolution' with a deep introduction into the history of Dubrovnik. The alternatives would have been to watch the sun-rise from the Srđ mountain behind Dubrovnik, and then have breakfast in the city, and thereafter take a swim. Or, to visit the Arcadian island of Lokrum.

Special program
in a major cultural city venue:
We were proud that Dr. Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona, shared her art with us. She is a Sri Lankan traditional musician living in Ljubljana and now a known cultural figure appearing at major festivals and city cultural arrangements. She is lecturer at the University of Colombo and certified artist in Indian classical music at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), while currently serving as a Visiting Professor in Ethnomusicology at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She earned her B.A degree in Fine Arts from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, M.Mus (Master of Music), her degree in North Indian classical music (violin) from the Banaras Hindu University, India, and her Ph.D. in musicology (with focus on medical ethnomusicology and music therapy) from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. You may hear Dr. Lasanthi Manaranjanie on YouTube playing an Indian raga Yamuna Kalyan that is based on boy god Krishna saving the river Yamuna from pollution from a snake. Today our cities like Delhi are pouring billions of liters of untreated waste daily in the rivers like Yamuna, a tributary of Ganges running beside the famous Taj Mahal. This also belongs to city threats.

Local Hosts, Organisers, and Conveners

Kjell Skyllstad
• Professor Emeritus, Department of Musicology, University of Oslo, Norway
Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Editor in Chief of the Journal of Urban Culture Research

• Bussakorn Binson, Professor, Music Department, Chair of the Urban Research Plaza (URP), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

•  Hilde Kvam, Associate Professor Department of Art and Media Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway

•  Celine Motzfeldt Loades, PhD Candidate at the Centre for Development and Environment of the University of Oslo, Norway

Partners

The conference was arranged cooperatively at the Inter-University Centre (IUC), Don Frana Bulica 4, 20 000 Dubrovnik, Croatia (see also facebook.com/interuniversitycentre/), with Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS), the World Dignity University initiative, the University of Oslo, Norway, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway, and Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

The Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik (IUC) was founded in 1971, with Johan Galtung as its first Director. Then, during the siege of Dubrovnik 1991 – 1992, it was destroyed, to the point that there were no floors anymore. Now it shines as never before.
• Please click on the photos above or here to see more pictures.

Day Zero, Sunday, 18th September

Day One, Monday, 19th September

Day One, Monday, 19th September

Day Five, Friday, 23rd September

Day Five, Friday, 23rd September

Thank you, dear Rachel, for these wonderful photos!

• Please click on the photos above or here to see all of Rachel Aspögård's 60 photos of the entire conference, including her wonderful portraits of the participants!Thank you most warmly, dear Rachel Aspögård, for taking so lovely photos throughout our conference!

•  If you wish to participate in our future conference, please send us an email!

•  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. In this case, the IUC depended on a contribution of 40 Euros from each participant.

•  See here a template for participants to fill in, print out, and bring to our conferences: Word / Pdf.

•  Please see here your first personal invitation for this conference (27th February 2016), a second personal invitation (13th June 2016), a third message (28th July 2016), and the final reminder (1st September 2016).

•  See here a short programme of the entire conference for print-out.

•  Please see also our Newsletters, written after our conferences.

•  How you could get to the conference venue
From the airport in Dubrovnik in Croatia, IUC participants could arrange transport through emailing to participants.transportation@gmail.com (for a better price, 200 Croatian Kuna, ca. 27 Euros, than the regular price of 270 Kuna). The airport bus is run by the Atlas bus company and departs after most flight arrivals (that are very frequent) and leaves about 50 meters from the exit at the left side. It costs about 6 Euros and stops at Pile, one of the entrance gates to the city, which is very near IUC. Croatia is part of the European Union, but they do not have the Euro. Therefore it was wise to get some local money at the airport, since Euros are mostly not accepted in town.

•  Where we could eat and what was to do
- Lunch: We had an agreement with the restaurant Orhan that we would prepare a list each morning of how many of us would be interested in lunch and they would pick up this list at noon, so that we would not have to wait long for the food when we arrived for lunch. This restaurant is tucked away in a small bay area just 4 minutes away from IUC toward the city gate, thus assuring that participants would get back for the afternoon sessions and not get lost in the city. The luncheon price is about 15 Euros excluding drinks. It also serves vegetarian dishes.
- Other restaurant options in the vicinity of the IUC were the restaurant Mimoza, just 2 minute away toward the Pile city gate, and the low-cost Skalin restaurant on the left side near the Pile city gate.
- For breakfast and coffee breaks, Sesame restaurant is located right at the entrance to IUC. They offer breakfast from 8.00 in the morning for about 5 Euro. This is where people meet for coffee and breaks.
- On Sunday, 18th September, we had dinner together at the old harbour.
- For accompanying persons we recommended the sandy beaches below Lazareti, and the Arcadian island of Lokrum 15 minutes away by ferry.
- In Dubrovnik, the city symphony orchestra always give concerts and there are also music performances in churches and monasteries.
Please see the Orhan and Mimoza restaurants.
• Please click on the photos above or here to see more pictures taken on 28th August 2016

• Where to stay
- Nada Bruer Ljubišić kindly informed us that there is a monastery in the vicinity of the IUC, Samostan službenica Milosrda, Convent of Mercy, Branitelja Dubrovnika 19. Nuns rent single or double rooms with mostly private bathrooms. The price in these rooms is 270 – 500 KN (ca. 35 – 66 Euros) per night for the high season of September. The nuns do not communicate through mail, nor do they know English. However, the sister that is running the accommodation of the monastery is fluent in German. Please contact samostan.dubrovnik@gmail.com.
- Nada also kindly suggested for those of us, who wished to stay in a hotel or private accommodation, to check their web page and contact Danijela Strman in the agency Gulliver (see the price list here). It was advisable to make reservations well in advance. However, clearly, participants were welcome to book through any other channel of their choice. There is another agency that offers a number of apartments in the vicinity of the IUC. Nada invited those who wished to stay with a family nearby to sense the atmosphere of local people to inquire with her.
- Kjell Skyllstad kindly wrote on 18th September 2014: Among hotels, I would recommend Lero, where I often have stayed (Tel. + 385 20 411 455 / Fax + 385 20 432 501). Hotel Argentina is among the most expensive (Tel + 385 20 440 555 / Fax + 385 20 432 524). However, I would from personal experience recommend booking private accommodation (please see search for homestays in Dubrovnik), which gives a unique opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of the Croatian people.

• Possible post-conference experiences
Nada Bruer Ljubišić kindly suggested to explore possible post-conference meeting places outside of the city, such as the small city of Cavtat, which can be reached from the inner city harbour in about 30 minutes, or the Arcadian island of Lokrum reachable in 15 minutes, or the charming island of Lopud, which is reached from the port with the Postira commuting boat in 45 minutes, all excellent for swimming.
Nada Bruer also kindly shared with us on 21st April 2015:
'As far as post-conference experience is concerned, we usually work with the agency Gulliver. They can be reached at the mail danijela.strman@gulliver.hr. But, of course, there are no restrictions. Other agencies are also listed on our web pages. If you were planning to make a trip, here were some suggestions:
•  for mainland: Cavtat and Konavle region or Trsteno – Ston region
•  for islands: Lokrum or Lopud or Sipan
If you have a whole day an island Mljet can be an option but it is a bit more expensive since it is a national park and transportation is pricy, but it can be arranged'.
Kjell Skyllstad kindly recommended having a look at the Center for Intercultural Learning under Cultural Information – Croatia.

• Post-conference events on Saturday and Sunday, 24th and 25th September 2016
• Saturday, 24th September:
- Option 1: Excursion to Mostar, a city and municipality in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the most important city in the Herzegovina region, its cultural capital, and the centre of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva River and is the fifth-largest city in the country. Mostar was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks, and is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans. It was destroyed during the war of the former Yugoslavia but later re-built. Today, Mostar is still the example of the city divided in two – into a Catholic and Muslim side, however today with peaceful cohabitation.
Everybody had to make sure to bring their passports, since Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a part of the European Union and cannot be accessed with EU identity cards. The price depended on the number of people (van or a mini-bus), but the estimate was around 20 Euro per person for transportation. The duration of the trip is around 2 1/2 hours in one direction.
- Option 2: The second option for the excursion for Saturday was visiting the island of Lopud north of Dubrovnik. Lopud is one of the Elaphiti Islands, and can be reached by standard boat line from Dubrovnik harbour Gruž. The island is famous for its sandy beaches, in particular the bay of Šunj which can be reached by a nice half an hour walk across the island, through the woody area. Lopud is the second largest island of the Elaphiti islands, between Kolocep and Sipan, with many nice restaurants, bars and beaches. The regular boat line – Jadrolinija – leaves at 10.00 in the morning and returns at 18.00. The price for the ticket in two directions is 6,50 Euro.
• Sunday, 25th September:
Nada Bruer suggested exploring Dubrovnik in a more informal manner, an early climb onto the mountain Srđ above Dubrovnik, where a symbol of defence of Dubrovnik in the 1991 war is located, the 19th century fort Imperial. From there, one could continue with breakfast in town and a swim at the nearby beaches or a walk around less-explored Dubrovnik areas.

•  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 enrolment.
• 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 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 and reinventing organization
We strive to organize our conferences as "Green Conferences". Lynn King kindly advises us. We also thank Vegard Jordanger for making us aware of Frederic Laloux's work on Reinventing Organizations (2014).

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

•  Frame
•  List of Conveners
•  Programme
•  List of Participants
•  Papers
•  Pictures and videos

Still photos
The still photos come in several web galleries. Thank you most warmly, dear Rachel, for taking so lovely photos throughout our conference!
• Please click here to see all of Rachel Aspögård's 60 photos of the entire conference, including her wonderful portraits of our participants!

• Sunday, 18th September 2016: Please click here to see all of Rachel's 41 photos of our Dubrovnik City Walk

• Monday, 19th September 2016: Please click here to see all of Evelin Lindner's 47 photos of Day One
• Monday, 19th September 2016: Please click here to see all of Rachel's 13 photos of Day One,
including Anton Verwey's exhibition in the evening

• Tuesday, 20th September 2016: Please click here to see all of Evelin's 37 photos of Day Two
• Wednesday, 21st September 2016: Please click here to see all of Evelin's 34 photos of Day Three
• Thursday, 22nd September 2016: Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four
• Friday, 23rd September 2016: Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

• Saturday, 24th September 2016: Please click here to see Rachel's 50 photos of our excursion to Mostar
• Saturday, 24th September 2016: Please click here to see Evelin's 48 photos of our excursion to Mostar

• Sunday, 25th September 2016: Please click here to see Evelin's 10 photos of our introduction to Dubronik by Dino Karabeg's uncle Suad Ahmetović

Videos
Thank you so much, dear Rachel Aspögård, for stepping up and doing such wonderful video-taping!

Day One, 19th September 2016
• 01 Welcome Greetings: the participants were welcomed by representatives from the participating universities
• 02 Merle Lefkoff Arrives
• 03 A World at Risk: From Humiliation to Dignity, Evelin Lindner
• 04 Art for All, Professor Dr. Channarong Pornrungroj, brought to Dubrovnik by Professor Bussakorn Binson
• 05 Musical Greeting by Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona, Colombo/Ljubljana
• 06 Participants Present Each Other
• 07 Launch of Dignilogues
• 08 Ljoba Jenče Invites Everybody into Singing
• 09 Introduction to Dubrovnik and the Inter-University Centre by Nada Bruer Ljubišić
• 10 Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona Sings a Croatian Song of Gratitude to Nada Bruer Ljubišić
• 11 Introducing the First Dignilogue: Michael Schulte
• 12 From Past to Present: How Writing and Writing Systems Impact Dignity in Human Interaction, Dignilogue with Michael Schulte (see Pdf of Powerpoint)
• 13 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: 'From Past to Present: How Writing and Writing Systems Impact Dignity in Human Interaction', Michael Schulte and Merle Lefkoff
• 14 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: 'Dignifying Global Business - Fair Trade: A New Paradigm?', Ragnhild Nilsen and Avi Shahaf

Day Two, 20th September 2016
• 15 Uli Spalthoff Guides Dignilogue Preparations
• 16 Sharing Fairytales and Fables from Different Cultures - and Learning Peace, Dignilogue with Glyn Rimmington
• 17 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: Sharing Fairytales and Fables from Different Cultures - and Learning Peace, Glyn Rimmington and Uli Spalthoff
• 18.1 and 18.2 Climatic Theatre – Addressing World Issues through Aesthetics, Dignilogue with Heidrun Sølna Øverby (see Video 1 and Video 2)
• 19 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: Climatic Theatre – Addressing World Issues through Aesthetics, Heidrun Sølna Øverby and Kjell Skyllstad
• 20.1 and 20.2 How Do Humiliation and Dignity Contribute to Conflict? Is Dignity Given or Learnt?, Dignilogue with Bussakorn Binson and Ljoba Jenče (see Video 1 and Video 2)
• 21 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: How Do Humiliation and Dignity Contribute to Conflict? Is Dignity Given or Learnt?, Bussakorn Binson and Ljoba Jenče
• 22 Bussakorn Binson Teaches How to Greet with 'Sawadee'
• 23 Music, Migration and Minorities: Promoting the Intercultural City, Dignilogue with Kjell Skyllstad
• 24 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: Music, Migration and Minorities: Promoting the Intercultural City, Kjell Skyllstad, Bussakorn Binson, and Svanibor Pettan

Day Three, 21st September 2016
• 25.1 and 25.2 Altruism Is Not Self-Negation, It Is Recognising the Universality of Human Anguish, Dignilogue with Rachel Aspögård (Video 1 and Video 2)
• 26 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: Altruism Is Not Self-Negation, It Is Recognising the Universality of Human Anguish, Rachel Aspögård and Evelin Lindner
• 27 How Can We Advance the Value of Human Dignity in Relation to Urban Population? Theoretical Framework, Basic Assumptions, Guiding Principles, and Discussion, Dignilogue with Avi Shahaf (see Powerpoint)
• 28 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: How Can We Advance the Value of Human Dignity in Relation to Urban Population?, Avi Shahaf and Lasanthi Manaranjanie
• 29 Indigenous Knowledge and the New Science of Complex Adaptive Systems, Dignilogue with Merle Lefkoff
• 30 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: Indigenous Knowledge and the New Science of Complex Adaptive Systems, Merle Lefkoff and Kjell Skyllstad
• 31 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: The Dignity Star Idea, Merle Lefkoff and Evelin Lindner
• 32 Cultural and Community Planning: Organizing for Power and Building Local Capacity, Dignilogue with Tom Borrup(see Pdf of Abstract | Powerpoint)
• 33 Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative: Cultural and Community Planning: Organizing for Power and Building Local Capacity, Tom Borrup and Glyn Rimmington
• 34 Lasanthi Manaranjanie Rounds up Day Three with a Song

Day Four, 22nd September 2016
• 35 Musical Greeting by Lasanthi Manaranjanie, Colombo/Ljubljana
• 36 Welcome and Greetings by Nada Bruer Ljubišić, Executive Secretary, Inter-University Centre (IUC) Dubrovnik
• 37 Welcome and Greetings by Ana Hilje, Head of Department of Culture of the City of Dubrovnik
• 38 Welcome and Greetings by Bussakorn Binson, Professor at the Music Department of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, and Founder and Chair of Urban Research Plaza (URP)
• 39 Welcome and Greetings by Kjell Skyllstad, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
• 40 Honouring Nada Bruer Ljubišić and Tomislav Kvesić
• 41 Honouring Kjell Skyllstad with the HumanDHS Lifetime Achievement Award
• 42 Honouring Kjell Skyllstad: Tom Gravlie, Deeyah, and Lasanthi Manaranjanie
• 43 Honouring Kjell Skyllstad: Bussakorn Binson, Hilde Kvam, and Svanibor Pettan
• 44 Cities at Risk: From Humiliation to Dignity, by Evelin Lindner
• 45 Managing Diversity as a Resource: The Win-Win Approach to Dignity, by Francesca Lionetti
• 46 Music in Development Cooperation and Conflict Transformation, by Tom Gravlie (see Pdf of Powerpoint)
• 47 Applied Ethnomusicology and Urban Outreach, by Svanibor Pettan (see Powerpoint)
• 48 Educational Strategies Supporting Cultural Preservation: The Case of Bangkok's Living Local Culture, by Bussakorn Binson (see Powerpoint)
• 49 Music and Urban Activism – Building Intercultural Bridges, by Deeyah Khan
• 50 Kjell Skyllstad's Comments
• 51 Merle Lefkoff Opens the Town Hall Meeting
• 52 Town Hall Meeting As Samoan Circle 'Dubrovnik Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Creating Vibrant Social Spaces – New Avenues to Urban and Suburban Renewal'
• 53 After Showing Her 2015 Documentary Film Jihad, Deeyah Khan Shares Her Reflections on Cities at Risk - How Do We Address Social Polarisation and Radicalisation of Urban and Suburban Youth

Day Five, 23rd September 2016
• 55 Kjell Skyllstad Introduces the Researcher Meeting
• 56 Creating Vibrant Spaces for and through the Arts, by Lasanthi Manaranjanie (see Pdf of Powerpoint)
• 57 Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage: Methods and Practices, by Atle Ove Martinussen (see Powerpoint)
• 58 A Model of Transmission of Intangible Heritage (CIH) from the Old to the New Generation, by Ljoba Jenče
• 59 Bridging Urban Divides and Breaking the Cycle of Humiliation: Adaptive Leadership Approach, by Mara Alagic (see Pdf | Powerpoint)
• 60 Ljoba Jenče Shares Her Art
• 61 Critical Perspectives on the Transformation of Urban Localities, by Dalibor Prancevic and Alemka Djivoje (see Pdf)
• 62 Bridge Building at the Market Place, by Tom Borrup (see Pdf | Powerpoint)
• 63 The Zagreb City Making Project, by Jasna Capo (see Powerpoint)
• 64 Balkan Dances for Social Sharing: Reflections on Urban Traditions and Cultural Renewal, by Muhamed Tufekčić (see Powerpoint)
• 65.1 and 65.2 Killing History and World Heritage: Urban Tragedies of Syria (Aleppo and Palmyra), by Marie Ingand (see Video 1 | Video 2 Dance | Powerpoint)
• 66 Religious Radicalism and Cultural Loss, by Hilde Kvam (see Powerpoint)
• 67 Polyscopy: Rediscovering a Way to Community Change, by Dino Karabeg (see Powerpoint recording)
• 68 Industry 4.0. Where Does This Leave the Human Factor? by Holger Kinzel (see Pdf | Powerpoint)
• 69 Ljoba Jenče Leads Us in Singing Good-Bye
• 70 Saying Good-Bye to Each Other

•  What happened in our previous meetings? Please see Newsletters!

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.
•  Please see also these videos on our Appreciative Frame, created by Linda Hartling:
- Appreciative Enquiry 1, a video that was recorded on October 30, 2011, in Portland, Oregon, USA, by Evelin Lindner, for the World Dignity University initiative.
- Appreciative Enquiry 2, a video that was uploaded onto YouTube on August 11, 2012, in preparation of the 19th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, 27th-30th August 2012, in Oslo, Norway.
- Our Appreciative Frame 3, a video created in December 2014 (see also Pdf), for the 2014 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict, in New York City, December 4–5, 2014.
- Appreciative Enquiry 4, a video that was recorded on May 27, 2015, in Portland, Oregon, USA, by Linda Hartling, for the 25th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, in Kigali, Rwanda, 2nd - 5th June 2015.

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 Department of Psychology since 1997, periodically also with its Center for Gender Research and with its Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, furthermore, with Columbia University in New York since 2001, first with its Conflict Resolution Network (CU-CRN), which in 2009 was superseded by the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity (AC4). She is also affiliated with the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme in Paris since 2001. 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.

Kjell Skyllstad, Host, Organiser, and Convener

Kjell Skyllstad is Professor Emeritus, Department of Musicology (Institutt for musikkvitenskap), University of Oslo, Norway, and Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, since 2009. Furthermore, he is Editor in Chief of the Journal of Urban Culture Research. He is Member of the Executive Committee of the International Society for the Study of European Ideas (ISSEI). [...]
Kjell Skyllstad has done research on the history of racism in a cultural perspective and on the effect of a multicultural school music program on the prevention of racial conflict. [read more]

Kjell Skyllstad explained the context of this conference (written 2nd November 2014):

This conference is part of a series of events hoping to make a contribution to a more sustainable urbanization geared to fulfilling basic human needs regionally and globally. This conference series is conceived to accompany the activity and research plans for 2015 - 2017 of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) as drawn up by the new Agenda 21 for Culture. UCLG organizes 500 cities, local governments and organizations globally committed to this charter. In Asia, the participating cities are Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Hanoi, and Bangkok.
We aim at starting a three year process of partnership building and research initiatives for urban change:
• 2015: For Bangkok our 2 - 3 March 2015 conference will focus on Partnership for Change - Finding Creative Solutions to Urban Challenges. For IUC Dubrovnik our focus will be on Urban Cultures at the Crossroads. Our common theme is VISIONS.
• 2016: For Bangkok our March conferences will focus on Cities at Risk - The Arts and Crises Management. For IUC Dubrovnik / World Dignity University our focus will be on Cities at Risk- From Humiliation to Dignity. Our common theme is RISKS.
• 2017: For Bangkok our March Forum will focus on Academia and the Arts -The University as Urban Cultural Engine (Chulalongkorn 100 years). For IUC Dubrovnik our focus will be on The University and the City. Our common theme is OPPORTUNITIES. Our Bangkok websites for the conferences are www.urp.faa.chula.ac.th, and for our Journal it is www.cujucr.com.

2016: CITIES AT RISK - FROM HUMIILIATION TO DIGNITY
Background: The background for planning our conference is the urbocide that took place a quarter of a century ago in Dubrovnik. It also destroyed the Interuniversity Center (IUC) that was founded to work for international understanding and has since been replicated all over the world, today affecting millions and millions of families and individuals. Our aim is to make global partnerships for change here and now and move from Humiliation to Dignity!
Recently, urban habitats have experienced increased threats and vulnerabilities to environmental disasters and unsustainable planning and development, and city populations world-wide are being humiliated through terrorism and warfare. All this needs our attention.
Themes:
• The urbanization of terrorism and warfare
• Risks of unsustainable urban development (land grabbing, privatization of public spaces, eviction, disowning, environmental hazards etc.)
• Ghettoization and suburban sprawls as breeding grounds for street violence and ethnic conflicts
• Conflict and disaster preparedness
• Emergency planning and response
• Sustainable post-disaster recovery and reconstruction
• Healing wounds - giving hope, in the face of increasing domestic violence and humiliation of women, humiliating treatment of refugees and handicapped, etc.
• Perspectives of trauma resolution
• Restoring and preserving cultural monuments and art treasures.
• Forever ghetto - confronting urban exclusion
• Bridging urban divides
• Turning the tide in urban planning
• Breaking the cycle of humiliation
• Designs for urban dignity

Kjell Skyllstad suggests the following question for discussion throughout this conference:

• How can and must we confront continuing urban poverty and social inequality?
• Will city slums be with us forever or is there a way to dignified housing for all?
• What forces are at work propelling urban terror and warfare with nowhere to hide?
• How long can we continue with urban "development" through land grabbing and corruption?
• How long can we continue on the road to urban environmental disasters?
• What futures are there for minorities, refugees and the disabled?
• Is there a way from humiliation to dignity for our citizens?

Nada Bruer Ljubišić, Executive Secretary of the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik (IUC)
see also facebook.com/profile, and facebook.com/interuniversitycentre/

The IUC facilities are a large meeting hall that can be available for the public day(s) with seating around 250, and a number of seminar rooms, and recreation rooms for coffee breaks. Webinar arrangements can also be made available.

Nada Bruer kindly sent us this welcome message on 9th February 2016:
The Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik (IUC) is an independent international institution for advanced studies. The IUC's goal is to promote the academic cooperation among students, professors and scientist from all over the world. The way of achieving that cooperation is by organising courses and conferences at graduate and doctoral level in many academic fields.
The IUC is structured as a consortium of universities and one of the main characteristics of the institution is its autonomy in forming and implementing its academic programme. Today, the IUC is proud to have 170 institutions from all around the world as the part of its network.
The Centre was founded in 1972. The initiative came from Professor Ivan Supek, physicist and philosopher, humanist and intellectual, at that time the Rector of Zagreb University. His idea was to connect scholars in the fields of humanities and social sciences, since progress in those academic areas is often a basis for society advancements. Professor Supek invited his colleagues, representatives of different Universities, to form an academic institution that would be free from any kind of governmental control and where each member would have an equal say. This idea was considered very valuable in the Cold War atmosphere of the divided world, so the Centre was formed. From that time on, the Inter-University Centre has been promoting co-operation for human understanding and peace.
Such a concept requires independence of the institution, so its policy and programmes are being brought by its governing bodies: Council, Executive Committee and Director General. All members of the IUC's governing bodies perform their work on voluntary bases. The IUC Association, an NGO in the juridical system, provides a legal basis for the functioning of the Centre, for the personnel, premises, equipment and required funding.
Dubrovnik was chosen as a seat of the IUC because of its history of an independent city-state from XV to XIX ct, prospering and creating a fertile scientific and artistic environment, in a difficult location between East and West. It is considered an ideal ambience for contemporary scholars to exchange ideas and promote dialogue, intercultural understanding and principals of excellence. Its beauty and cultural offers attract a number of people even today and IUC participant are eager to get back from one year to another.
At the very beginning of Centre’s life, the city of Dubrovnik offered the building near the historical centre to the University of Zagreb as the founding institution, for hosting the IUC. Through all of its years, the IUC programme is being realised with the firm logistical support from the University of Zagreb. However, a strong support is also provided by Member Universities, Croatian Ministry of Science and Education, many national foundations and other educational projects.
The core of the IUC are its courses and conferences. At the very beginning, it was realised that in order to have the wide approach to educational processes the IUC programmes need to be interdisciplinary, so initial idea about humanities and social sciences was widened to all academic fields. IUC courses and conferences are mostly interdisciplinary and extra- curricular, of high quality and innovative nature, initiated by two or more professors from at least two different countries. They consist of intensive academic work and social communication of professors and students in a 5 - 7 day programme during which participants create academic links and develop intercultural understanding while reflecting latest results in scientific communities.
Not even the War in which former Yugoslavia broke down did stop the activity of the Centre. Brutal attacks on Dubrovnik culminated on 6th of December 1991, when the building housing the IUC was one of the targets. After several direct hits by incendiary shells, the whole building burned down, but was rather quickly renewed, thanks to financing of the Croatian government and University of Zagreb, with the help of many IUC international friends. The IUC course directors soon returned to their Centre, not allowing the intellect to give in to aggression.
Through the past years of the Centre’s life and operation, about 1700 programmes were offered with almost 74000 participants from over 70 countries, from all continents. Many participants started as postgraduate students, and returned to the Centre as course and conference directors.
And today, the initial mission of the IUC continues. The focal point of its existence is still its programme.
Now, the IUC is a meeting place for scholars from all over the world for the exchange of scientific and intellectual achievements. The Centre's governing bodies are emphasizing and supporting inter-disciplinary and cross-national collaboration on global challenges such as human universal values and rights, health, education, poverty and climate, encouraging, in addition to east-west collaboration also new north-south initiatives.
The IUC Dubrovnik maintains high standards of scientific quality and provides an open space for critical thinking and innovation.
Permanent determination of the Inter-University Centre is promotion of true academic values: scientific excellence, understanding and open-minded thinking. With those premises in mind, we are happy to welcome participants of the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies: “Cities at Risk – From Humiliation to Dignity“, which will be held at the IUC in September 2016. We hope that our compatible missions and joint work will contribute to the better world of tomorrow.

Bussakorn Binson, Professor

Bussakorn Binson, Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology, Professor at the Music Department of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, and Founder and Chair of Urban Research Plaza (URP).

Celine Motzfeldt Loades, Ph.D. Candidate

Celine Motzfeldt Loades is a Ph.D. research fellow at the Centre for Development and the Environment (SUM), University of Oslo. Loades holds an MA in social anthropology from the University of Oslo and a BA in social anthropology and communication studies from Goldsmiths College, University of London. She has carried out one year of ethnographic fieldwork in Dubrovnik, Croatia for her doctorate project Local Perceptions of Heritage, Development and Identities in Post-War Croatia, and has also been a guest lecturer at the University of Dubrovnik (in 2012). See also "Contested places and ambivalent identities: Social change and development in UNESCO enlisted Dubrovnik," In Journal of Urban Culture Research, 12 (January – June), pp. 20-37.
Her research interests include the studies of
• Constructions of and management of cultural heritage, especially relating to UNESCO cultural heritage cities and post-war urban recovery and developments
• Global and local challenges to urban developments
• Post-war identity constructions
• Responsible tourism and sustainable development
• Processes of globalization and re-localization
• The ‘Slow-movements’ (Slow Food, Slow Time, Cittá Slow (slow cities), sustainable cities, short travelled food) and local and global perceptions of 'the quality of life'
• Material and immaterial culture
• Grass-roots urban and cultural movements
Please see more here.
- Please see her online greetings to this conference, since she was unfortunately hindered to join us in person
- See also her online presentation for the 27th Annual Dignity Conference created on 14th September 2016: "Contested Places and Ambivalent Identities - Social Change and Development in UNESCO Enlisted Dubrovnik." Also published in Journal of Urban Culture Research, 12 (January - June 2016, Contested Places and Ambivalent Identities), pp. 20-37, doi: 10.14456/jucr.2016.2

Workshop Programme

Sunday afternoon, 18th September 2016, City walk and communal meal for early arrivers

• Dubrovnik City Walk: Discover the Old Town
We gathered at 17.00 at the small restaurant at the entrance to IUC which is very close to the Pile area (Brsalje 11), where all the buses meet, right before the main city entrance. From there we started the City Walk (10 Euro) with brilliant Marko Milos! After the walk it was time for a communal meal at the old harbour!

A very warm thank you to you, dear Marko Milos, for the absolutely amazing introduction you gave us, from: Kjell Skyllstad, Hilde Kvam, Marie Ingand, Muhamed Tufekčić, Emely Wenche Nessler, Anton Verwey, Uli Spalthoff, Rachel Aspögård, Michael Schulte, Ragnhild Nilsen, and Evelin Lindner!

• The Ston Wall Marathon was an alternative for those interested in adding to their once-in-a-lifetime experiences. It costs 38 Euro, with personal registration starting from 1st May 2016.


• Please click on the photo above or here to see all of Rachel Aspögård's 41 photos of our Dubrovnik City Walk. Thank you most warmly, dear Rachel, for taking so lovely photos throughout our conference!

Monday, 19th September 2016, Workshop Day One

• Please click here to see all of Evelin Lindner's 47 photos of Day One
• Please click here to see all of Rachel Aspögård's 13 photos of Day One, including Anton Verwey's exhibition in the evening

•  9.00 - 9.30 Registration

Double Conference Opening for the annual conference of the HumanDHS network, combined with the second in the row of Urban Culture conferences at IUC

9.30 - 10.00 Welcome and Greeting from the Host Institution, the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik (IUC), by Executive Secretary Nada Bruer Ljubišić (see Video)

• Please click here to see all of Evelin Lindner's 47 photos of Day One
• Please click here to see all of Rachel Aspögård's 13 photos of Day One, including Anton Verwey's exhibition in the evening

Welcome Greetings from Representatives of the Participating Universities (see Video):

•  The University of Oslo, Norway, Kjell Skyllstad
•  Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, Bussakorn Binson
•  The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, Hilde Kvam 
•  The University in Oslo, Norway, online greeting by Celine Motzfeld Loades
•  World Dignity University initiative, Evelin Lindner

Announcements:
•  The structure of our conference: three days of Dignilogue workshop organised by Evelin Lindner, followed by two public days organised by Kjell Skyllstad, and two days of post-conference activities
•  Registration and certificate, and 40 Euro (or in Kuna, no card) to IUC
•  Lunch possibilities: Orhan, Mimoza, or Skalin restaurants
•  A big thank-you to our dear Rachel Aspögård for being so kind and offering to do our video-taping and take photos throughout our conference! Message to all participants: Please, if you do not wish to have your photo posted on our website, let Rachel know so that she can avoid taking pictures of you! For us, it is of utter importance that we are sure to have your permission when we post pictures or videos on our website!
•  A HUGE thank you, dear Uli Spalthoff, for publishing our Dignity Press books!
•  We welcome everyone who would like to work with Uli to develop our World Dignity University platform!
•  "Impeding dignihug," a more dignified method to signal that your time is over...
•  Who wishes to go to Mostar on Saturday?
•  Who wishes to spend time together on Sunday? Options: morning climb on Mount Srđ (412 metres), just behind the walled city of Dubrovnik, or a trip to Lokrum.
•  Invitation to Evelin's little gift collection
•  Creative Cities/Inclusive Cities and Resilience, 22nd - 24th September, Osaka City University Urban Research Plaza, Japan

10.00 - 10.10 Online greetings from Linda Hartling, Director of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, Portland, Oregon (see Video 2015 | Pdf 2014)

Linda M. Hartling, Ph.D., Director of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies network. 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 usually sets the frame of our workshops and conferences within "Appreciative Enquiry" that takes the best from the concept of debate, and dignifies it by placing relationships first. We create a list of agreed upon norms having to do with the nature and tone of our dialogue.

It is important to note that our appreciative frame is a HumanDHS-defined version of AI. We emphasize "waging good conflict" (Jean Baker Miller). We believe that diverging opinions and perspectives need to be expressed and not avoided, because diversity enriches. However, diversity only enriches if embedded into mutual connection and appreciation. If not harnessed lovingly and caringly, diversity has the potential to humiliate, divide, create hostility, foster hatred, and even violence. In the spirit of our vision, we, the HumanDHS network, wish therefore to avoid the latter, and instead open a space of common ground and mutually caring connections, a space for the safe expression of even the deepest differences and disagreements, and the toughest issues of humiliation, trauma, and injustice to be aired safely.

Please see also:
•  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
•  Our Appreciative Frame, created in December 2014 for our 2014 New York Workshop (Pdf)
•  Appreciative Enquiry 4, a video that was recorded on May 27, 2015, in Portland, Oregon, USA, by Linda Hartling, for the 25th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, in Kigali, Rwanda, June 2 – 5, 2015.
•  Dignilogue Tips and Dynamic Dignilogue List, created by Linda Hartling on October 10, 2015, for the 2015 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict, in New York City, December 3 – 4, 2015.

•  10.10 - 10.40 Keynote Address: A World at Risk: From Humiliation to Dignity, Evelin Lindner, Founding President, HumanDHS (see Video | see the Powerpoint presentation of 26th September)

• Please click here to see all of Evelin Lindner's 47 photos of Day One
• Please click here to see all of Rachel Aspögård's 13 photos of Day One, including Anton Verwey's exhibition in the evening

• Latest HumanDHS News

•  10.40 - 11.10 Keynote Address: Art for All, Professor Dr. Channarong Pornrungroj (see Video, see also Art for All, and Art for All: Overcome Limitation), brought to Dubrovnik by Professor Bussakorn Binson (see Video)

The idea of our IUC conference came from the Urban Research Plaza (URP) of Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. We welcome Professor Channarong Pornrungroj as representative of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, also in recognition of his pioneering work for dignity in an urban environment, together with Bussakorn Binson, Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology, and Professor at the Music Department at Chulalongkorn University, and Founder and Chair of its Urban Research Plaza (URP).

Comment by Kjell Skyllstad (4th September 2016): Professor Channarong's opening keynote address focuses on inclusion of minorities, the disadvantaged, the people living on the fringes, and this represents the symbioses between the best of Eastern and Western progressive cultural and social thinking, the coming together that will be required to lead us from humiliation to dignity. The political  past of both continents has taught us the devastating consequences of  ethnic and social exclusion. We must be ready to give everybody a chance to develop their creative potential. What would the world be without the handicapped thinkers changing the world  from their wheel chairs like Dr. Hawkins?

• 11.10 - 11.30 Musical Greeting by Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona, Colombo/Ljubljana

• 11.30 - 12.00 Participants Presented Each Other (see Video)

• 12.00 - 13.00 Launch of Dignilogue Sessions

- Dignilogue: An Introduction to Dignity + Dialogue created by Linda M. Hartling on 31th May 2015
- Introducing the Open Space Format to the HumanDHS Network, longer version created by Linda Hartling on 13th August 2012

• Slovenian folklorist Ljoba Jenče Invited Everybody into Singing (see Video)

• 13.00 - 14.00 Lunch

• 14.00 - 14.20 Introduction to Dubrovnik and the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik (IUC) by Executive Secretary Nada Bruer Ljubišić (see Video)

• Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona Sang a Croatian Song of Gratitude to Nada Bruer Ljubišić (see Video)

• 14.20 Organising Dignilogue Sessions (see Video)

• Please click here to see all of Evelin Lindner's 47 photos of Day One
• Please click here to see all of Rachel Aspögård's 13 photos of Day One, including Anton Verwey's exhibition in the evening

For the past decade, we have continuously worked to dignify the traditional institution "conference." The Open Space movement has started from the observation that after mainstream academic conferences, the participants, when asked, often say: 'Oh, I slept through the presentations, but the coffee breaks were wonderful!' In other words, the basic idea behind the Open Space approach is that academic conference can be rather boring; invited speakers might not be in tune with the audience; and reading papers aloud may be particularly uncommunicative. The creators of the Open Space approach thought: 'Ok, why don't we create conferences that are structured like coffee breaks!' Please read more about the originator of the Open Space Technology, Harrison Owen. See also Open Space Tools by Peggy Holman.

In slight variation of traditional conferences, we therefore aim at co-creating our conferences. We have adapted the Open Space approach, added the term dialogue, and connected it with dignity to form the expression Dignilogue (see also our Video page for how peace linguist Francisco Gomes de Matos has inspired this linguistic creation). You can see an Introduction into the Dignilogue Sessions Format created by Linda M. Hartling on 12th August 2012, for our 2012 Norway Conference, or read more about the Dignilogue format and what it entails. See also Linda's Dignilogue Tips and Dynamic Dignilogue List, created on 10th October 2015 for the 2015 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict at Columbia University in New York City.

This format is very open, it means that a conference is self-organizing. We take a highly collaborative approach to determining how to use our time. We invite participants to be with us without the ambition to "present" something, so that we all could get a feel for the dignity-family-building work that we wish to nurture first and foremost. So, the workshop requires its participants to bring themselves as they are, be prepared for everything, and use the flow to contribute in the most nurturing way they can. As background reading you might enjoy "Are College Lectures Unfair?" by Anne Murphy Paul, The New York Times, September 12, 2015, or "When Nothing Is Cool," by Lisa Ruddick, in Criticism, 2015.

The Dignilogue approach allows for identifying priorities for dialogue sessions on key topics. In practice, on Day One of our conference, we, the participants, make the programme for Day Two and Day Three together, in a collaborative effort. All participants are both presenters and audience, there is no separation, there is no pre-planned programme, except for the introductory part (and the Public Event). We are aware that this approach is new to most people, yet, it opens new dimensions. We invite every participant to join in and try. It has an profoundly dignifying impact and, as our participants always tell us afterwards.

The grand finale of each Dignilogue session is to invite representatives from each Dignilogue to create a Dignivideo, where they document the highlights of their conversation and insights, and more than that, formulate a "message to the world" as it has crystallised in the dignilogue. These videos are treasured contributions to our World Dignity University Library of Ideas that will be shared with the world and will inspire future generations of our community. Please note the way we work in our newsletter10.

We always encourage all participants of our events to nurture mutually dignifying connections with the other participants and gather together afterwards to experiment with new forms of "conferencing" wherever you live in the world. New solutions are necessary and they need to be nurtured in dignified ways, ways which protect them from being destroyed by being framed in old paradigms (such as those of protest that simply ends in new dominators taking over). See our reflections on appreciative nurturing, or Charles Eisenstein's Reflections on the New Story Summit, or Evelin's text Is it Possible to "Change the World"? Some Guidelines to How We Can Build a More Decent and Dignified World Effectively: The Case of Dignifying Abusers.

• Introducing the First Dignilogue

• From Past to Present: How Writing and Writing Systems Impact Dignity in Human Interaction (see Video | Pdf of Powerpoint)

Michael Schulte is professor at the Department of Nordic and Media Studies of the University of Agder in Norway. He received the Fridtjof Nansen Award for his research in the history of Germanic and old Scandinavian languages. In his paper, he focuses on the ontology of writing and its important role to create identity, stimulate creativity, human reflection and not least dignity. An issue at stake here is how different writing systems meet cultural, aesthetic and other needs to provide an agency for the people who use them ― an observation which undermines the primacy and sole efficiency of the alphabet and the rise of the alphabet as the only one "great invention" in the history of writing. Several historical tales are told. One crucial issue which he refers to, is what Jacques Derrida labelled the 'phonocentrism of western thought'. He highlights different cultural scenarios where the written medium impinges upon human dignity and identity.

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Michael Schulte and Merle Lefkoff

• Dignifying Global Business - Fair Trade: A New Paradigm?

Ragnhild Nilsen is a global change agent. In this Dignilogue, she aimed to open a dialogue about the ways communication is conducted today and how it belongs to an old paradigm, be it the negotiations our leaders and managers engage in or we ourselves are immersed in. Ragnhild also included how new ways of conducting fair trade and commerce can manifest new forms of global communication as a basis for peace.

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Ragnhild Nilsen and Avi Shahaf

The following Dignilogue topics were suggested prior to the conference, yet, due to various reasons, did not materialise:

• Applied Ethnomusicology in Urban Settings: Experiences, Challenges, Opportunities

Svanibor Pettan is Professor and Chair of the Ethnomusicology Program at the Department of Musicology of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and General Secretary of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM). He received his B.A. degree in musicology from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, M.A. in musicology from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland, USA. These three studies are based on fieldwork in Zanzibar, Egypt, and Kosovo respectively; he also conducted research in Slovenia, Croatia, Norway, Australia, and USA. [read more]

• Sri Lankan Songs: A Case Study within the Ongoing Project of the Cultural and Ethnomusicological Society Folk Slovenia, Takinf Place in Ljubljana, with Focus on Minorities

Dr. Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona is lecturer at the University of Colombo and certified artist in Indian classical music at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), while currently serving as a Visiting Professor in Ethnomusicology at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She earned her B.A degree in Fine Arts from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, M.Mus (Master of Music), her degree in North Indian classical music (violin) from the Banaras Hindu University, India, and her Ph.D. in musicology (with focus on medical ethnomusicology and music therapy) from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. [read more]

• Integration and Sustainable and Dignifying Urbanisation

Dr. Bharat Dahiya is an Urbanist, who has been working with the United Nations for many years, and is now a Professor at the Social Research Institute Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. He is the editor of the book series Advances in 21st Century Human Settlements.
Please see:
- How will the AEC affect ASEAN urbanisation?
- Integration and Sustainable Urbanisation

• Dignified Humility in the Era of Anthropocene: Rewilding Relationships between Humans, Non-Humans and Place

Dr. Heli Aaltonen is an associate professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at Department of Art and Media Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. She is a theatre researcher, performing storyteller and performance educator with a specialization in applied theatre practices, arts-based research methods, and encounters between humans, non-humans, place and performative art forms. She has long experience in intercultural and multilingual youth theatre and storytelling practices. She is interested in using applied theatre practices to explore relations between human and non-human life forms, and narratives of nature. She was an artistic leader of the international storytelling project Nordic Voices, 2008 – 2011, in European Culture Capital 2011, Turku, Finland. In 2015 she was a co-editor of Number 3: Green Drama theme number of Nordic drama and theatre educators’ magazine 'Drama'. She is interested in posthumanism and applied theatre practices (see her article 'Voice of the Forest: Post-humanism and applied theatre practice', in Research in Drama Education, The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 20 (3), pp. 417-421). 
A Dignilogue session 'Dignified Humility in the Era of Anthropocene: Rewilding Relationships between Humans, Non-Humans and Place' will discuss the challenges and opportunities of practicing dignified humility in the era of Anthropocene.  
The Deutsche Museum in Munich opened in December 2014 a unique exhibition called 'Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our hands'. On their web side one may find art works reflecting human influence on the Earth.
'Welcome to the Age of Humans! Agriculture, trade, transportation, and industry: As long as humans have existed we have been utilising and altering our environment. Industrialisation, in particular, has contributed to the unmistakable and often irreversible fingerprint that we are making upon the Earth. Today, the human imprint is so deep and pervasive that scientists, policymakers, and society are considering whether human-caused changes are affecting the geological record over the long term – whether we are, in fact, living in a new geological era'. See further.
Urbanization and resources is one of the themes which the exhibition explores with different works. 'Cities are entirely human creations and now an organisational principle of the world. More and more people move into cities; the distinction between urban and rural areas dissolves. Like a spider’s web, urban centres create global networks that converge in cities, but increasingly reach into less inhabited areas of the Earth as well. As central nodes into which people, ideas, and things move, urban areas have become “processors” of resources. Cities are the place where most resources are used and transformed, but also where new ideas start their journey around the globe', Deutsches Museum.
What are then so-called 'resources'? They are living sentient beings - animals, plants, rocks, rivers and landscapes. In the era of Anthropocene mass extinction of different species happens in rapid speed. The species which we lose, will never come back again. How could urban environment be a home for other species than humans? Aren’t environmental problems closely connected how do we humans interact with our fellow inhabitants of the Earth? Can we honestly justify language use, and call animals and plants just resources which we humans are processing? Or can we change attitudes and be 'reenchanted with the world' as professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Marc Becoff recommends.  
Marc Becoff (2014) writes in his most recent book Rewilding our Hearts: Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistence how the concept 'rewilding' from wildlife conservation may be used concerning human attitudes. The concept 'rewilding' refers to restoring habitats and creating corridors between preserved lands to allow declining populations to rebound (back cover of the book).
Becoff (2014, p. 8) writes: 'Rewilding is a transformative and a personal process. It is a call to action, but primarily to action within our own lives. It is a lens, a way to view the world, that suggests that the combined strength of our individual personal journeys can harness a new global movement that will help all beings, humans and nonhumans alike'.
The Dignilogue session 'Dignified Humility in the Era of Anthropocene: Rewilding Relationships between Humans, Non-Humans and Place' will be discussing possible actions within our own lives. How our individual personal journeys can harness a new global movement? What can we do in the era of Anthropocene to be able to harness dignified humility with other humans, non-humans and place?

•  Oslo XL: Designs for Urban Dignity

Kjell Skyllstad, Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Urban Culture Research. We will discuss how urban growth and development, now mostly focus on the material and physical aspects of needs first and foremost to be achieved through giving priority to social inclusiveness and human equity and dignity as symbols of urban greatness.

•  Croatia and Thailand: A History of Shared Cosmopolitanism

Kjell Skyllstad, Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Urban Culture Research. This is a talk based on east west urban relations in the early 19th century, leading to a debate on the threats of returning nationalism, closed borders and minds in our own countries.

• Dignity Returns: Dignity Triumphant - Building Partnerships for Change

Kjell Skyllstad, Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Urban Culture Research. Kjell Skyllstad wrote on 7th August 2014: I am hoping we could present the workers dignity challenge in Dubrovnik. People could bring experiences from their own countries:
On April 24, 2013 Rana Plaza, an eight story communal building Rana Plaza of Dhaka City collapsed, burying alive and killing 1,129 factory workers who had been producing clothes for leading chain stores and companies worldwide, like Benetton, El Corte Inglés and Walmart. They were caught in a death trap, working under condition that Pope Frances recently designated as «slave labour». Commenting on the anniversary of the tragedy, Nazmus Sakib of the Open Democracy network writes « ...can the giant brands and glamorous global fashion and passion industry deny the fact that these labourers, innocent sweatshop workers, laid down their lives just to allow the production and perpetuation of ostentatious fabrics and fads at a cheaper price…» (1).
This is just one example of the grim reality behind contemporary industrial culture in urban Asia today mainly resulting from the «outsourcing» policies implemented by a majority of Western corporations to circumvent labour protection laws in their home bases.
Is there a way to turn humiliation into lasting dignity? The fascinating story of the garment workers of the collapsed Bangkok Bed and Bath factory setting up their own production facility demonstrates how turning the tide is possible through building partnerships and solidarity for change.
In October 2002 the Bad and Bath factory became insolvent, throwing 800 workers out on the streets without promise of compensation. The jobless workers started a fight for compensation supported by an international solidarity campaign. Finally after four months they got not only just compensation but their fight also resulted in a revised law from the Ministry of Labour on worker compensation for all workers in Thailand exposed to similar measures.
With this compensation and pooling together loans from the Government Savings Bank 40 former workers were able to start a small factory cooperative in Bangkok - The Solidarity Factory.
The Solidarity Factory started operating as a cooperative where all workers are members and shared responsibility for production, marketing and finance. The working standards agreed upon included an 8 hour working day with 2 -3 hours overtime allowance and equal wages for all. All profits from sales were to be shared between members (2).
Commenting on the achievements of the Solidarity Factory Doris Lee via the Asia Monitor Resource Centre in Hong Kong comments:
«Each day that they work cooperatively and survive by their own management, they demonstrate to the world the possibility of production without exploitation, the possibility and manner of implementing a democratically run workplace» (3).
And the example is not unique. Simultaneous with the foundation of the Bangkok Solidarity Factory the economic crisis in Argentina had disastrous impacts on businesses and workers with unemployment rising to 35 %. It resulted in spontaneous workers actions to take over their workplaces and save bankrupt businesses. Within a short period more than 200 factories had been cooperatively organized with workers dividing work and profits equally. Still there are 150 remaining, some , like La Alameda, having continued operations from 2002 until now, all based on three guiding principles.
1. having a strong base in the community
2. staying independent of political parties
3. keeping the principles of democratic and transparent decision making (4).
All the while textile workers in Asia and Latin America continued to be exposed to inhuman working conditions by foreign companies bent on destroying trade unions, relocating their business to obtain cheaper labour and deposing of old workers who had served the company faithfully for many years. Forced overtime, sexual harassment and hazardous working environments leading to frequent disasters followed in the wake of these policies.
In Thailand a crisis came in June 2009 with the layoff of close to 2000 workers from a company production facility Body Fashion owned by the world trade mark Triumph based in Switzerland. This happened after its trade union leader Jitra Kotshady in July 2008 had been fired for wearing a T-shirt with a political message on a TV discussion program that resulted in workers protests and strikes.
Three months before the Thai layoff the Asia Monitor Resource Center had organized a meeting in Bangkok focusing on Asian workers situation in the face of the new economic crises. At this meeting a spokesperson from the leading Argentine collective textile factory La Alameda was invited to present their common experiences of crises leading to a worsening of workers' rights and a democratic deficit. Learning about the experiences of the Bangkok based Solidarity Factory which by now had been renamed Dignity Returns, he proposed to form a global brand of workers cooperatives - No Chains - symbolizing the workers breaking away from the chains of exploitation of the international garment industry (5).
By this important juncture an international support organization - the Clean Clothes Campaign - organized 10 years previously by a coalition of trade unions and NGO's in 16 European countries had taken important steps to support the fight of textile workers globally. Invoking the ILO (International Labour Organization) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work adopted in 1998 they demanded brand name companies follow the international standards for safe working conditions and liveable wages. At the same time the CCC acknowledged the right of workers themselves to take the lead in organizing themselves, giving full support to the Bangkok Dignity Returns initiative (6).
References:
1. www.opendemocracy.net/nazmus-sakit/rana-plaza-garment-catastrophe-one-year-on-who-needs-labor-rights-and-safety
2. http://archive.cleanclothes.org/campaigns/when-the-postman-rings/102
3.4.5. http:// blog.p2pfoundation.net/no-chains-for-the-thai-dignity-returns-sweat-free-garment-labnour-cooperative/2010/12/18
6. www.cleanclothes.org/about/who-we-are

• Madness-in-Dignity and Dignity-in-Madness: Transforming Madness for Dignified Existence

David Yau Fai Ho and Irene Ng
By the blessing of circumstance, David Yau Fai Ho is a passionate author. In separation, being a professor of clinical psychologist steeped in a bilingual-bicultural background, experiencing glimpses of enlightenment, or having episodes of "madness" may not be that uncommon. But the confluence of all these is rare, if not unique.
What has madness got to do with dignity? This Dignilogue will serve to provide an answer: Everything! The world has long wanted to expunge madness from dignified existence. But is it possible? And even if the answer is yes, which I doubt, is it desirable? First we must make a distinction between malignant versus benign madness. Malignant madness causes suffering to the sufferer and those around him. If wedded to evil, as in the case of Hitler and his gang of psychopaths, it has no redeeming value; it serves only to magnify suffering and threaten dignity. Benign madness is devoid of evil and may be harnessed to enhance dignified existence. How? I will draw on my first-hand experiences to illustrate how this may be done. These experiences are described in Enlightened or Mad? A Psychologist Glimpses in Mystical Magnanimity published by Dignity Press in 2014.

Irene Ng is a specialist in children’s literature. What better way is there to nurture dignity than to begin early in life, she asks? Irene has heard a great deal of lofty things about the HDHS group from David Ho. Naturally, she is eager to meet these DigniFriends with anticipation.

• DigniDance

David Yau Fai Ho and Irene Ng
By the blessing of circumstance, David Yau Fai Ho is a passionate author. In separation, being a professor of clinical psychologist steeped in a bilingual-bicultural background, experiencing glimpses of enlightenment, or having episodes of "madness" may not be that uncommon. But the confluence of all these is rare, if not unique.
Originally trained under a professional DanceMoverment therapist, David has branched out to develop what he calls Dynamic Relaxation and Meditation (DRM) in recent years. DRM integrates music, movement, dance, meditation, Chinese qigong and martial arts into a unique method for promoting health in mind, body, and spirit (also described in Enlightened or Mad?). In this presentation, David will perform his interpretive DigniDance to music that dignifies the soul. (The presentation may be as short as 5-15 minutes. The equipment required must include a CD player. I will bring my own CDs. The venue has to be “big enough” to accommodate a dance performer.)
Please see: Expressive Dance to Music: A Royal Road to Holistic Health

Irene Ng is a specialist in children’s literature. What better way is there to nurture dignity than to begin early in life, she asks? Irene has heard a great deal of lofty things about the HDHS group from David Ho. Naturally, she is eager to meet these DigniFriends with anticipation

• 20.00 Anton Verwey's Art Exhibition at Lazareti

Anton Verwey showed his art work at Lazareti and opened his exhibition in the evening of Monday, 19th September. This was the time for the coming together at the end of the first day of our workshop, after planning for the Dignilogues. Also the public was invited. Please see some of his wonderful pieces also on our World Art for Equal Dignity page.
The Art Workshop Lazareti (Croatian: Art radionica Lazareti ARL) in Dubrovnik is an independent cultural center for contemporary art that brings together artists, philosophers, writers and theoreticians. It was established in 1988 and is located in the old Dubrovnik harbour quarantine called Lazareti, built in 1642. It is overlooking the Dubrovnik city beach and old harbour.

• Please click here to see all of Rachel Aspögård's 13 photos of Day One, including Anton Verwey's exhibition in the evening

End of Day One

Tuesday, 20th September 2016, Workshop Day Two

Welcome

• Please click on the photos above or here to see all of Evelin's 37 photos of Day Two

• Uli Spalthoff Guided Our Dignilogue Preparations (see Video)

Uli Spalthoff guided the process of organising the Dignilogues of the next two workshop days of this conference.

• Sharing Fairytales and Fables from Different Cultures - and Learning Peace (see Video)

Glyn Rimmington joined Wichita State University in 2001 as the inaugural Boeing Distinguished Professor of Global Learning. He leads the Global Learning program (gl.wichita.edu), which is aimed at infusing intercultural communication and global learning experiences into the curriculum. The ultimate goal of global learning is to prepare graduates for life in a highly diverse, interconnected and interdependent world. [read more]

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Glyn Rimmington and Ulrich Spalthoff

See also:
- Bridging Urban Divides and Breaking the Cycle of Humiliation: Adaptive Leadership Approach by Mara Alagic and Glyn Rimmington: The urban divide is closely related to the concepts of vulnerability, humiliation and deprivation, which are critical in understanding urban problems. Vulnerability and humiliation, defined as states of dependency, point to various social, economic, and physical forms of enslavement; the system creating this kind of power relationships cannot be used to improve one’s own situation. Deprivation is multi- faceted and concerns the access to meeting one’s fundamental needs, from individual spatial-physical to a broader neighborhood related, and up to regional and global levels. This indicates multidimensionality of urban divide as well as cycle of humiliation within urban context. [read more]

• Climatic Theatre – Addressing World Issues through Aesthetics (see Video 1 and Video 2)

Heidrun Sølna Øverby is a Norwegian drama educator and facilitator/director. She has an MA in theatre/drama from NTNU, Trondheim, Norway where she wrote the following thesis: Theatre as a method to communicate climatic awareness in rural areas. A study for the RASPAP project in South Africa, where she did an Internship with a South African NGO.

In this session Heidrun showed how applied theatre can be used as an effective tool for communication in developing countries. She discussed what responsibilities and opportunities creative artists have in bringing about environmental awareness. How can one influence humanitarian organisations to include and incorporate theatre practises when working for sustainability and equality?

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Heidrun Sølna Øverby and Kjell Skyllstad

• How Do Humiliation and Dignity Contribute to Conflict? Is Dignity Given or Learnt? (see Video 1 and Video 2)

- Bussakorn Binson, Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology, Professor at the Music Department of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, and Founder and Chair of Urban Research Plaza (URP).
- Ljoba Jenče, Slovenian folklorist and Director of the Slovenia-Norway Rural Development project. Please see her Appreciative Introduction and The Same Boat: Young Guardians of Heritage, 2014-2016, Heritage House.

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Bussakorn Binson and Ljoba Jenče

See also: The Mapping of Living Culture in Urban Space, by Bussakorn Binson.

• Bussakorn Binson Teaches How to Greet with 'Sawadee'

• Music, Migration and Minorities: Promoting the Intercultural City (see Video)

Kjell Skyllstad, Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Urban Culture Research. In this Dignilogue, Kjell Skyllstad shared his own school research program.

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Kjell Skyllstad, Bussakorn Binson, and Svanibor Pettan

End of Day Two

Wednesday, 21st September 2016, Workshop Day Three

Welcome

• Please click on the photos above or here to see all of Evelin's 34 photos of Day Three

Continuation of Dignilogue Sessions

• Altruism Is Not Self-Negation, It Is Recognising the Universality of Human Anguish (see Video 1 and Video 2)

Rachel Aspögård is a long-standing member of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), an international Nichiren Buddhist organisation founded in 1975 by Daisaku Ikeda. It is the world's largest Buddhist lay organisation, working as a global Buddhist movement for 'peace, education, and cultural exchange'.
Rachel Aspögård summarised the topics addressed by Daisaku Ikeda in his proposal 'Universal Respect for Human Dignity: The Great Path to Peace', of 26th January 2016, as follows:
1. When we recognise our own humanity and dignity, we recognise it in others.
2. Dialogue is the path to empathy. This means developing one’s own conviction to be open-minded to others, especially to others whom we may find difficult to embrace.
3. Recovery efforts and the principle of 'building back better' is a concept of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944). It is the idea that recovery efforts should take into account and seek to ameliorate the specific challenges that had affected a community prior to the disaster.
4. Responding to humanitarian crisis means focusing on individual dignity. 'Recovery efforts should not be limited to physical reconstruction, but must include scrupulous attention to the more basic questions of how to make life better for individual members of the communities'. How can we deepen the bonds of mutual communication and support to those who have been exposed and subjected to natural disasters and/or conflicts.
5. Showing the human face of refugees, reflecting on World Refugee Day, UNHCR, and its public education campaign (see page 15 in Dr. Ikeda’s Peace Proposal).
This Dignilogue was rounded up with the 30 minute film The Path to Dignity: The Power of Human Rights Education.

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Rachel Aspögård and Evelin Lindner

• How Can We Advance the Value of Human Dignity in Relation to Urban Population? Theoretical Framework, Basic Assumptions, Guiding Principles, and Discussion (see Video | Powerpoint)

Avi Shahaf was born (1951) and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel. He completed his BA in Sociology and Anthropology and his MA in Organizational Development – both in Tel Aviv University. Avi Shahaf has been dedicating most of his adult life to working as an organizational consultant who specializes in facilitating processes for advancing human dignity in different organizations. For seven years, Avi managed an institute which focused on the development of managers and workers handling youth at risk. [read more]

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Avi Shahaf and Lasanthi Manaranjanie

• Indigenous Knowledge and the New Science of Complex Adaptive Systems (see Video)

Merle Lefkoff holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is President of the Center for Emergent Diplomacy, a non-governmental social-profit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, applying the science of Complex Adaptive Systems to the transformation of diplomatic negotiations and peacebuilding. The Center will be convening and facilitating a gathering of global grass-roots activists and thought leaders in Santa Fe in April, 2017. Delegates will meet to scale up direct action campaigns to confront growing inequality and the global economic paradigm that is pushing climate change. [read more]
Please see The Ecos Gathering, April 21-28, 2017, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Merle Lefkoff and Kjell Skyllstad

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Merle Lefkoff and Evelin Lindner, on the Idea of a Dignity Star

The Dignity Star idea has been developed by Evelin Lindner after 9/11/2001. 9/11 has become a code for a water-shed. It was a big event that moved the world, not least due to its unexpected audacity and creativity. And it was a horrific event. Let us now ask: Is it possible to create events that have as much impact as this tragedy, only that they inspire hope, instead of making us sad?
When world peace is being discussed, many agree that an outer enemy would unite humankind. Yet, an enemy is not needed. Already the gaze from afar has a similar effect. Pictures of the Blue Planet from the astronaut's perspective open news programmes around the world, not least because they stimulate interest in global news. And global challenges, such as global warming or global terrorism, almost function as an "outer enemy." [read more]
Merle Lefkoff commented that the Dignity Star idea is a 'black swan' idea. Wikipedia: 'The black swan theory or theory of black swan events is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. The term is based on an ancient saying which presumed black swans did not exist, but the saying was rewritten after black swans were discovered in the wild.'

• Cultural and Community Planning: Organizing for Power and Building Local Capacity (see Video | Powerpoint | Pdf of Abstract)

Tom Borrup is Faculty Director of the University of Minnesota Arts and Cultural Leadership Program and a planning consultant to cities across the United States. He specializes in cultural district planning and local cultural development. While political systems and forms of local government vary across nations, building capacity for self-help, local action, and political leverage at the neighborhood level remains important to individual empowerment and improving quality of life. Both the process and product of local, community based planning projects can contribute to making cities and local communities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable (UN Sustainable Development Goal #11). Participants in this Dignilogue are asked to share experiences with how local cultural efforts contribute to social, creative, and human capital development.

Video Message for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative, Tom Borrup and Glyn Rimmington

Collecting and summing up our Dignilogue experiences and making a plan for participating during the last hour of the Town Hall meeting next day with our Dubrovnik guest outlining a way ahead.

• Lasanthi Manaranjanie Rounded up Day Three with a Song

Video Messages for the World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative Created During the First Three Days of the Conference:
• 'From Past to Present: How Writing and Writing Systems Impact Dignity in Human Interaction', Michael Schulte and Merle Lefkoff
• 'Dignifying Global Business - Fair Trade: A New Paradigm?', Ragnhild Nilsen and Avi Shahaf
• Sharing Fairytales and Fables from Different Cultures - and Learning Peace, Glyn Rimmington and Uli Spalthoff
• Climatic Theatre – Addressing World Issues through Aesthetics, Heidrun Sølna Øverby and Kjell Skyllstad
• How Do Humiliation and Dignity Contribute to Conflict? Is Dignity Given or Learnt?, Bussakorn Binson and Ljoba Jenče
• Music, Migration and Minorities: Promoting the Intercultural City, Kjell Skyllstad, Bussakorn Binson, and Svanibor Pettan
• Altruism Is Not Self-Negation, It Is Recognising the Universality of Human Anguish, Rachel Aspögård and Evelin Lindner
• How Can We Advance the Value of Human Dignity in Relation to Urban Population?, Avi Shahaf and Lasanthi Manaranjanie
• Indigenous Knowledge and the New Science of Complex Adaptive Systems, Merle Lefkoff and Kjell Skyllstad
• The Dignity Star Idea, Merle Lefkoff and Evelin Lindner
• Cultural and Community Planning: Organizing for Power and Building Local Capacity, Tom Borrup and Glyn Rimmington

End of Day Three

Thursday, 22nd September 2016, Public Event, Town Hall Style Meeting, big conference hall

Convener Kjell Skyllstad, Professor emeritus, Department of Musicology, University of Oslo, Norway and Visiting Professor Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok

Exploring with the citizens of Dubrovnik the situation for the cities in Southeastern Europe through the medium of a Town Hall meeting with special focus on common problems of contemporary living and prospects for the future with a recommendation for collective initiatives.

The United Nations, through their New Urban Agenda, solicits broad popular participation in preparation for its 2016 Habitat III conference that will draw up global aims for future urban development. Our Public Day aims to honor the UN appeal for popular participation in urban future development in the true Dalmatian spirit of sharing and the proud foundation of the Dalmatian maritime spirit of multiculturalism that can be traced back to Marco Polo and his East West encounters revived through the early activities of the IUC as the main and only cold war hub for intercultural encounters. In recent years institutions like the Dubrovnik annual festival has brought the arts into focus as a medium for intercultural understanding. Our two public days are very much in line with both the urgency for spreading the message of HumanDHS and the appeal coming from the UN agencies.

Cities as Risk: A Plea to Dignifiers
Peace linguist Francisco Gomes de Matos from Recife, Brazil, Co-founder of ABA Global Education and author of Dignity - A Multidimensional View, in Dignity Press, 2013, sent this plea as a gift to the conference participants on 5th September 2016:
When as being at risk cities/urban spaces are described
why are dignifying solutions so hard to be prescribed?
Because of these formidable challenges urban government officials would face:
How will urban governments ensure citizens right to live in peace?
How will urban dehumanization be made to cease?
How will the right to urban housing for all ever be enjoyed?
How will projects of peaceful, nonviolent, nonkilling community living be implemented?
By urban authorities, how will lethal or near-lethal forms of violence be prevented?
How will a responsible urbanization-awareness at all levels of education be included?
How will the marginalized population (the poor, the sick, the elderly) stop being excluded?
May this be For Cities at Risk be a plea
which will effectively impact all citizens who navigate the DIGNITY sea.

See an online presentation for the 27th Annual Dignity Conference created on 14th September 2016 by Celine Motzfeldt Loades: "Contested Places and Ambivalent Identities - Social Change and Development in UNESCO Enlisted Dubrovnik." Also published in Journal of Urban Culture Research, 12 (January - June 2016, Contested Places and Ambivalent Identities), pp. 20-37, doi: 10.14456/jucr.2016.2

•  8.30 - 9.00 Registration

The Town Hall meeting from 16.00 - 18.00 is a forum that invites everybody from Dubrovnik and elsewhere to share their experiences. Please write down which city you represent, tell shortly about your experiences, what risks your city has encountered and will encounter in the future and what opportunities it should seize for the benefit of all its citizens. We will collect these handouts and give it to the panel to give direction to the proceedings and discussions. Your contributions will give an indication of the situation as experienced right here and now and mobilize for cooperative action. No names are required or will be disclosed if known, thereby guaranteeing full anonymity.

•  9.00 - 9.20 Musical Greeting by Lasanthi Manaranjanie, Colombo/Ljubljana (see Video)

Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona, intercultural music researcher and director, Visiting Professor, Department of Musicology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four

•  9.20 - 9.50 Welcome and Greetings

•  Nada Bruer Ljubišić, Executive Secretary, Inter-University Centre (IUC) Dubrovnik (see video)
•  Ana Hilje, Head of Department of Culture of the City of Dubrovnik (see video)
•  Bussakorn Binson, Professor at the Music Department of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, Founder and Chair of Urban Research Plaza (URP) (see video)
•  Kjell Skyllstad, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok (see video)
•  Pre-recorded and online greetings:
- Video report: Oslo City Council: Implementing Urban Inclusion
- The University in Oslo, Norway, online greeting by Celine Motzfeld Loades

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four

•  9.50 - 10.00 Special Ceremonies

Honouring Nada Bruer Ljubišić, Tomislav Kvesić and Rachel Aspögård

We were very proud to honour our dear Nada Bruer Ljubišić and Tomislav Kvesić with our Beacon of Dignity Award! See the video. This meant also honouring the IUC for rising from the ruins, and honouring the brave population of Dubrovnik emerging from humiliation into an era of sharing dignity for all.
And at the end of our conference, we we were able to also express our gratitude to Rachel Aspögård with the same award!

Honouring Kjell Skyllstad (see Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3)

We were immensely proud that we were able to honour you, dear Kjell, with our HumanDHS Lifetime Achievement Award!
And that we could use the whole day of the 22nd September to celebrate you! See the video.


Dear Kjell, on the photos above, you are with Tom Gravlie, Deeyah, and Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona, who all celebrate you! See video.


Bussakorn Binson, Hilde Kvam, and Svanibor Pettan praise you, dear Kjell! See video!

•  10.00 - 10.30 Cities at Risk – From Humiliation to Dignity (see Video | long paper | see the Powerpoint presentation of 26th September | Abstract 2015 )

Evelin Lindner, Founder and President of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies and Co-founder World Dignity University initiative. See the long version of a paper written in Sarajevo in August 2016 and Dubrovnik in September 2016, for the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', and for the Journal of Urban Culture Research, to be published in 2017.

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four

• 10.30 - 11.00 Managing Diversity as a Resource: The Win-Win Approach to Dignity (see Video)

Francesca Lionetti, Project manager, Intercultural Cities in Southern Mediterranean, Council of Europe
The presentation focused on the policy paradigm for inclusive diversity developed in the context of the Council of Europe Intercultural Cities’ programme. The key concept of the policy paradigm – diversity advantage – and the research evidence for it, as well examples of policies applied by cities which have adopted the approach, and their impact, constituted the main elements of the presentation.

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four

• 11.00 - 11.30 Coffee Break

• 11.30 - 12.00 The Transformation Potential of Participatory Culture Governance

Ana Zuvela, Institute for Development and International Relations-IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia, who was unfortunately hindered to join us

• 12.00 - 12.30 Music in Development Cooperation and Conflict Transformation (see Video | Pdf of Powerpoint)

Tom Gravlie, Arts for Young Audiences, Norway

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four

• 12.30 - 14.00 Lunch

• 14.00 - 14.30 Applied Ethnomusicology and Urban Outreach (see Video| Powerpoint)

Svanibor Pettan, Professor and Chair of the Ethnomusicology Program at the Department of Musicology of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and General Secretary of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM)

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four

• 14.30 - 15.00 Educational Strategies Supporting Cultural Preservation: The Case of Bangkok's Living Local Culture (see Video | Powerpoint)

Bussakorn Binson, Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology, Professor at the Music Department of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, and Founder and Chair of Urban Research Plaza (URP)

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four

• 15.00 - 15.30 Music and Urban Activism – Building Intercultural Bridges (see Video)

Deeyah Khan, Documentary Film Director and Producer, England, Founder and Director of Fuuse - Art and Activism and Sister-hood

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four

• 15.35 - 16.00 Coffee Break

• Kjell Skyllstad's Introductory Comments (see Video)

Kjell Skyllstad, Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Urban Culture Research

• Merle Lefkoff Opened the Town Hall Meeting (see Video)

Merle Lefkoff holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is President of the Center for Emergent Diplomacy, a non-governmental social-profit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, applying the science of Complex Adaptive Systems to the transformation of diplomatic negotiations and peacebuilding. The Center will be convening and facilitating a gathering of global grass-roots activists and thought leaders in Santa Fe in April, 2017. Delegates will meet to scale up direct action campaigns to confront growing inequality and the global economic paradigm that is pushing climate change. [read more]
Please see The Ecos Gathering, April 21-28, 2017, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

• 16.00 - 18.00 Town Hall Meeting 'Dubrovnik Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Creating Vibrant Social Spaces – New Avenues to Urban and Suburban Renewal'(see Video)

Merle Lefkoff invited everybody into a Samoan Circle. See a description: "The Samoan circle is a leaderless meeting intended to help negotiations in controversial issues. While there is no ‘leader’, a professional facilitator can welcome participants and explain the seating arrangements, rules, timelines and the process. As with the Fishbowl process, the Samoan circle has people seated in a circle within a circle, however only those in the inner circle are allowed to speak. The inner circle should represent all the different viewpoints present, and all others must remain silent. The process offers others a chance to speak only if they join the ‘inner circle’."

A Town Hall meeting is a forum that invites every citizen to share their experiences. Everyone is invited to write down which city they represent, tell shortly about their experiences, what risks their city has encountered and will encounter in the future and what opportunities it should seize for the benefit of all its citizens. These handouts are then collected and given to the panel to give direction to the proceedings and discussions. The citizens' contributions are intended to give an indication of the situation as experienced, and mobilize for cooperative action. No names are required or disclosed if known, thereby guaranteeing full anonymity.

These were some of the questions that were written down prior to the meeting by members of the audience:

- A participant in the workshop from the United Kingdom, living in Stockholm, Sweden, highlighted the need for increased protection for women who have come from cultures that might subject them to 'honour death' (honour killing). Asked about her experiences and hopes for the future of her city/town, she wrote: In Stockholm, I would like to see less political correctness and more realistic attitudes toward helping better integration. Less ghettos and segregation! Asked about the risks that her city would need to acknowledge, she wrote: Addressing the flow of young men coming to and from Sweden to the Middle East, who are actively engaged in terrorist activities; reaching those who might feel inclined to join groups who are destructive. Sweden is to 'liberal' with regard to this traffic of young men and women. Asked what are the special opportunities that could lead to a better future for all, she recommended using language, literature and music to enhance integration, together with tougher policies on those who do harm to others. Educational policies to stop inhumane practices.

- A participant in the workshop from Germany had the following question to Francesca Lionetti: How long does the ICC project exist? Are there new challenges since the number of refugees increased recently? Is there more or less willingness to include them?
His question to Bussakorn Binson: Does tourism help to preserve LLGs?
His question to Deeyah: This is about your project "Listen to the Banned": Can you tell us more about this, and about how some of the artists featured fared later?

Francesca Lionetti kindly replied on 11th November 2016: ICC was developed as a contribution to the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008. So it will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year! Of course, in the last couple of years the topics of refugee integration and anti-radicalisation have emerged as the ones on which the cities are more interested to exchange and learn. In particular, Intercultural cities has developed guidelines on refugee reception and on social and economic integration and will keep developing essential know-how and provide support to cities in this respect. On the request of the participating cities we have organised study visits in Vienna, Berlin-Neukölln and Bergen, to address best practice on various stages of reception and integration. We also organised a conference together with the European Council on Refugees and Exiles on the topic of Social Innovation for Refugee Inclusion. The cities which are part of the network (and noteworthy a big number of cities joined in the last couple of years) are demonstrating great willingness to take up the challenge of integrating refugees and are very eager to learn more from each other. Some of the cities are also part of Countries where the official policy, or anyway the mood, towards refugees is quite different, as for example Poland and Hungary.

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four

• 18.00 - 20.00 Jihad: A Story of the Others, 2015 documentary film presentation by Deeyah Khan, Documentary Film Director and Producer, England, Founder and Director of Fuuse and Sister-hood (Art and Activism)

• See also the biography of Manwar Ali, who features centrally in the film, an interview with him, and his 2016 TEDxExeter Talk Reclaiming Jihad.
• See also What We Don’t Know About Europe’s Muslim Kids and Why We Should Care, by Deeyah Khan, TEDxExeter Talk, published on 13 May 2016: 'Aged 17, Deeyah fled from Norway confused, lost and torn between cultures. Unlike some young Muslims she picked up a camera instead of a gun. She now uses her camera (and her superpower) to shed light on the clash of cultures between Muslim parents who prioritise honour and their children's desire for freedom. She argues that we need to understand what is happening to fight the pull to extremism'.

Deeyah Shared Her Reflections on Cities at Risk - How Do We Address Social Polarisation and Radicalisation of Urban and Suburban Youth (see Video)

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 53 photos of Day Four

Please see the interviews that Deeyah gave:
- DEEYAH KHAN U DUBROVNIKU: Čovjek mi je prišao na ulici i rekao: Crna kučko, ajde doma! interview with Katarina Fjorovic, Dubrovniknet.hr, 11.10.2016

Closing of the Public Day 'Cities at Risk'

Friday, 23rd September 2016, Researcher Meeting 'Meeting Global Urban Challenges': research paper presentations, panel and partnership building

We wish to tie in with the present agenda and aims of the UN Habitat For a better Urban Future, The World Urban Campaign, The City We Need, Urban Thinkers Campus, the I'm a City Changer Youth Drive, the European Intercultural Cities Network, and with the worldwide activities leading up to the very important UN Habitat III conference.

DigniUrbanization: A Plea for Global Dignity Implementation
Peace linguist Francisco Gomes de Matos from Recife, Brazil, Co-founder of ABA Global Education and author of Dignity - A Multidimensional View, in Dignity Press, 2013, sent this plea as a gift to the conference participants on 9th September 2016:
DigniUrbanization should be a deeper transformation
A system to dignify the life of every urban population
DigniUrbanizatgion should be a a wiser transformation
A system to provide all school children with DigniUrban Education
DigniUrbanization should be a human rights-based transformation
A system to ensure the rights of every urban population
DigniUrbanization should be a deeper form of urban conscientization
A system for city management to prioritize a sustainable humanization
DigniUrbanization should be a more just form of communication
A system to sustain dignifying forms of intra and intercultural cooperation
DigniUrbanization should be a "Cities at Risk" globally shared transformation
A system to digniUrbanize family life, the world of work and of spiritual inspiration

See an online presentation for the 27th Annual Dignity Conference created on 14th September 2016 by Celine Motzfeldt Loades: "Contested places and ambivalent identities - Social change and development in UNESCO enlisted Dubrovnik." Also published in Journal of Urban Culture Research, 12 (January - June 2016, Contested Places and Ambivalent Identities), pp. 20-37, doi: 10.14456/jucr.2016.2

Announcements

Kjell Skyllstad Introduces the Researcher Meeting

• Please click on the photos above or here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

•  09.00 – 09.30 Creating Vibrant Spaces for and through the Arts

Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona, intercultural music researcher and director, Visiting Professor, Department of Musicology, University of Ljubljana (see Video | Pdf of Powerpoint)

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

•  09.30 - 10.00 Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage: Methods and Practices (see Video | Powerpoint)

Atle Ove Martinussen, Museum Director, Hordaland, Norway

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

•  10.00 – 10.30 A Model of Transmission of Intangible Heritage (CIH) from the Old to the New Generation (see Video | Powerpoint)

Ljoba Jenče, director of the PAJN Zavod za sonaravno bivanje/Institute for Sustainable Living, Slovenian folklorist. Please see The Same Boat: Young Guardians of Heritage, 2014-2016, Heritage House

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

•  10.30 – 11.00 Bridging Urban Divides and Breaking the Cycle of Humiliation: Adaptive Leadership Approach (see Video | Pdf | Powerpoint)

Mara Alagic, Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator for Master of Education in Learning and Instructional Design, and Glyn Rimmington, Distinguished Professor of Global Learning, Global Learning Center, Wichita University, Kansas, USA

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

•  11.00 – 11.30 Coffee Break

•  11.30 - 12.00 Critical Perspectives on the Transformation of Urban Localities (see Video | Pdf)

Dalibor Prancevic and Alemka Djivoje, OUR Research group, Department of Arts History, Faculty of Humanities, University of Split, Croatia

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

•  12.00 – 12.30 Bridge Building at the Market Place (see Video | Powerpoint | Pdf of Abstract)

Tom Borrup, Faculty Director, Arts and Leadership Program, University of Minnesota, and Director, Creative Community Builders, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

•  12.30 - 14.00 Lunch

•  14.00 - 18.00 City Risks and Opportunities- Research and Responses

• 14.00 – 14.30 The Zagreb City Making Project, Jasna Capo, Senior Researcher in Cultural Anthropology, the University of Zagreb Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research (see Video | Powerpoint)

 

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

• 14.30 – 15.00 Balkan Dances for Social Sharing: Reflections on Urban Traditions and Cultural Renewal, Muhamed Tufekčić, Choreographer and Dance Instructor, Oslo, Norway (see Video | Powerpoint)

 

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

• 15.00 – 15.30 Killing History and World Heritage: Urban Tragedies of Syria (Aleppo and Palmyra), Marie Ingand, Historian of Art of the Arab World, Instructor at the Refugee Reception Center, Bærum, Norway (see Video 1 | Video 2 Dance | Powerpoint)

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

• 15.30 – 16.00 Religious Radicalism and Cultural Loss, Hilde Kvam, Associate Professor, Department of Art and Media Studies, University of Trondheim (NTNU), Norway (see Video | Powerpoint)

 

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

• 16.00 – 16.30 Polyscopy: Rediscovering a Way to Community Change, Dino Karabeg, University of Oslo, Norway (see Video | Powerpoint recording)

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

• 16.30 – 17.00 Industry 4.0. Where Does This Leave the Human Factor? Holger Kinzel, Researcher, Technical University Freiburg (Bergakademie), Germany (see Video | Pdf | Powerpoint)

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

• 17.00 – 17.30 What Makes a City Great? Oslo, an Intercultural City, Kjell Skyllstad, Oslo, Norway

•  17.30 – 18.30 Closing Session: Toward UN Habitat III: Urban Risks and Opportunities - Where Do We Go from Here?

There will be room for this discussion at the 3rd Urban Culture conference with the theme 'The University as Urban Cultural and Social Engine', envisioned at the IUC in Dubrovnik in September in 2017.

•  Ljoba Jenče Led Us in Singing Good-Bye

•  Saying Good-Bye to Each Other

• Please click here to see all of Evelin's 91 photos of Day Five

Challenging Contrasts in Today's World: A Checklist
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist, Co-Founder of ABA Global Education, Recife, Brazil, author of Dignity - A Multidimensional View, in Dignity Press, 2013, 9th September 2016
When humiliation is exposed
What effective solution is proposed?
When indignity is denounced
What correction is announced?
When corruption is disclosed
What legal action is interposed?
When a human right is violated
What is required for humanization to be elevated?
When violence is advocated
What kind of nonviolence is anticipated?
When hate speech is tolerated
What peaceful language use is cultivated?
When indecency is promulgated
What decency policy is navigated?
When negativism is radicalized
What positivity is globalized?

End of the Research Day and of the Conference

Saturday and Sunday, 24th and 25th September, Excursions

• Saturday, 24th September:
- We had a wonderful post-conference excursion from Dubrovnik to Mostar under the amazing guidance of Dino Karabeg. In Jasmin Elesovic's Café de Alma we heard wonderful Sevdah music: Himzo Polovina - Lijepi li su mostarski ducani (Nice Are Mostar shops). And the world championships of extreme diving took place just when we arrived!
Mostar is a city and municipality in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the most important city in the Herzegovina region, its cultural capital, and the centre of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva River and is the fifth-largest city in the country. Mostar was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks, and is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans. It was destroyed during the war of the former Yugoslavia but later re-built. Today, Mostar is still the example of the city divided in two - into a Catholic and Muslim side, however today with peaceful cohabitation.
Everybody had to make sure to bring their passports, since Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a part of the EU and cannot be accessed with an EU identity cards. We had to decide on the first day of our conference, on Monday, 19th September, how many of us were interested to join in. The price depended on the number of people (van or a mini-bus), but the estimate was around 20 Euro per person for transportation. The duration of the trip is around 2 1/2hours in one direction.
- The second option for Saturday would have been visiting island Lopud north of Dubrovnik. Lopud is one of the Elaphiti Islands, and can be reached by standard boat line from Dubrovnik – harbour Gruž. The island is famous for its sandy beaches, in particular the bay of Šunj which can be reached by a nice half an hour walk across the island, through the woody area. Lopud is the second largest island of the Elaphiti islands, between Kolocep and Sipan with many nice restaurants, bars and beaches. We can go to the island with the regular boat line – Jadrolinija - which leaves at 10.00 in the morning and returns at 18.00. The price for the ticket in two directions is 6,50 Euro.

• Sunday, 25th September:
We were privileged to be invited to take part in the beginning of the conference 'Tools and Practices for the Collective Mind Revolution', with a deep introduction into the history of Dubrovnik under the amazing guidance of Dino Karabeg's uncle Suad Ahmetović.
The other options would habe been, as kindly suggested by Nada Bruer, to explore Dubrovnik in a more informal manner, for instance, through an early climb onto the mountain Srđ above Dubrovnik where, in a 19th century fort Imperial – a symbol of defence of Dubrovnik in the 1991 war - is located. One could then continue with breakfast in town and a swim at the nearby beaches or a walk around the less-explored Dubrovnik areas.

Tentative List of Participants (if you wish to participate in our conferences, email us!)

• Kjell Skyllstad, host, convener, and organiser of this conference

• Nada Bruer Ljubišić, local host of this conference

• Evelin Lindner, organiser of the HumanDHS conferences since 2003

• Uli Spalthoff, director of Dignity Press and the WDU initiative

• Celine Motzfeldt Loades, supporting the organisation of this conference (she was unfortunately hindered to join us in person)

- Please see her online greetings to this conference

- See an online presentation for the 27th Annual Dignity Conference created on 14th September 2016: "Contested Places and Ambivalent Identities - Social Change and Development in UNESCO Enlisted Dubrovnik." Also published in Journal of Urban Culture Research, 12 (January - June 2016, Contested Places and Ambivalent Identities), pp. 20-37, doi: 10.14456/jucr.2016.2

• Ana Hilje, Head of Department of Culture of the City of Dubrovnik

• Marko Milos, citizen of Dubrovnik

• Deeyah Khan

- What We Don’t Know About Europe’s Muslim Kids and Why We Should Care, by Deeyah Khan, TEDxExeter Talk,
Published on 13 May 2016: Aged 17, Deeyah fled from Norway confused, lost and torn between cultures. Unlike some young Muslims she picked up a camera instead of a gun. She now uses her camera (and her superpower) to shed light on the clash of cultures between Muslim parents who prioritise honour and their children's desire for freedom. She argues that we need to understand what is happening to fight the pull to extremism.

- Jihad: A Story of the Others, documentary film by Deeyah Khan, 2015: How do we confront social polarization and radicalization of urban and suburban youth? See also the biography of Manwar Ali, who features centrally in the film, an interview with him, and his 2016 TEDxExeter Talk Reclaiming Jihad.

• Svanibor Pettan, Professor and Chair of the Ethnomusicology Program at the Department of Musicology of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and General Secretary of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM)

• Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona, intercultural music researcher and director, Visiting Professor, Department of Musicology, University of Ljubljana

• Bussakorn Binson, Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology, Professor at the Music Department of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, and Founder and Chair of Urban Research Plaza (URP).

• Alan Kinear, International Editor of the Journal of the Urban Culture Research

• Tom Gravlie, Rikskonsertene, Oslo, Norway. Please see his Appreciative Introduction.

Tom Gravlie has acted as the Director of International Department in Concerts Norway for several decades. He has long experience of promoting music for young audiences and has special competence in the field of presenting world music having started Oslo World Music Festival and conducted “The Resonant Community” – a research program on the effects of music as a tool in the fight against racism among children and youth. Mr. Gravlie has been responsible for extensive music development programmes in South Africa, Palestine, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Botswana, Swaziland, Malawi, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Jordan, Brazil and China, all supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gravlie has also written many books for music education in primary schools in Norway.

• Merle Lefkoff

• Hilde Kvam, Associate Professor, Department of Art and Media Studies, University of Trondheim (NTNU)

• Heidrun Sølna Øverby

• Marie Ingand, Historian Art of the Arab World, Instructor Refugee Reception Center, Baerum, Norway

• Muhamed Tufekčić, Choreographer and Dance Instructor Oslo, Norway

• Emely Wenche Nessler

• Anton Verwey

• Ljoba Jenče, PAJN Zavod za sonaravno bivanje/Institute for Sustainable Living, Slovenian folklorist. Please see her Appreciative Introduction and The Same Boat: Young Guardians of Heritage, 2014-2016, Heritage House.

• Mara Alagic, Associate Professor & Graduate Coordinator for Master of Education in Learning and Instructional Design, and Glyn Rimmington, Distinguished Professor of Global Learning, Wichita State University, USA, see Glyn Rimmington's Appreciative Introduction

Bridging Urban Divides and Breaking the Cycle of Humiliation: Adaptive Leadership Approach (2016)

• Tom Borrup, Faculty Director, Arts and Leadership Program, University of Minnesota, and Director, Creative Community Builders, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Cities at Risk – From Humiliation to Dignity (2016)

• Avi Shahaf

• Rachel Aspögård

The power of Education and Altruistic Action for Encouraging Dignity (2016)

• Ragnhild Nilsen

• Michael Schulte

• Francesca Lionetti, Project manager, Intercultural cities in Southern Mediterranean, Council of Europe.

Managing Diversity as a Resource: The Win-Win Approach to Dignity
The presentation will focus on the policy paradigm for inclusive diversity developed in the context of the Council of Europe Intercultural cities’ programme. The key concept of the policy paradigm – diversity advantage – and the research evidence for it, as well examples of policies applied by cities which have adopted the approach, and their impact, will constitute the main elements of the presentation.

Irena Guidikova is the Head of Division of Cultural Policy, Diversity and Dialogue, and Manager of the Intercultural Cities program at the Council of Europe, and her envisioned presentation was The Intercultural Approach to Migrant Inclusion – An Urban Agenda.

• Atle Ove Martinussen, Museum Director, Hordaland Norway

• Jasna Capo, Senior Researcher in Cultural Anthropology, The University of Zagreb, Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, working with the 'City Making Project'

• Dalibor Prancevic, assistant professor at the Department of Art History of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Split, Croatia, together with and Alemka Djivoje (with the support of Robertina Tomic)

Collective 'OUR' Workers' Terrains (2016)

• Dino Karabeg, University of Oslo, Norway

• Holger Kinzel, Researcher, Technical University Freiburg (Bergakademie) Germany. He is an engineer who has recently completed his studies as Master of Mediation and is currently writing his PhD thesis on the combination of mediation and work safety by including the human factor into the process of risk assessment. Please see his Appreciative Introduction.

Industry 4.0 – Where does this leave the Human Factor? (2016)

These participants were unfortunately hindered to be with us in person, yet, they were with us in spirit:

• Maggie O'Neill

• Stewart Cunningham

• Ana Zuvela, Institute for Development and International Relations-IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia

• Djuro Capor

• Nguyen Thi Dieu Linh, PhD, Lecturer Faculty of Philology, Hanoi National University of Education, Vietnam

Tay Ethnic Minority in Vietnam from Urbanization to Kinh-ization in Hoang A Sang’s The Dreams of Chestnut Colour (2016)

• Hal Ellens

• Annette Anderson-Engler

• Wellington Lira

• Voula Papagianni

• Bharat Dahiya

• Bill Bhaneja, Rifet Bahtijaragic Bach

• Marija Saric and colleagues

• Garry Jacobs, Ljudmila Popovis, Ivo Straus, Winston Nagan, and Alberto Zucconi

• Peter Lippman

• Selma Polobic

• Uzoegbu Stephen Chidiebere (Stephen Ugwu)

• Patricia and Paul Richards

• Andreas Sønning

Concert Dramaturgy As Tool for Creative Entrepreneurship (2016)

• Ottar Grepstad: Sunday, 25th September

• Mitja Zagar

• Ardian Adžanela

• Valentina Gulin Zrnic, Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, Zagreb, working with the 'City Making Project'

• Vasuki Jayapalan, Founder and Director Oslo Arts Academy, Norway: Creating Suburban Cultural and Social Spaces

• Vidar Vambheim, University of Tromsø, Norway

• Magnus Haavelsrud

• Jan Øberg

• Jorunn Økland

• Sandra Uskokovic, Assistant Professor at the Arts and Restoration Department of the University of Dubrovnik

Shadow Casters Research Project

• Samir Basta

• David Yau Fai Ho, Irene Ng, and Jane Qian Zhang

• Lucienne Nicholson

• Carol Smaldino

• Professor Channarong Pornrungroj, Ed.D. and Rathchara Pornrungroj

Professor Dr. Channarong Pornrungroj is the Founder and President of the Arts for All Foundation, which was established in 1996 to develop the human’s potentials especially those of the handicapped children. The Arts for All’s activities are organized in the form of art activities including the application of art therapy to develop quality of life of children with disabilities, to inspire these children to learn to live with other people proudly and to be able to contribute to society meaningfully. The art camps are regularly supported by volunteers under the philosophy of “Overcome Limitations.” To achieve his vision, Professor Channarong set the goal to inspire handicapped children with dignity and integrity through the Art for All camps where children with different disabilities work and live together in groups of five - one blind, one deaf, one physically handicapped, one mentally handicapped, and one with no disabilities (so that all will feel equal and equally dignified). They work creatively together as a group - each helping the other four – under the supervision of the national artists of Thailand, including H.R.H Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana who herself studied design at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University. To support the operation of the program, Professor Channarong also employed handicapped youth to work at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts to prepare the Art Camp. Apart from his contribution to enhance the quality of life of handicapped children, he has also dedicated himself in promoting the educational quality assurance system in Thailand and ASEAN. He currently serves as the Director of the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment, Thailand, and also serves as the President of ASEAN Quality Assurance Network. He has received many major awards both international and domestic, for examples: Outstanding Contribution Award for Helping the Handicapped from Handicapped Rehabilitation Board, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security of Thailand in 2002; Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education from the World Education Congress, India in 2014; Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education, at the 6th CMO Asia and Asia’s Education Excellence Award, Singapore in 2015; Outstanding Alumni Award from Illinois State University in 2015; National Exemplary Father of the year 2015 Award; and the Government Public Relations Department and the Volunteer Society of Thailand, 2015.

• Lene Gravlie, Arts for Young Audiences - Immigrant and Refugee Children, Oslo, Norway

• Gunhild Brænne Bjørnstad, Researcher, Theatre for Diversity and Inclusion, Assistant Professor, Østfold University College, Norway

Gaining Dignity through Theatrical Work (2016)

• Heli Aaltonen

Turning the Tide in Urban Planning: Embodied Storytelling for Urban Interconnectivity (2016)

• Trine Eklund

• Julia Bleckner

The Role of Humiliation in the Terrorism Narrative (2016)

• Hayal Köksal and her husband Servet

• Jeffrey Warner kindly shared his text written in 2009, titled "Sarajevo Evolution: A Tribute to Survival"
He kindly writes, on 7th September: 2015:
This text was written a while ago, but the information is still very much relevant. Most importantly, this article I believe is a voice of the Bosnian people as well. It needs to be heard. In short explanation: I was doing relief and journalism work in Sarajevo, Bosnia (2007), and for months I walked the (then) bullet riddled streets of Sarajevo, observing physical environments and human behaviour. I was enthralled particularly by the societal effects of the Bosnian War that ravaged this area and its peoples in the 1990s. Deeply affected by my experiences, I returned to Sarajevo in 2009, to gain further knowledge. I have heard tales from honest and good people forced to survive with less than the bare essentials for survival, while they and their loved ones fought a war where its origin and justification remain unclear to many of them. While there is much history to this tale, Bosnians, in my opinion, are examples of the human spirit’s profound ability to survive, for life to prosper, people to heal, and also to forgive one another. They, to me, represent a society that, like the Phoenix, literally arose from the ashes. They rebuilt, against all odds, what could not be taken, what was possibly never really lost. They can teach us how to live. They can teach us about the unquenchable human Spirit, and about how it is only through the power of community cohesion that life can go on! Please free to post this on the conference website, hand it out to people, or even narrate it at the conference. Perhaps I could do a Skype presentation. Otherwise, either of you would be much more powerful at its presentation. I am so honoured to contribute, as I have yet to have had a chance to voice this publicly — what I still carry around inside of me from my experiences there. Thank you. With warmest regards (and I hope to reunite with you again soon), Jeff

• Dan Baron plans to speak to us via Skype from the Brazilian Amazon
The plan is that Dan talks via video connection from Brazil on the Arts-based Pedagogical Work in the Amazonian North of Brazil that he and his partner Mano Souza conduct in Brazil.

Earlier, Dan had shared with us 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, please click on the picture to see it larger.

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 Marabá, cradle of the 'industrialization of the Amazon'.

Prior and Subsequent to our Conference

On 28th August 2016, it was an extreme joy for Evelin Lindner to be welcomed by Kjell Skyllstad to Dubrovnik! He feels at home here since 1973, when Johan Galtung founded the Inter-University Centre IUC. • Please click on the photos above or here to see more pictures so that you can feel included and inspired!

On 29th August 2016, it was wonderful for Evelin to finally meet, in person, after a huge amount of emails between us, Nada Bruer Ljubišić, Executive Secretary of the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik (IUC), together with Tomislav Kvesić, and their interns Aleksandra and Mira! Please see Nada on the left side and Tomi behind us! • Please click on the photo above or here to see more pictures.

Day Six, Saturday, 24th September 2016: We had a wonderful post-conference excursion from Dubrovnik to Mostar under the amazing guidance of Dino Karabeg. In Jasmin Elesovic's Café de Alma we heard wonderful Sevdah music: Himzo Polovina - Lijepi li su mostarski ducani (Nice Are Mostar shops). And the world championships of extreme diving took place just when we arrived! • Please click on the photo above to the left or here to see all 48 pictures from Evelin's camera • Please click on the photo above to the right or here to see Rachel's 50 photos of our excursion to Mostar A warm thank you to Mara Alagic and Glyn Rimmington for recommending to us books we could read to better understand the region: 1. The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric: 'The Bridge on the Drina is a vivid depiction of the suffering history has imposed upon the people of Bosnia from the late 16th century to the beginning of World War I. As we seek to make sense of the current nightmare in this region, this remarkable, timely book serves as a reliable guide to its people and history... No better introduction to the study of Balkan and Ottoman history exists, nor do I know of any work of fiction that more persuasively introduces the reader to a civilization other than our own. It is an intellectual and emotional adventure to encounter the Ottoman world through Andric's pages in its grandiose beginning and at its tottering finale. It is, in short, a marvelous work, a masterpiece, and very much sui generis... Andric's sensitive portrait of social change in distant Bosnia has revelatory force' (William H. McNeill, from the introduction). 2. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. 3. Haggadah: '… In Bosnia during World War II, a Muslim risks his life to protect it from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fin-de-siècle Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city’s rising anti-Semitism. In inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for the Haggadah’s extraordinary illuminations is finally disclosed. Hanna’s investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics. Her experiences will test her belief in herself and the man she has come to love' (from goodreads.com). Thank you to Dino Karabeg for mentioning Death and the Dervish by Meša Selimovic: 'Sheikh Nuruddin is a dervish at a Sarajevo monastery in the eighteenth century during the Turkish occupation. When his brother is arrested, he descends into the Kafkaesque world of the Turkish authorities in order to find out what has happened. As he does so, he begins to question his relations with society as a whole and, eventually, his life choices in general' (from goodreads.com). • Please click on the photo above to the left or here to see all 48 pictures from Evelin's camera

Day Seven, Sunday, 25th September 2016: We were privileged to be invited to take part in the beginning of the conference 'Tools and Practices for the Collective Mind Revolution' with a deep introduction into the history of Dubrovnik under the amazing guidance of Dino Karabeg's uncle Suad Ahmetović. Please see his breathtaking detective work on a politically sensitive relief that had disappeared in 1941. It is a monumental relief of the famous Croatian sculptor Ivana Mestrovic depicting Serbian King Petar I Karadjordjevic, and which was mounted on the city walls of Dubrovnik 90 years ago. In the year 1941, the relief was removed from its place, and in 1945, it was transferred to the by then nationalized palace of shipowner Božo Banac (which is now an Art Gallery) and placed against a wall so that it could not be seen. By 1975, it had been completely forgotten. In year-long detective work, Suad Ahmetovic was able to re-discover the relief and find out what had happened to it! This is the introduction to his article: Prije 90 godina bio je na dubrovačke zidine postavljen monumentalni reljef slavnog hrvatskog kipara Ivana Meštrovića s prikazom srpskog kralja Petra I. Karađorđevića. Godine 1941. reljef je skinut s míra, 1945. je prenesen u prizemlje nacionalizirane palače brodovlasnika Boža Banca (sadašnje Umjetničke galerije) i prislonjen prednjom stranom uz zid da se ne vidi što prikazuje, a 1975. je nestao iz vidokruga i na njega se potpuno zaboravilo. Što se se događalo s tim Meštrovićevim djelom i gdje se sada nalazi objašnjava dubrovački novinar i publicist Suad Ahmetović objavljujući skraćeni rukopis jednog od poglavlja svoje nove knjige koju priprema za tiskanje. • Please click on the photo above or here to see all 10 pictures from Evelin's camera

Day Eight: On 26th September 2016, it was a great privilege to be invited to the 5th Biennial Meeting of the Knowledge Federation, titled 'Tools and Practices for the Collective Mind Revolution', a conference convened by Dino Karabeg at the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik, 25th September – 1st October, 2016. • Please click on the photo above or here to see the video of Evelin Lindner's talk titled 'From Systemic Humiliation to Systemic Dignity' (see also the Powerpoint presentation). The photo at the bottom to the left was taken in September 26, 2016, and shows Glyn Rimmington together with Evelin demonstrating the infinity symbol as a symbol for dialogue. Mara Alagic, who took the photo, was later inspired to contribute with the picture you see on the right side, which shows the infinity symbol in unprecedented beauty. Thank you, dear Mara! She found this wonderful “infinity dance” on the website of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater.

Dignilogue - 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)

• The Hubris Syndrome and Arabic Spring, by Wael Mohamed (2012)

• The Peacefulness of Chinese Teenagers, by Liu Bangchun (2012)

• Humiliation, Stanislavsky and Consciousness, by John Aspill (2012)

• Ubuntu & the Gift Paradigm in Africa, by Bernedette Muthien (2013)
See an interview with Bernedette Muthien, 'Gender Based Violence in South Africa', 27th September 2012, conducted by Annika Schall.

•I Apologise for Apartheid, by Ronèe Robinson (2013)
Ronèe Robinson wrote on 14th April 2013:
'Dear Evelin... I had an awesome day today in Worcester, where I attended a church service where some of the participants in the peace train spoke about their experiences. Afterwards two of the ladies who went on the train and met with Stefaans Coetzee were kind enough to have lunch with me. One of them worked as an intensive care nurse and another worked right across the shopping centre where the bomb went off. I listened spell bound as the nurse described the disbelief as the children were brought in, one little girl with her heart outside her body, and how she had to comfort young Dr Coetzee who wept hysterically because he could not save her. The other lady described the effect of the bomb blast and how she missed being injured because she decided against crossing the street, for some reason. 16 Years later, and through the Peace and Reconciliation process started by Dr Deon Snyman in Worcester, survivors of the bombing were on a train, sponsored by government, to meet with one of the bombers, Stefaans Coetzee. Having come to repentance in the prison (through the intervention of Eugene de Kock of all people) he was entirely honest with the people from Worcester. His honesty and the fact that he sought to make no excuses for himself led the people to accept his bona fides and they came to great healing. One man, who went there with the hope of doing Coetzee harm, left saying that, as far as he was concerned, Coetzee could now be set free. Today was all about hearing about people who walked a very real path of forgiveness, which they recognise as having set them free of a terrible burden of pain.
Healing was brought about by a number of factors, including the fact that, at last, these people experienced the government caring about them - the prison service did much to assist the process, even going so far as to escort the bus back from Pretoria to Johannesburg. They felt that they mattered, that they were somebody. But most importantly, I think it was that they came face to face with their monster, and then found with shock that he was just a human being who had, at one stage, gone very wrong. One lady now said that it was now time for the community to look after Stefaans! What a rich country we live in and what special people we have'.
Ronèe Robinson also sent us a message on the Die VroueMonumen, where her alma mater is gathered. She wrote: It 'is the most moving monument in the world, as far as I am concerned, to the effect of women in war. It is also a warning of what happens when the feminine strength gets repressed and denied. We would gather there once a year to celebrate the birthday of the school, which was founded by President Steyn after the war to create a woman that would stand as strong as a rock. Koningin Wilhelmina van de Nederlande gave the funds for the school, hence its name. The school went on to produce, among others, the first female advocate and first female judge of appeal in this country'.

• Merle Lefkoff and Joy Stocke (2013)

• Gay Rosenblum-Kumar made us aware of a speech by Brendan McAllister on The Quality of Our Attention (2013)

• Michael Britton's suggestion for our 2014 Chiang Mai conference: The Art of Not Being Governed in Upland Southeast Asia
Michael Britton wrote (25 feb 2014): Dearest Evelin, I wish to send to you and Kjell and everyone involved in making this conference my very best wishes, and my deepest desire to be there with you all on what will be such a deeply moving, life-informing experience.
If there are any parts of it that can be videotaped, I am starting a public-access video program here in my home town to share things from other parts of the world that explain the world with deeper understanding and respect, so it would be wonderful to share whatever might be appropriate.
This conference comes at a time when I am reading The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia by James C. Scott. In it he paints a picture of lowland civilizations/states developing in interaction with peoples living in the mountains and fleeing the states into the mountains, organizing their lives in such a way as to be beyond the power of the lowland states to incorporate them. He views this as a worldwide phenomenon, a dialectic of civilizations/states and places in which those who want no part of that enterprise preserve their own lives by living in the mountains, in the marshes, in a variety of "difficult" geographies that in the past made them beyond the reach of the states. Yet now, today, the "modern" states and corporations press everywhere to finish off the job of making everyone and every place part of their controlled domain.
I imagine that you are all right in the middle of just such a contesting of power and the right to live one's own ways unfettered by state or corporate power, though I do not know this for a fact. If so, this means you are all in the midst of a location of powerful spirituality. May this be a blessing to everyone in any way involved. I hear that you are guided by Kjell and that he is a man of great wisdom. Peace go with you all. May goodness flower all along your pathways! Michael

• Kjell Skyllstad's suggestions for our 2014 Chiang Mai conference
• Women's Day: Gender equality - ending domestic violence
•  The ever growing problem of water and land grabbing disregarding traditional land and water rights, including the damming of rivers to the detriment of water flow and fisheries, driving people from their traditional settlements
•  The ever diminishing life space for minorities and refugees
•  The increasing threats to indigenous learning, traditions and culture
•  The gender inequality and ingrained traditions of family violence, male dominance, etc.
•  Our inability to effectively deal with humiliating living conditions in our growing urban sprawls
•  Social Photography for human dignity - Jeffrey Wilson
•  Promoting Land and Water Rights - Association for International Water Studies (FIVAS)
•  Artists Promoting Womens rights Deeyah - Filmshowing
•  Documentary Arts for Human Dignity - Deeyah
• Vanishing memories - Tribal Cultures in Danger - Exposition and talks with tribal elders - Victoria Vorreiter
• Earthrights Foundation

• How Restorative Justice can Dignify Society, by John Braithwaite (2015)

• Human Dignity in Sri Lanka, by Amarnath Amarasingam (2015)

• Proposing a ‘3Cs’ Roadmap for a Humane Society, by Dr. Atul Mehrotra, co-authored with Anoop Swarup (2015)

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

Evelin Lindner (2017)
Cities at Risk – From Humiliation to Dignity: A Journey from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik, or the Case of Southeast Europe (see Video | Powerpoint 26th September | Abstract 2015)
Paper written in Sarajevo in August 2016 and Dubrovnik in September 2016, for the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th – 23rd September 2016, and for the Journal of Urban Culture Research, to be published in 2017.

Evelin Lindner (2016)
Cities at Risk: From Humiliation to Dignity (Pdf of Abstract | Video 1, 19th September | Video 2, 22nd September)
Two presentations shared at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Evelin Lindner (2016)
From Systemic Humiliation to Systemic Dignity (Video 3, 26th September)
Presentation shared on 26th September 2016 at the 5th biennial meeting of the Knowledge Federation, 'Tools and Practices for the Collective Mind Revolution', a conference held at the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik, 25th September – 1st October, 2016.

Dalibor Prancevic and Alemka Djivoje (2016)
Critical Perspectives on the Transformation of Urban Localities (see Pdf)
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Jasna Capo (2016)
The Zagreb City Making Project (see Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Muhamed Tufekčić (2016)
Balkan Dances for Social Sharing: Reflections on Urban Traditions and Cultural Renewal (see Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Marie Ingand (2016)
Killing History and World Heritage: Urban Tragedies of Syria (Aleppo and Palmyra) (see Video 1 | Video 2 Dance | Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Hilde Kvam (2016)
Religious Radicalism and Cultural Loss (see Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Dino Karabeg (2016)
Polyscopy: Rediscovering a Way to Community Change (see Powerpoint recording)
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Atle Ove Martinussen (2016)
Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage: Methods and Practices (see Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Ljoba Jenče (2016)
A Model of Transmission of Intangible Heritage (CIH) from the Old to the New Generation
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Tom Gravlie (2016)
Music in Development Cooperation and Conflict Transformation (see Pdf of Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 22nd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Svanibor Pettan (2016)
Applied Ethnomusicology and Urban Outreach (see Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 22nd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Dr. Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona (2016)
Creating Vibrant Spaces for and through the Arts (see Pdf of Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Bussakorn Binson (2016)
Educational Strategies Supporting Cultural Preservation: The Case of Bangkok's Living Local Culture (see Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 22nd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Channarong Pornrungroj (2016)
Art for All (see also Art for All, and Art for All: Overcome Limitation)
Keynote address brought by Bussakorn Binson to Dubrovnik on 19th September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Holger Kinzel (2016)
Industry 4.0 – Where does this leave the Human Factor? (Pdf of Abstract | Video | Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Avi Shahaf (2016)
How Can We Advance the Value of Human Dignity in Relation to Urban Population? Theoretical Framework, Basic Assumptions, Guiding Principles, and Discussion, Dignilogue with Avi Shahaf (see Powerpoint | WDU Message)
Dignilogue facilitated on 21st September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Michael Schulte (2016)
From Past to Present: How Writing and Writing Systems Impact Dignity in Human Interaction (see Video | Pdf of Powerpoint | WDU Message)
Dignilogue facilitated on 19th September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Glyn Rimmington (2016)
Sharing Fairytales and Fables from Different Cultures - and Learning Peace (WDU Message)
Dignilogue facilitated on 20th September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Mara Alagic and Glyn Rimmington (2016)
Bridging Urban Divides and Breaking the Cycle of Humiliation: Adaptive Leadership Approach (Pdf of Abstract | Video | Powerpoint)
Presentation shared on 23rd September 2016 at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Tom Borrup (2016)
Bridge Building at the Market Place (Pdf of Abstract | Video1, 21st September 2016 | WDU Message | Video 2, 23rd September 2016 | Powerpoint)
Dignilogue facilitated and presentation shared at the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Gunhild Brænne Bjørnstad (2016)
Gaining Dignity through Theatrical Work
Abstract prepared for the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Andreas Sønning (2016)
Concert Dramaturgy As Tool for Creative Entrepreneurship
Abstract prepared for the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Dalibor Prancevic (2016)
Collective 'OUR' Workers’ Terrains
Abstract prepared for the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Julia Bleckner (2016)
The Role of Humiliation in the Terrorism Narrative
Abstract prepared for the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Nguyen Thi Dieu Linh (2016)
Tay Ethnic Minority in Vietnam from Urbanization to Kinh-ization in Hoang A Sang’s The Dreams of Chestnut Colour
Abstract prepared for the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Heli Aaaltonen (2016)
Turning the Tide in Urban Planning: Embodied Storytelling for Urban Interconnectivity
Abstract prepared for the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Jeffrey Warner (2009/2016)
Sarajevo Evolution: A Tribute to Survival
Written in 2009, contribution to the 27th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Cities at Risk - From Humiliation to Dignity', in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 19th - 23rd September 2016.

Background material

• World Cities Report 2016, Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). See also 'The Earth Is Not Flat; It Is Urban', by Baher Kamal, Inter Press Service (IPS), October 4, 2016.

• 'Sniper Alley' was the name of a route in Sarajevo where people had to run for their lives if they wanted to cross it. 1395 Days Without Red is a film by Anri Sala in collaboration with Liria Begeja, 2011, made as part of a project of the same title by Šejla Kamerić and Anri Sala in collaboration with Ari Benjamin Meyers: 'A woman makes her way through a silent, empty city. At every crossing she stops and looks. Should she wait or should she run? What is she waiting for, and why should she run? The city is Sarajevo, and the route the woman takes became known as Sniper Alley during the siege of the city endured by its citizens for 1395 days from 1992 until the end of the siege in 1996'. We thank Uli Spalthoff for making us aware of this film.

• "A Needed Cornerstone for Habitat III: The Right to the City," by Isabel Pascual, Citiscope, February 15, 2016.

• Dubrovnik From Above/taken by a drone.

• UNESCO inspected threatened sites in Dubrovnik and has given new advice on proposed developments.

• The third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), to be held in the capital of Ecuador in October, is to give rise to a New Urban Agenda: Cities today occupy approximately only 2% of the total land, however: 70% of Economy (GDP), over 60% of the Global Energy Consumption, 70% of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 70% of Global Waste.

• Here is the best response to terrorism! The day after the tragic events in Nice in Southern France, on 14th July 2016, Kjell Skyllstad recommends Barn av regnbuen, or My Rainbow Race, an American folk and children's song, originally released by Pete Seeger on his album Rainbow Race in 1973. The song was adapted into Norwegian by Lillebjørn Nilsen as Barn av regnbuen (which in English means Children of the Rainbow). It was released in 1973, and was the sixth-highest selling single in Norway that year. The song was performed by Nilsen and a crowd of more than 40,000 people in Youngstorget in Oslo and at squares across the country on April 26, 2012, as a protest against statements given in court by Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the July 22 attacks in 2011. Kjell Skyllstad kindly sends us also this link: 'Breivik Trial: Norwegians Rally Around Peace Song', 26th April 2012, BBC News.

• UN Tool Will Map 'Science of Cities' As Rapid Urbanization Emerges As Force in Sustainable Development, United Nations News Centre, 9 June 2016.

• La Biennale (28th May - 27th November 2016, in Venice): Towards the 15th International Architecture Exhibition
The curator of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition, Alejandro Aravena has explained his project as follows: "There are several battles that need to be won and several frontiers that need to be expanded in order to improve the quality of the built environment and consequently people’s quality of life. More and more people in the planet are in search for a decent place to live and the conditions to achieve it are becoming tougher and tougher by the hour. Any attempt to go beyond business as usual encounters huge resistance in the inertia of reality and any effort to tackle relevant issues has to overcome the increasing complexity of the world."

• Searching for the Good Town, editorial Nº 425 by Johan Galtung, TRANSCEND Media Service, Alfaz, Spain, 25th April 2016.

• The conflict horizon 3: Only connect, Dan Smith's Blog, April 25, 2014: "A lot of climate-affected migration is likely to be to cities (and probably not across continental distances). And the urban population worldwide is already growing by about 125 million people a year. A demographic shift of unprecedented scale is under way. As people change habitat and ways of life, they face potential disconnection from norms that previously helped them manage relations within their communities and sustain the group’s well-being.
As these changes unfold, there will be some winners and more losers, with more again in between, getting by. Among the winners will be the conflict entrepreneurs, the gang leaders, the under bosses, while the foot soldiers will be recruited from among those young men who see little other (or, at least, no better) way of avoiding being losers. With most people caught in between."

• The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia.
We thank Linda Hartling for making us aware of it. She wrote on 14th April 2016: "Right now its seems like the world is moving down the path of becoming a global museum of broken relationships. I’m gland we are doing our part to repair, reconnect, and continually replenish relationships in our HumanDHS community!"

• History Has Knocked Very Loudly on Our Door. Will We Answer? World Future Forum 2016 – Opening Speech by Jakob von Uexkull, March 15, 2016.

• Appeal to the Myanmar Peoples (Charter 77-inspired Call for Grassroots Democracy)
Kjell Skyllstad commented on 11th April 2016: "Of course Myanmar has a far longer way to go but I see in many parts of the world the need for creative solutions to rebuild truly sharing communities and prevent destructive conflicts. So this is part of the background for the themes of our coming conference in Dubrovnik September and Bangkok in March 2017 (on creating social spaces through the arts). The world needs a big breathing space and a whole lot of creative brainstorming right now. Love Kjell"

• Laszlo, Alexander (2015). Living systems, seeing systems, being systems: Learning to be the system that we wish to see in the world. In Spanda Journal, I (2, Systemic Change).

• Inspired by New York’s High Line, If Not Always Copying It, by Grace Chua, Citiscope, April 8, 2016.

• Kardan, Omid, Peter Gozdyra, Bratislav Misic, Faisal Moola, Lyle J. Palmer, Tomáš Paus, and Marc G. Berman (2015). Neighborhood Greenspace and Health in a Large Urban Center. In Scientific Reports, 5, pp. Article 11610, doi: 10.1038/srep10.
Abstract: Studies have shown that natural environments can enhance health and here we build upon that work by examining the associations between comprehensive greenspace metrics and health. We focused on a large urban population center (Toronto, Canada) and related the two domains by combining high-resolution satellite imagery and individual tree data from Toronto with questionnaire-based self-reports of general health perception, cardio-metabolic conditions and mental illnesses from the Ontario Health Study. Results from multiple regressions and multivariate canonical correlation analyses suggest that people who live in neighborhoods with a higher density of trees on their streets report significantly higher health perception and significantly less cardio-metabolic conditions (controlling for socio-economic and demographic factors). We find that having 10 more trees in a city block, on average, improves health perception in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $10,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $10,000 higher median income or being 7 years younger. We also find that having 11 more trees in a city block, on average, decreases cardio-metabolic conditions in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $20,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $20,000 higher median income or being 1.4 years younger.
- See also: Scientists Have Discovered that Living Near Trees Is Good for Your Health, by Chris Mooney, The Washington Post, July 9, 2015.

• Toward Habitat III: World Cities at a Crossroads: Science has a key part to play in planning the future of cities, by Charles Ebikeme.
Science has a key part to play in planning the future of cities This role must be recognized at Habitat III and formalized in the New Urban Agenda.

• Sassen, Saskia (2014). Expulsions: Brutality and Complexity in the Global Economy. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

• "Genocide: History Repeating," by Robert Kazandjian, Media Diversified, July 12, 2015.

• Asian-Arab Philosophical Dialogues on Culture of Peace and Human Dignity, edited by Darryl R. J. Macer, Bangkok: UNESCO Bangkok, Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.

• Dubrovnik in crisis: UNESCO has issued a warning to the Dubrovnik city management who has approved plans for a massive touristic driven "development" that would destroy the city character more effectively than the bombardment 25 years ago. Action is urgently needed. Please read www.whc.unesco.org/en/soc/2827.

• Schätze der Welt (Folge 88): Dubrovnik, Kroatien, Film von Christian Romanowski, Südwestrundfunk (SWR, "Southwest Broadcasting," a regional public broadcasting corporation serving the southwest of Germany, specifically the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate) 26th October 2014.

• Lamb, Terry (2015). "Towards a Plurilingual Habitus: Engendering Interlinguality in Urban Spaces." In International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 10 (2), pp. 151-65, doi: 10.1080/22040552.2015.1113848. Abstract: This article focuses on the potential of the multilingual city to create spaces in which monolingual hegemonies may be challenged, inclusive, intercultural values may be nurtured, and plurilingualism may be valorised. Following a contextualisation of linguistic diversity in theories of globalisation and superdiversity, discourses of deficit and power are addressed, arguing that the problematisation of multilingualism and pathologisation of plurilingualism reflect a monolingual habitus. Bringing about a shift towards a plurilingual habitus requires a Deep Approach, as it involves a critical revaluing of deep-seated dispositions. It suggests that the city offers spaces, which can engender interlinguality, a construct that includes interculturality, criticality and a commitment to creative and flexible use of other languages in shared, pluralistic spaces. It then proposes critical, participatory and ethnographic research in three multidimensional spaces: the urban school and a potential interlingual curriculum; networks, lobbying for inclusive policy and organising celebratory events in public spaces; and grass roots-level local spaces, some created by linguistic communities to exercise agency and maintain their languages and cultures, and some emerging as linguistically hybrid spaces for convivial encounter.
See also:
Terry Lamb is co-ordinating a joint Council of Europe/European Union project on Supporting Multilingual Classrooms:
This initiative provides training workshops to help member states ensure access to quality education for migrant learners which will help bridge the attainment gap between these learners and non-migrant pupils - highly developed linguistic competences become key transversal competences to support learning, employability and social cohesion.

• A Dangerous Game, US Feature Film, 2014
A follow-up documentary to You've Been Trumped called A Dangerous Game was released in September 2014. The film continues the story of the locals' struggle against Donald Trump but goes further afield also. It features a story in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where a development has been approved to build a luxury golf course on Mount Srđ overlooking Dubrovnik but local residents are campaigning against it and held a referendum which they won but which officials ignored. The film also looks at luxury golf resorts in general, how they damage the natural environment because of high water and pesticide usage, and how they often only serve the super rich whilst bypassing local democracy to please the developers. A Dangerous Game premiered at Hotdocs Film Festival in Canada and subsequently screened at Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Denver Starz, Hamptons International Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, Reykjavik International Film Festival and Bergen International Film Festival. Source: Wikipedia

• "Cities Emerge as Urgent Climate Solution at COP21," by Diego Arguedas Ortiz, IPS-Inter Press Service, December 10, 2015.

• School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester:
- Swyngedouw, Erik, Nik Heynen, and Maria Kaika (2006). In the Nature of Cities: Urban Political Ecology and the Politics of Urban Metabolism. London: Routledge.
- Moulaert, Frank, Erik Swyngedouw, Flavia Martinelli, and Sara Gonzalez (2010). Can Neighbourhoods Save the City? Hoboken, NJ: Taylor and Francis.

• Conference Announcement: Urban Cultures at a Crossroad, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 14-15 September 2015.

• Dual Call for Papers: The Urban Research Plaza’s 14th Urban Culture Forum, March 3 - 4, 2016,
with abstract deadline November 15, 2016, Forum, Journal of Urban Culture Research.

• See the Course Law, History, Politics and Societies in the Context of Mass Atrocities at the Interuniversity Center (IUC) in Dubrovnik.

• In 2014, Lynn King's father just published a book on sustainable future through the emerging technologies of Vertical Cities.

• On first-ever World Cities Day, UN spotlights need for sustainable urban planning
More than two-thirds of the world population – an estimated 5 billion people – will be living in cities by 2030, placing increasing amounts of pressure on housing, services, resources and the environment, according to estimates by UN-Habitat on the occasion of the first-ever World Cities Day on 31 October 2014. Over 60 per cent of urban populations will be under the age of 18.

• Sarajevo My Love
A film by Eylem Kaftan, published on 12th June 2013. "This is the extraordinary story of Jovan Divjak, a top Serbian General, who during the siege of Sarajevo chose to serve in the Bosnian army. Its a story of tested loyalties, of trust and mistrust, all born out of the chaos of war." We thank Ardian Adžanela for telling us about this film!

• Global Estimates 2014: People Displaced by Disasters
In 2013, hurricanes, quakes, tornadoes displace 22 million people in 2013, three times more than wars, and this is due to climate change and an explosive urbanization, see Global Estimates 2014: People Displaced by Disasters, Geneva, Switzerland: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and Norwegian Refugee Council.