Darcia Narvaez, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, U.S.A.

Dignity for me means honoring the unique needs of each person and helping them unfold their unique beauty.

Darcia Narvaez (DAR-sha narv-EYES), Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame in the U.S.A., who studies evolved morality, child development & human flourishing in a transdisciplinary manner, integrating anthropology, neuroscience, clinical, developmental and educational sciences. Her earlier careers include professional musician, business owner, classroom music teacher, classroom Spanish teacher and seminarian, among other things. She grew up bilingual/bicultural but calls the earth her home. Dr. Narvaez’s current research explores how early life experience influences wellbeing and moral character in children and adults. She is A Fellow of American Psychological Association, American Educational Research Association, Association for Psychological Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and former editor of the Journal of Moral Education. She has published numerous articles and chapters, and more than 20 books. Her book, Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom won multiple awards. Recent books include Restoring the Kinship Worldview, and The Evolved Nest. She is president of KindredWorld.org and host of EvolvedNest.org.
Darcia acknowledges her presence at the University of Notre Dame on the traditional homeland of the Pokégnek Bodéwadmik / Pokagon Potawatomi, who have been using this land for education for thousands of years, and continue to do so.

Kindly read Returning to Evolved Nestedness, Wellbeing, and Mature Human Nature, an Ecological Imperative

Short films:
- 6-minute film: Breaking the Cycle (in Spanish and subtitled in 16 languages at YouTube)
- 8-minute film: The Evolved Nest: Nature's Way of Raising Children
- 12-minute film: Reimagining Humanity (in Spanish and Subtitled in 16 languages)
- Watch 2-minute trailer
- Living Life Well — a wonderful conversation with Broderick Rodell. Episode 19, 20th May 2024, one hour
- Darcia Narvaez: The Indigenous Worldview: Original Practices for Becoming and Being Human, 2016, 40 minutes

Message from Evelin Lindner: Thank you so much, dear Darcia, for sharing your most valuable and foundational work with us, in our Dignilogues, and in your lecture Returning to Evolved Nestedness, Wellbeing, and Mature Human Nature, an Ecological Imperative on 20th September, in the Public Event of our conference!
I just watched with great interest 'Living Life Well — a wonderful conversation with Broderick Rodell', Episode 19, 20th May 2024, of one hour. Let me share M Hall's message to the Indigenous Psychologists Taskforce email list:
In this interview, Darcia offers her 'synthesis of interdisciplinary, behavioral science research with indigenous wisdom traditions in response to the question about what it means to live well. She speaks about respect for other life forms, reverence for life, and interpersonal connectedness through what she has felicitously named the "evolved nest," beginning in the perinatal period and extending throughout the life cycle. She identifies eight essential elements of the evolved nest, which she calls “the wellness-promoting pathway, ”the cycle of cooperative companionship.” By contrast, in the prevailing Western-dominated, industrial and post-industrial cultures, humans have, for the most part, lost the evolved nest and been pursuing a “trauma-inducing pathway,” “a cycle of competitive detachment.” The interview, conducted in a friendly, relaxed, accessible manner, provides Darcia’s wise, systemic, multivariate, down-to-earth model for eudaemonic human thriving'

Academic papers: The Evolved Nest (Evolved Developmental Niche)
Co-Founder, EvolvedNest.Org (podcasts, info, and monthly newsletter)
Website: DarciaNarvaez.com
Blog: The Nested Pathway
Twitter: @MoralLandscapes, @EvolvedNest
Facebook: Moral Landscapes, EvolvedNest
Youtube: Evolved Nest Initiative, DarciaNarvaez
SoundCloud (podcasts): Evolved Nest
Archived Blog at Psychology Today: Moral Landscapes

Irene Castro Rivas, Madrid

As my research revolves around humiliation, I would like to deepen my knowledge on dignity as its positive counterpartt.
What does dignity or humiliation mean to you? I study humiliation in the context of social rejection, as a result of the internalization of an unfair devaluation of the self.

Irene Castro Rivas is a Predoctoral Psychology researcher at UNED, Spain. Her thesis focuses on the emotional experience of social rejection.

Message from Evelin Lindner: It was wonderful to meet you at the 2023 EASP Conference in Kraków! I fascinated by your important research! A BIG welcome to our conference!

Alberto García-Peñas, Dr.-Ing., Madrid

I appreciate the opportunity to engage in such meaningful discussions connecting the technical aspects of circular engineering with vital social and ethical dimensions.

Alberto García-Peñas is an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, where he has been teaching since September 2019. He serves as the director of the Master's degree in Circular Engineering, a program he has led since June 2023, and is also the secretary for academic affairs at the "Álvaro Alonso Barba" Institute of Chemistry and Materials Technology. His research focuses on polymers, biopolymers, biomedicine, and biosensors, and he has published over 50 scientific articles in reputable journals. Dr. García-Peñas specialises in correlating microstructural features and properties of polypropylene-based materials. His work has earned him recognition, including ten awards and distinctions such as the Borealis Student Innovation Award and accolades from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) for his doctoral thesis. Additionally, he is the founder of the Cirmat Symposium and organises the Cirmat conference of 2024 in Tenerife in August 2024, focussing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He has played a key role in developing the first Master's program in Circular Engineering in Spain. Through his contributions, Dr. García-Peñas has significantly impacted materials science and engineering, particularly in the areas of polymer research and circular engineering education.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Alberto, thank you so much for your kind email from 25th August 2024! You write:

I am truly honored and excited by the opportunity to be part of this conference and lead a Dignilogue session. I’ve watched the video you shared, and I appreciate the thoughtful approach you take in creating a space for deep, informal reflections. It resonates deeply with my own values and the work I am passionate about.
I would be delighted to contribute and lead a session as you described. The collaborative spirit of shaping the schedule together on the first day sounds both engaging and inspiring. I’m also excited about the idea of crafting a "message to the world" with everyone involved—what a powerful way to amplify the insights from our dialogue.
I look forward to participating throughout the entire conference and connecting with all the wonderful members of this global dignity network. It’s a privilege to be invited to join such a meaningful community.

Macarena Morales Perez, Global Dignity Spain

Macarena Morales Perez is the Global Dignity Spain Office Director and the Executive Director at the AYO Foundation, a non-profit organisation that generates personal and professional development opportunities for people at risk of social exclusión.
She also carries out research and knowledge systematisation in various topics, including CSR, sustainability, and economic development. Macarena has developed her professional career in non-profit organizations and consulting companies in Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa and Asia, with roles of management, evaluation, and strategic consulting. She is a graduate of Law and Business Administration from the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid, and holds a Master’s Degree in International Humanitarian Aid from University College Dublin and a Master in Administration from Harvard University.
Global Dignity is an international initiative aimed at promoting the inherent worth and value of every individual, regardless of their background. Its primary aim is to promote the inherent worth and value of every individual, regardless of their background. The organization is guided by five core principles: the right to pursue one's purpose, the need for equitable access to education and resources, respect for individual identities and beliefs, the obligation to strengthen the dignity of others, and the imp

Lina Arafat, Amman, Jordan

Dignity, to me, means recognizing and respecting the inherent worth of every individual, regardless of their circumstances. As a diplomat and political advisor to the ICRC, attending the Global Dignity Conference will allow me to engage with key stakeholders.

Lina Arafat is an ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in Jordan. She has had a distinguished career in diplomacy, and also played an important role in business development, advocacy, technical cooperation, and public diplomacy, which have been integral to her prosition at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other organizations. She has wide experience working with international governmental and non-governmental organizations in the fields of democratic development and governance.
Arafat has previously served as the Director of the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy, where she played a significant role in enhancing diplomatic training and fostering international relations for Jordan. Arafat was also the former director of the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) alumni network in Jordan from 2007 to 2015. In this capacity, she was instrumental in promoting regional cooperation and development through various programs and initiatives. Additionally, she has been recognized in various forums, such as the UNOPS Possibilities Forum in Amman.
Arafat's professional journey includes also serving as a Regional Program Manager for the American Bar Association's Rule of Law Initiative from 2004 to 2007. Her earlier roles include positions with Chemonics International, the Welfare Association, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.
Her educational background includes a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Mass Communications from The American University in Cairo and a Master's degree in Global Diplomacy and International Affairs from the United Nations Graduate Study Program. Arafat is multilingual, speaking Arabic, English, French, and Spanish.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Lina Arafat, we are absolutely delighted to welcome you in our conference! A very warm welcome to you! We so much missed you in our Dignity Conference in Amman in September 2022, convened by His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, and we are MORE than delighted and happy to have you with us in Madrid!

Damián Gallegos Lemos, MD, Madrid

Damián Gallegos Lemos is a Career Officer Physician in the Spanish Ministry of Health, more specifically, the Head of the Health Promotion Service for Vulnerable Groups. He is a medical doctor and and family therapist.

Originally from Ecuador, Damián Gallegos Lemos completed his medical degree in 2001 and finished his residency in Family Medicine in 2005. He furthered his education with a Master in Administration of Health Services from Pompeu Fabra University in Spain in 2015, a Master in Public Health from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium in 2008, and a Master's in Systemic Family Intervention and Therapy from the Polytechnic Salesian University of Ecuador in 2007. In Ecuador, he worked extensively as a family doctor and systemic family therapist, assisting families facing challenges such as migration, addictions, and domestic violence. He also developed a program to strengthen families dealing with chronic diseases like diabetes. Additionally, Dr. Gallegos Lemos has held teaching positions in Public Health at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador and the European University in Madrid, focusing on subjects such as Public Health, Ethics, and Professional Deontology.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Damián, we are so privileged to have you with us in our conference! It was a great privilege to meet you in 2020 in the Webinar titled Disastershock, lead by Brian A. Gerrard (PhD, Chief Academic Officer of the Western Institute for Social Research, Berkeley, California, and the Chair of the Institute for School-Based Family Counseling) on 16th May 2020. Dear Damián, you presented such important work from Spain and Ecuador!
You reviewed this book: Gerrard, Brian A., Emily J. Hernandez, and Sibnath Deb (Eds.) (2023). School-Based Family Counseling for Crisis and Disaster: Global Perspectives. New York, NY: Routledge. This was your review:
'There is little doubt that the book in this fast-developing area will become a seminal addition to the field of the Psychology of Education, specifically in School-based family counseling. This relevant book takes an in-depth look at how school personnel can prepare school communities (students, families, and school staff) to cope with the stress of major crises and disasters. This book will be consulted around the world, not only by academics, but also by teachers, students of education, and curriculum developers who are looking for practical and inspiring ideas about instruction in our age of global challenges. I am sure of the book’s future success, both in distribution, reaching broad audiences, and being regularly used for reference and study'.
— Damián Gallegos-Lemos, MD, Family Physician and Family Therapist, Senior Specialist ICT & Health, Health Intelligence (Electronical Medical Record) at Spanish Ministry of Health, Madrid, Spain.

Isabel Barroso, Ph.D., Tarragona, Catalonia

Dignity, to me, means being able to develop your true essence; humiliation means a way to destroy people's inner soul by power abuse. I believe that sharing views with concerned people is the only way to fulfill our goals as a human community!

Isabel Barroso is based in Tarragona, Catalunya. After earning a Degree in Linguistics and a Degree in Comparative Literature at the University of Barcelona, she moved to Japan where she got a Ph.D. in Shintoism - Comparative Religions Studies from Kokugakuin University in Tokyo. There she developed a deep concern for the vulnerability of dignity through power abuse. Back in Tarragona again, she is works on a new PhD in Philosophy concerning the aesthetic experience of temporality in traditional Japan. On 10th November 2021, she kindly wrote: I wish to share views in order to enlarge the community of promotors of a new concept of humankind based in dignified human relationships.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Isabel, you have no idea what a gift you are to our global dignity work, all the way back to 2010, when you first got in touch with us! We so much value your sensitivity for dignity and how it can be violated! We are so privileged to have you with us! Thank you so much that you always so kindly offer your support, as, for example, in our 2020 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict at Columbia University in New York (Video)!

Nora Femenia, Ph.D., Conflict Resolution Professor, Mediation Trainer and Relationship Coach, Florida, U.S.A.

Dignity and humiliation for me: I have been researching the impact of humiliation for a long time.

Nora Femenia, Ph.D., is a Professor of Conflict Resolution and Consensus Building at the Labor Center at Florida International University, where she teaches courses in conflict management, cross-cultural communication, and organizational conflict systems design, both in English and Spanish. She has done extensive research and writing on the resolution of the Falklands-Malvinas conflict, exploring the emotional roots of war-prone governmental decision-making.
She has held full time teaching positions at Nova Southeastern University, the School for International Training and was Visiting Scholar at SAIS, and American University. Nora has been invited to teach at several universities in Spain, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, and is known for her work in Spanish at www.inter-mediacion.com.
Please see here:
• Healing Humiliation and the Need for Revenge, paper submitted to the 2007 Workshop on Humiliation and Violent Conflict, Columbia University, New York City, December 13-14, 2007.
• Humiliation Dynamics and A Therapy of Social Action: A Path to Restore Dignity after Domestic Violence, paper discussed at the International Workshop: "Humiliation Dynamics and Restorative Dialogue," Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Gipuzkoa, Spain, 10-11 April 2008.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Nora, how wonderful that you will be with us in person in Madrid! It will be such a gift to see you again after 18 years! A very warm welcome! I just read The Story Behind Dr. Nora’s Work, how touching!

Gabriele Rabkin, Ph.D., Hamburg, Germany

From my point of view, the concept of dignity for all living beings highlights the idea that every form of life should be treated with respect and compassion. Dignity towards all living beings strengthens a sense of respect and empathy in us and — as a holistic approach — emphasises the interconnectedness of all life. It advocates for example the respectful treatment of animals and our environment. Fostering a culture of dignity can gradually strengthen communities and help to create a foundation for peace by promoting respect and understanding for each other.
I am a member of the group Friedensinitiave der Universität Hamburg preparing the Dignity Conference in Hamburg 2026.

Gabriele Rabkin was a pivotal figure in the development and implementation of the Family Literacy (FLY) project in Hamburg, Germany. She worked at the State Institute for Teacher Training and School Development (Landesinstitut für Lehrerbildung und Schulentwicklung) in Hamburg, where she led the Family Literacy project until February 2017.
After February 2017, Gabriele Rabkin shifted her focus to peace education through the arts. She is currently associated with the Center for Peace Education and Peacebuilding (Zentrum für Friedensbildung und Peacebuilding) at the University of Hamburg. Her work in this field explores the potential for intra- and interpersonal perspective shifts through artistic engagement within the framework of peace education.
Gabriele Rabkin completed her promotion to Dr. phil. at the pedagogical institute of the University of Hamburg in 1998, with a dissertation on the topic of Schreibanregungen in Theorie und Praxis under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Gunter Otto and Prof. Dr. Mechthild Dehn.
The Family Literacy (FLY) project in Hamburg was initiated in the 2004/2005 school year as the first German pilot project focused on family literacy. It was part of a five-year model program called 'Promotion of Children and Youth with Migration Background - FÖRMIGæ, which was funded by the Federal and State Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion (BLK). The project was a collaborative effort between the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the State Institute for Teacher Training and School Development (LI) in Hamburg.
FLY aimed to enhance language learning and literacy among children while also empowering parents to support their children's educational journey. The project focused on the critical transition period between preschool and primary school, actively involving parents in their children's early literacy education. It had three main components: active participation of parents in the classroom, parent work parallel to classroom instruction, and joint extracurricular activities.
Evaluation results demonstrated that the project successfully helped parents support their children's language development at home, provided valuable information about the education system, and facilitated greater involvement of parents in kindergartens, preschools, and schools. Gabriele Rabkin's leadership and innovative approach to family literacy in Hamburg have been widely recognized for their positive impact on children's language and literacy development, as well as on parental involvement in education.

Message from Evelin Lindner: A very warm welcome to our conference, dear Gabriele! We are very happy to have you with us!

Renée Hattar, Ph.D., Amman, Jordan

Dignity means value, respect, and sanctity of life to me.

Renée Hattar is the Director of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS) in Amman, Jordan. She holds a Ph.D. in Peace Studies from the University of Granada-Spain, specialising in Music and Peace with a focus on Arab Christian Studies, Interfaith, and Peacebuilding.
As the head of RIIFS, Dr. Hattar oversees an organisation that was established in 1994 under the patronage of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal. The institute aims to promote interfaith dialogue, peace, and cultural understanding both regionally and globally.
In her role, Dr. Hattar has been instrumental in developing innovative approaches to spiritual education, including a pilot course called Spirituality and Self Development that explores universal spiritual values with young leaders from diverse backgrounds. She has participated in international conferences and roundtables, workshops and trainings, representing RIIFS in discussions on Arab Christian studies, peacebuilding, music and peace, PVE, dialogue and religious tolerance, and inter-faith relations.
Prior to her current position, Dr. Hattar served as the Head of International Studies, Programs and Projects at RIIFS. Her work involves fostering engaged communities, building partnerships among specialists and religious leaders, and promoting dialogue as a tool for countering intolerance and extremism. Dr. Hattar's expertise and leadership contribute to RIIFS's mission of providing a venue for interdisciplinary study of intercultural and inter-religious issues, with the ultimate goal of defusing tensions and promoting peaceful coexistence. Renée is an Alumni of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

Mesage from Evelin Lindner: Dear Renée, what a privilege to have you with us! We have no words to thank you for being such a wonderful host for our 37th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'From United Nations to United People: From the Brink of Disaster to a Future of Dignity' organised by the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies with the World Dignity University Initiative under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, in Amman and online from 5th – 7th September 2022!

Fatma Susan Tufan, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dearest Fatma, you have no idea how much we value your deep wisdom and sensitivity! Few people have understood the dynamics of dignity and its violation through humiliation as profoundly as you have! What is particularly difficult to see and to address is unconscious bias. In your wonderfully loving and caring way, you make us all see things we were not able to see before! Thank you for being such a gift of dignity to the world and to us!

Fatma Susan Tufan has been a member of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies since 2019. She holds a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Peace and Justices from Moravian University, Pennsylvania., U.S.A., and an M.A. in the Social-Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City. She also completed an Advanced Certificate Program in Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at the Morton-Deutsch International Cooperation and Conflict Resolution Center, Columbia University.
In her work, Fatma primarily focuses on sustainable solutions to drivers of conflict in human relations. She has 18 years of experience in Interfaith Dialogue. Currently, she is working on turning her dialogue and constructive conflict related real-life experiences into stories to share with the rest of the world. Fatma identifies herself as a global citizen. [read more]

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dearest Fatma! We have no words to thank you for your dignifying presence in this world! You are such a gift to the world and to our dignity community. Your loving wisdom is priceless! We are blessed to have you as Senior Partner and Advisor in our Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies organisation!

Saoud El Mawla, Professor, Ph.D., Quatar and Lebanon

Dignity means all what I fought for in my life, academically and actively as an activist. I was a colleague of late Professor Howard Richards at Earlham College, Indiana. I am interested in renewing my connection with your work after the passing of my friend and comrade Howard Richards.

Saoud El Mawla is a retired professor of sociology who worked with social movements in the Islamic societies and the struggle for Dignity all his life. In recent years, El Mawla has been a visiting professor at the Doha Institute and a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Council for Global Affairs in Doha, Qatar. He continues to be an influential figure in the fields of Islamic studies and Middle Eastern socio-political research.
Saoud El Mawla was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1953. He pursued his education in philosophy and psychology, earning a French License from the Lebanese University in 1975 and a French CAPES in 1977. He furthered his studies in social history at the Sorbonne in Paris, completing a DEA in 1980, and went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Islamic Civilisation and Islamic Studies from the same institution in 1984.
El Mawla is multilingual, fluent in Arabic, French, and English. His research interests span Islamic studies, philosophy, socio-anthropology, and the history of the Middle East and Muslim societies, with a focus on cultural and religious anthropology, religion and politics, comparative religion, and political sociology of the Arab world.
Throughout his academic career, El Mawla has taught various subjects. He served as a professor at the Lebanese University, teaching general sociology and political and religious sociology from 1986 to 2003 and again from 2006 to 2013. He also taught at Earlham College in Indiana as a Fulbright visiting professor in 2001 and as a professor from 2003 to 2006, focussing on Islamic history and civilisation, peace and global studies, and interfaith studies. Additionally, he has held teaching positions at Saint Joseph University, Balamand University, Haygazian University, and the American University of Beirut.
El Mawla has been actively involved in numerous initiatives and organisations. He co-founded several dialogue and civil society groups, including the Permanent Congress of Lebanese Dialogue and the National Committee for Muslim-Christian Dialogue. He has also served as Secretary General of the Islamic Association for Charity and Culture and the Imam Shamseddine Foundation in Lebanon.
His academic contributions include a variety of publications and translations. He has authored books on topics such as Muslim-Christian dialogue, Islamic movements, and sociology of religion. El Mawla has also translated significant works into Arabic, including texts by Mircea Eliade and Michel Maffesoli.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Professor Saoud El Mawla, we will be so happy to have you with us in our conference! We all miss Howard Richards very much and we are so glad that he introduced you to us! A very warm welcome to you!

Craig Tuck, Mount Maunganu, New Zealand

Dignity for me is of professional interest, as I am the director of LawAid International, with a criminal law and human rights focus. Human dignity is at the heart of our criminal justice practice, it is a core value about how systems should operate in society.

Craig Tuck is a lawyer of 30 years who has worked in criminal justice most of his life, living in New Zealand, but working all over the world. Quoting from lawaid.co.nz: Craig Tuck is the Founder and Director of LawAid International Chambers. He is a Barrister and Litigation Director specializing in human rights cases and transnational criminal law - especially in the Southern Hemisphere. Craig trained in England and New Zealand and has two master's degrees, including an MPhil in criminology from the Law Faculty at Cambridge University. Craig has a high-profile in media presence in print, online, and film. Craig is responsible for the planning and implementation of large-scale civil and criminal litigation requiring diverse teams of specialists, dealing with complex jurisdiction and procedural issues, on land and sea. Craig has received commendations and references from the United Nations for strategic litigation in the maritime sector (involving human trafficking for forced labour). Craig has directly acted for victims of human trafficking, security personnel, rock stars, diplomats, people charged with organized crime or detained abroad. He has successfully taken numerous cases against government departments – including Police, Justice and Corrections, and has successfully achieved legal remedies against multi-national corporations. Craig has spoken at international conferences about strategic litigation and has advised a number of international NGOS on aspects of strategic litigation that advances the rule of law. For direct contact, consulting, public speaking or representation – please contact service@lawaidinternational.org.

Message from Evelin Lindner: A very warm welcome to our conference, dear Craig, together with your wife Tracey Scott! We are very happy to have you both with us!

Georg-Wilhelm Geckler, Dipl.-Ing., Hameln, Germany

Dignity for me is the quality of every living being, received byr birth. It is humiliating to offend dignity. The topic of this conference speaks to the repair of the violation of nature by the industrialised societies. I see this repair as an urgent task.

Georg-Wilhelm Geckler, Dipl.-Ing., joined the Global Core Team in January 2020. He is a mechanical engineer who worked in a company constructing depositories for radioactive waste. Since October 2015 he is retired, moved to Hameln in Lower Saxony, Germany, and works voluntarily for the integration of Yazidi refugees from Iraq and in a Lutheran perish council. He is also a European Climate Pact Ambassador in Germany. His interests are ethics, financial economics, ecology, philosophy, and genealogy and he is eager to contribute for a future of global dignity.
Georg Geckler was born Dec. 10, 1951 in Hamburg/North Germany and went to school in the mountainous south of Germany. After Practical Training in Surrey/England and studying Mechanical Engineering at Universities in Clausthal and Western Berlin (TU Berlin) he joined his parents in their trading company that exported high precision machine tools and tools to the Near and Middle East as junior partner. On business trips he saw Teheran/Iran, Cairo/Egypt and a large part of Europe. In the beginning eighties this company had to be sold and Georg worked for three years in the crude oil and gas business. He visited Houston/TX, went to the Halliburton School in Great Yarmouth/England several times, and lived in towns all over Western Germany and also in Vienna/Austria. When crude oil and gas and also the US-Dollar came into a financial crisis in 1984 he had to move to his new field of business: He started to work in the DBE for 28 years, a company founded to plan, build, and run depositories for radioactive waste produced within Germany.
His interests are ethics, financial economics, ecology, philosophy, and genealogy.
Please see:
• "Message to the World" (Text | Video) recorded on November 30, 2020, for the 2020 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict, Virtual, Columbia University, New York City, December 10 – 12, 2020.
• Reduce Overproduction! Hamelin, Germany, November 2020.
• Georg Geckler's report of the Dignity Conference in Amman, Jordan, in September 2022 (concluded in May 2023 in English and German)

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Georg, your ongoing support is a great treasure for our global dignity community! Thank you so much for unwavering dedication to dignity!

Stefanie Dinkelbach, Ph.D., Independent scholar and artist, Cork, Ireland

Dignity for me is experienced when the connection to the self, to others and to the world is established thereby engendering the potential for mindful, empathic and peaceful co-existence. Humiliation means to me the loss of connection to the group and to the self, caused by trauma and its causal connection to violence.

Stefanie kindly shared on 18th July 2024: I have looked at trauma as a reason for a loss of this connection and in this context tried to establish an understanding of German history and the Holocaust as an extreme occurence of violence. I am referring to studies from various disciplines including neurobiology, psychology and psychotherapy, sociology, history as well as anthropology to outline the causal connection between trauma and violence and to point towards approaches that have the potential to counter this loss of connection. In this way dignity can be established and preserved, thereby paving a path to peace.
I have published my research as a blog series under the following links:
https://crinklefilms.ie/blog/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHznNS35kp0y43jxt19xbrw

I would be more than happy to lead one of the Digilogues on Wednesday or Thursday. the title will be: Trauma, Loss of Dignity and Violence in the Context of Human History: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Stefanie, it wiil be a great gift to have you with us in our conference! A very warm welcome to you!

Jeffrey Mensendiek, U.S.A., Kobe, Japan

Dignity for me is like a treasure each person carries and something we want to be respected. Humiliation is used to hurt dignity.

Dear Jeffrey, we are very happy that our dear Donna Hicks inspired you and brought you to us! A very warm welcome to you!

Tambay Mansaray, Saint James College, Sierra Leone

Dignity typically denotes the attribute of deserving respect. It encompasses the act of showing respect to oneself and others. The topic interest me because it will provide me with more knowledge on how to create respectful and decent society for all. As the founder of a school for disadvantaged youth in Sierra Leone, I understand the significance of dignity in supporting vulnerable individuals. We provide post seconday school education to underprivilede youths.

Saint James College in Lungi, Northern Sierra Leone is an educational institution located in Robis Lungi, Port-Loko District, in the Northern region of Sierra Leone. The college aims to provide a supportive learning environment for its students.
Saint James College offers various educational services, including courses designed for individuals who are new to the field of education and lack formal qualifications.
The college maintains an online presence through its website and LinkedIn profile, which allows it to share updates, news, and job opportunities with its community. Additionally, Saint James College values cultural preservation and heritage, as evidenced by their social media posts encouraging the preservation of traditions inherited from ancestors. The college has a staff directory for those seeking to connect with specific employees or departments within the institution.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Tambay, a very warm welcome to you!

Anne-Grete Bjørlo [TBC]

Anne-Grete Bjørlo hails from Norway and lives now in Spain, together with her husband. She attended the Librarian School in Oslo, Norway (from 1974 to 1978), and has worked as a manager of small local libraries. Towards the end of her career, she was the manager of a local library in Koppang in the Stor-Elvdal Municipality in Norway, where she met her husband through a joint project.
Anne-Grete has also studied orthomolekular medicine (nutrition and health) and rehabilitation at Harstad College, from 2001 to 2003, and between 1998 and 2006, she had her own tourist business in North-Norway, where she was guiding, ran a museum and a cafe and offered bed & breakfast. Her dream to create a small scale Oasis of Peace where writers and peaceworkers can come and recharge their batteries has been put aside due to her husbands detoriating health. He has now only 20% lung capacity left due to a genetic lung disease, uses a wheelchair outdoors most of the time, and has to use extra oxygen. When we saw how difficult life in Norway would be with ice and snow in the winter, we decided to move to Spain. In Spain, we observe that disabled people are around and that they are met with dignity and respect. I have also learned how important it is for me as the main care-taker to also take care of myself. Due to the theme of this conference, I found it interesting to join. Living a good life in spite of it, instead of because of it, this is what we have practised.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dearest Anne-Grete, how wonderful that our dear Abou Bakar brought us together in 2008! He was the posthumous recipient of the 2013 HumanDHS Lifetime Award. We so much value the loving care that you offer to everyone around you!

Albert Joe S. Bongay, The Gambia

Human dignity, to me, refers to the intrinsic worth of human beings that demands utmost respect. This concept offers reflections on the predicament we as humankind face, as well as offering a way forward.

Albert Joe S. Bongay is an environmental sector management professional and currently the Executive Director for Young Volunteers for the Environment (YVE), an organisation focused on environmental and youth engagement initiatives. Through his role at YVE-Gambia and his participation in international environmental forums, Albert Joe S. Bongay shows his commitment to environmental causes and entrusting youth with responsibility in The Gambia.
Bongay has been involved in various activities related to youth engagement and environmental issues:
- He has given presentations on human development and youth engagement (kindly see a video uploaded to the YVE-Gambia YouTube channel).
- Bongay participated in the 2015 Youth in Landscapes Initiative, where he created a video showcasing his work as an environmentalist and community development specialist.
- He has been listed as a participant in United Nations Environment Programme events, representing Young Volunteers for the Environment.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Albert, we value your commitment to environmental causes and entrusting youth with responsibility in The Gambia!

Samuel Mulumeoderhwa, DR Congo

Humiliation means shame. From humiliation to dignity and solidarity, this is a methodology for dignifying dialogue among one another.

Pastor Samuel Mulumeoderhwa and his wife started the Peace and Conflict Resolution (PCR) Foundation in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. The PCR Foundation is a peacebuilding organisation involving efforts to promote peace and resolve conflicts in an area that has experienced significant unrest.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Samuel, we value your efforts to promote peace and resolve conflicts in an area that has experienced significant unrest!

Deepak Tripathi, Ph.D., FRHistS, British historian of the Greater Middle East and South Asia, Woking, Surrey County, United Kingdom

Dignity for me: It is only through solidarity and concerted efforts that human dignity to preserve life and make the most of it can be achieved. Dignity is essential for preservation of human life, environment and our existence.

Deepak Tripathi, Ph.D., FRHistS, is a British historian of the Greater Middle East and South Asia with a particular emphasis on the Cold War and the United States in the post-Soviet world. He is a former honorary research fellow in social sciences at the University of Roehampton in London. Among his books is A Journey Through Turbulence (Dignity Press, 2013). ... Earlier, he spent his long career in journalism (1974–1977), primarily in the BBC where he was a correspondent, commentator and editor. In the early 1990s, Tripathi set up the BBC Bureau in Kabul and was the corporation's resident correspondent in Afghanistan. He also reported from Syria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.  [read more]

Congratulations with your new book, dear Deepak!
The Impact of Wars on World Politics, 1775–2023: Hope and Dispair
With a Foreword by Evelin Lindner

Ella Autti, Rovaniemi, Finland

Ella Autti is currently undertaking PhD research into shame and humiliation in healthcare work communities at the University of Lapland, Finland. She aims to pursue an understanding of the dialogues and systems that humiliate or cause shame in work settings. She holds a master's degree in social sciences and has a background in marketing and communications. Ella is filled with a desire to help healthcare organizations to have mutually respectful and dignified work cultures.
Kindly see:
• "Over the Rainbow" (Video), sung at the First World Dignity University Initiative Workshop, titled "For People and the Planet: Learning for a Future of Dignity," hosted online on December 9, 2022, representing the 19th Annual Workshop co-hosted by Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Teachers College, Columbia University.
• Graphics:


Message from Evelin Lindner: Dearest Ella! We have no words to thank you for your wonderful support for our global dignity community! Your loving wisdom is priceless!

Hayal Köksal, Istanbul, Turkey

Dignity for me: Carrying the pride and honour of being a wise person and acting accordingly for the benefit of others. Individuals must learn how to be dignified persons in time but if this is realized altogether, with the support of others, the influence will be larger and the speed of success will be higher.

At the 2020 workshop at Columbia University in New York, Hayal described dignity as follows: The quality of being worthy of honor or respect. Being satisfied with self and working to bring sistership/brotherhood to the world people for the sake of happy and healthy future generations.

Thank you so much, dear Hayal, for the "Message to the World" of 2021 (Video | Video recorded on November 4, 2021), and your 2020 "Message to the World" that you recorded on November 28, 2020 (Video)! And thank you for sharing your paper on peace training titled Training Peace-Focused and More Qualified New Generation: Turkey Case, 2019. Congratulations with your 2024 book Catch Your Kids in Time for Education: A practical guide to quality education for future generations!


Kindly click on the images above to see more

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dearest Hayal, we will never forget the loving care with which you hosted our 2010 Dignity Conference in Istanbul, Turkey! And then you came to New York City for our 2014 workshop! We are deeply thankful to you!

Wellington Marinho de Lira, Ph.D., Professor at Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Goiana, Pernambuco, Brazil [TBC]

Wellington Marinho de Lira is natural of Recife, Pernambuco State, located in the Northeast of Brazil. He is an Applied Linguist and has worked as an Adjunct Professor at the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), since 2009. He earned a Ph.D. in Educational Sciences with a specialty in Education in Foreign Languages from the University of Minho in Portugal (2021) and a Master's Degree in Linguistics from the Federal University of Pernambuco (2004). He is a specialist in translation and interpretation in English, a degree earned also from the Federal University of Pernambuco (2004), and a Degree in "Letras" licensed in English Vernacular teaching from the Catholic University of Pernambuco (1997). [read more]

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Wellington, how wonderful it was to meet you in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 2012, and to welcome you later that year in our dignity conference in Oslo! We are deeply thankful to you!

Kamolrat Intaratat, Ph.D., Bangkok, Thailand

Kamolrat Intaratat, Ph.D., is the director and founder of the Research Center of Communication and Development Knowledge Management (CCDKM) at the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) in Nonthaburi, in the northern outskirts of Bangkok in Thailand. She is also the Chair of the Communication Arts for ASEAN International Program (Master Degree Program).

Kjell Skyllstad brought Kamolrat Intaratat to our dignity community. She travelled for 42 hours, together with her colleagues Piyachat, from Bangkok to join us in our 2019 Dignity Conference in the Brasilian Amazon.

Martha Eddy, RSMT, CMA, Ed.D., New York City

Dignity for me is internal — I know I have value and purpose, and external — I can dignify others by being caring and curious without judgement.

Dearest Martha, what a gift that Pascal Rocha and Karen Bradley brought you to us in 2010! Thank you for offering a DigniStretch Activity to us on Day Two (Video) and thank you so much for pre-recording also DigniCalm and DigniStretch activities on December 4, 2020!

As introduction, you recommended How to Be Alone...
Thank you for your profound global dignity work: Somatic Resources for Stressful Times | Global Water Dances Mission | Global Water Dances (GWD) YouTube Channel | Global Water Dance: Documentary, 3 minutes | Global Water Dance, 12 minutes

Michael Britton, Highland Park, New Jersey, U.S.A.

Dignity for me is empathy everywhere whereby everyone's growing into wise living matters more than money, power, status.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Michael, thank you so much for your great text on Democracy and Dignity that you wrote for this conference! What a gift it is to have you as a core pillar of our dignity work since 2006! Thank you so much for kindly accepting that we honored you with our 2017 Lifetime Commitment Award! I will never forget how we met on November 14, 2006, when you kindly attended my presentation titled Humiliation and the Roots of Violence: Human Conflict in a Globalizing World, to which our dear Philip Brown had invited me at the New Jersey Center for Character Education, Center for Applied Psychology, Rutgers University, New Jersey. I still have some pictures.

Democracy and Dignity, Michael Britton, 24th July 2024.

In the annual Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict that takes place each year at Columbia University, you hold the Don Klein Celebration Lecture in place of the lecture that Don Klein held each year until he passed away in 2007, titled The Humiliation Dynamic: Looking Back... Looking Forward.

Thank you so much, dear Michael, for co-editing this important and most touching book, and for writing the Introduction:
Human Dignity: Practices, Discourses, and Transformations: Essays on Dignity Studies in Honor of Evelin G. Lindner. Edited by Chipamong Chowdhury, Michael F. Britton, and Linda M. Hartling. Lake Oswego, OR: Dignity Press, 2019.

Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad, Ph.D., Dhaka, Bangladesh, Center for General Education, Manarat International University

Dignity for me is the desire to honour a person and humiliation is the public embarrassment from a situation.
I would like to lead a Dignilogue and share a paper on 'Humiliation, Shame, and Suicide in Bangladesh: Way to Overcome'.

Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Center of General Education (GED), as well as Assistant Adviser for Student's Welfare at Manrat International University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has completed his M.A. degree in Peace Education at the United Nations mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. Md. Azad has a bachelor’s degree and another Master’s degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has worked as a Research Assistant for USAID, where his research topic was “Pre-primary and Primary Madrasah Education in Bangladesh”. He has joined in the "Generations For Peace, Amman, Jordan, Training Camp-2009" in 2009, the “Curriculum Development Workshop on Peace Education in Islamic Context” in Toronto, Canada, in 2006, and in Yogyakarta in Indonesia in 2007. He did voluntary work for a variety of organizations that dealt with natural disasters in Bangladesh ranging from Rotary Club to Bangladesh National Cadet Corps, to Bangladesh Tourist Society. He was also president of several organizations, such as the Student Welfare Association in Mothbaria, Islamic Studies Cultural Forum, and Bangladesh Islamic Studies Forum. [read more]
Please see:
• Peace and Stability in Bangladesh through Charity, Sustainable Development and Peace Education in Bangladesh, San Jose, Costa Rica: United Nations-mandated University for Peace, Project Development Report, 2006.
• Sustainable Development in Bangladesh: Problem and Prospects, paper presented at the 23rd Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Returning Dignity', in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, 8th - 12th March 2014.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dearest Azad, dear friend, it was wonderful to get to know you in 2006 in Costa Rica, where we had our 7th Dignity Conference! And then you joined us in our 23rd Dignity Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand! It will be such a gift to have you with us again now, in 2024! Welcome!

Tanga Abdou Fulgence Kabore, The Burkina Faso

Tanga Abdou Fulgence Kabore is the President of the Burkina Faso African Union Clubs/Président de la Fédération Panafricaine des Associations et Clubs de l'Union Africaine (FEPAC/UA). This fédération was established in Ouagadougou in 1993 and organizes the network collaboration of 34 national members. The mission of FEPAC/UA is to mobilize the African population for the African Union mission, vision, and ideals. FEPAC/UA is active in the promotion of peace, good governance, and sustainable development, as well as in election monotoring.
Tanga Abdou Fulgence Kabore has a license in development and adult education and is a candidate for a Master's in International Development Studies, under the supervision of Fenneke Reysoo at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies/Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHIED) in Geneva. He wishes to draw attention to "La Charte de KOU KAN FURA," as first universal declaration of human rights. The people who have inspired him are Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara, Julius Nyerere, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela. [read more]

Message from Evelin Lindner: In 2008, you kindly planned to join us for our Oslo conference, but you could unfortunately not attend. It was therefore a great privilege to finally meet you in person on 21st February 2010 in Prangins, Switzerland, when you worked on your Master's thesis at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva with Fenneke Reysoo as your academic supervisor. A very warm welcome to our 2024 Madrid conference!

Bishnu Pathak, Ph.D., Professor, Kathmandu, Bāgmatī, Nepal

I see dignity and humiliation as two sides of the same coin. Dignity teaches the art of dignified existence and living. Former child soldiers in Nepal seek dignity through human rights and justice. I would greatly appreciate it, if we could schedule a Dignilogue session for me on transitional justice, the peace and conflict lifecycle, and the principles of human rights.

Professor Bishnu Pathak holds a Ph.D. in Conflict Management and Human Rights and is a renowned scholar and researcher in the fields of peace, conflict, and human rights. He is best known for his pioneering work on the Peace-Conflict Lifecycle, which has garnered him international recognition. This innovative concept has led to his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize annually since 2013. He has also contributed to practical peace-building efforts, having served as a senior commissioner at the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) in Nepal from 2015 to 2019. He is also recognised as the architect of Human Security Studies and the founder of the Principles of Human Security (https://www.nepaltoday.com.np/diplomacy/1101).
Bishnu Pathak was born into a poor family in a remote mountain area. His parents were illiterate. Throughout his career, he has been committed to advancing social betterment through his teachings, research, and writings. His work advocates for a world without war and focuses on liberating people from various forms of social injustice and inequality. Prof. Pathak's research interests encompass a wide range of topics, including human rights, transitional justice, human security, and conflict transformation.
He has authored over 100 international papers and coauthored several books on various topics, including human rights, transitional justice, human security, DDR-SSR, civil military relations, conflict transformation, peace, and principles of harmony including Nepal’s 2008 Constituent Assembly Elections: Converting Bullets to Ballots, East-West Center Bulletin (2008). Some of his notable publications, such as Politics of People’s War and Human Rights in Nepal (2005) and The Arts of Eastern Philosophy (2023) are widely circulated and recognised volumes.
Kindly read: Bishnu Pathak, 'Can Former Child Soldiers File a Complaint at the International Court against Nepal’s Maoist Leaders?' Featured research paper, TRANSCEND Media Service, 7 September 2020.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear friend, it will be such a gift to finally meet you in person! It is 14 years ago that our dear friend Chandra Prasad Siwakoti introduced you to our dignity community!

George Livingston, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

A warm welcome to our workshop, dear George!

Alayar Kangarlu, New York City

Dignity is an attribute that must be extended to all humans on this planet to enable them to realize their potentials. I am interested on the scientific basis of human dignity.

Alayar Kangarlu is an Associate Professor of Clinical Neurobiology at Columbia University. He leads the physics and engineering group at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) MRI research center. His work involves studies in psychiatry, magnetic resonance imaging, and development studies.

Alayar Kangarlu kindly wrote on February 16, 2022:

Dear Dr. Lindner, I am writing to express my appreciation and admiration for your book entitled "A Dignity Economy". I am particularly interested in the concept of dignity, its relationship to sovereignty and their effect on multilateral cooperation and globalization. Recently, I have been working on the possibility of elevating human dignity to the state of a legal natural right and its precedence over national sovereignty. As you well know this issue has been controversial in the past and particularly in the US foreign policy...

Alexander Cheryomukhin, Baku, Azerbaijan

A very warm welcome, dear Alexander! We are glad that our workshop is online this year! Since 2006, travel stood in the way for you to join us in our conferences! Welcome!

Andrea Brenker-Pegesa, Weserbergland, Lower Saxony, Germany

When asked in 2021, 'What does "dignity through solidarity" mean to you?' Andrea explained, 'Dignity for me is as important as my engagement for the nature. When we haven't got any respect to ourselves and to the others, we are not really strong and able enough to solve the problems around us. To gain an aim means to listen to each other and to respect each other. That makes us strong'.

Dear Andrea! All the lovely contributions from Hameln to our 2021 workshop came true due to your untiring support:
• Dignity Now: Hameln Removes Plastic Waste from the Banks of its River Weser (World Dignity Movement channel | HumanDHS channel, recorded in September 2021, finalized on November 25, 2021)
• The Dignity Now Hameln Group sings Dona Nobis Pacem ("Grant Us Peace" in Latin) in the Chapel of Wangelist near Hameln (Hamelin) on November 8, 2021

Thank you, dear Andrea and Regina, for your amazing work with our DignityNowHameln group also for our 2020 workshop!
• Dignity Now: Hameln Presents Good Ideas from the Past and the Future for a More Sustainable Future. Thoughts Are Unchained (World Dignity Movement channel | HumanDHS channel, recorded in October and November 2020, finalized on November 21, 2020)
• Die Gedanken sind Frei / Thoughts are Unchained sung by the DignityNowHameln group
This is the contribution of the DignityNowHameln group that was recorded in October and November 2020, and finalized on November 21, 2020 (World Dignity Movement channel | HumanDHS channel)

Thank you so much, dear Andrea and Regina, also for sharing your wonderful art with us!
• Der Mond ist aufgegangen (Video of verse 1 on Day Two | Video of verse 2 on Day Three | Video of verse 1 + 2) Der Mond ist aufgegangen wurde 1790 vom Matthias Claudius als religiöses Abendlied geschrieben, vertont wurde es noch im selben Jahr vom Hofkapellmeister Johann A. P. Schulz. English: The moon has risen was written by Matthias Claudius in 1790 as a religious evening song, and it was set to music in the same year by the court conductor Johann A. P. Schulz.
• Hameln Sings (all vocal interludes brought together) (Video)

Angelyn Voss, Oregon, U.S.A.

Dignity for me is peace and acceptance of others.
I am greatly interested in promoting human dignity in every aspect of life.

In her registration for our 2022 workshop at Columbia University in New York, Angelyn kindly wrote: "As a teacher and member of society, one must exude respect to all students and individuals. Promoting dignity opens the doors to acceptance, encouragement, peace, learning, and ultimately, love." Angelyn invites everyone to visit her website www.angelynchristyvoss.com. She is happy to donate a book or a piece of artwork if that could help.

Dear Angelyn, it was great to have you with us in our 2018 December Workshop and to honor you! (Video)
Thank you so much for your wonderful support!

Anindita Dhar, India

Dignity is a stencil for ones identity. I am an educator since thirteen years and my research area is humiliation in caste mothers. How to understand Indian caste hypergamy marriages humiliation?

Anindita Dhar is a College Teacher who did her postgraduatiion in English literature from Banaras Hindu University.
A very warm welcome to our conference, dear Anindita! We are very happy to have you with us!

Brian Ward, Christchurch, New Zealand/Aotearoa

For me, exposing the clarity of dignity will diminish humiliation. I am interested in Global vulnerability — education, education, education!

Brian answered our question in 2021, 'What does "dignity through solidarity" mean to you?' with, 'It means the ultimate solidarity that equal dignity offers all humans'.

Dear Brian, we will never forget how generously you hosted our 2011 Dignity Conference in Dunedin! You are a gift to our dignity work all the way back since 2007, when you found us on the internet!

thank you SO MUCH for your great gift to our 2022 workshop! Dignity Dialogue plaques!



Thank you so much also for sharing the poem The River of Life at our 2021 workshop, which you had composed at the occasion of the passing of your dear mother at the age of 101 (Video):

The River of Life
I float
I float on the river of life
I get washed under only to rise again
I bump into the bank only to bounce back
I can steer myself but cannot steer others
I can only show others how I steer myself
It’s wonderful I am part of the river
And once I reach the river mouth
I become part of the sea of everything
That make all journeys possible

Thank you also very much for sharing your thoughts at the end of our 2021 workshop (Video)!

Chipamong (Chipa) Chowdhury, or Bhante Revata Dhamma (monk's name, known in the monastic communities), Nomad Eco-Monk, with interest in Nomadic life, Buddhism/Cinema, Pali literature, Religion/Politics/global affairs

When asked, in 2023, 'What does "dignity through solidarity" mean to you?' Bhante Revata always explains, 'It reminds me of the words 'Agitate, educate and organize' by Dr. Ambedkar'.

Thank you so much, dear Bhante, for your most inspiring life as a 'nomad eco-monk'! We remember how you wrote to us in 2008 after you got to know about our work in the United Nations Indigenous Forum, in the Seventh Session Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: The stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges, April 21 – May 2, 2008. Your wish was to participate in our 2008 Norway conference, however, you were ultimately hindered to join us, and we were delighted to have you with us in our 2008 workshop at Columbia University in New York City! From then on you have been a gift of dignity in every single of our workshops, every year! By now, you have grown to be a core member of our dignity nurturing team, and we thank you for being such a gift to the world and to our dignity community!

Thank you so much for initiating and co-editing this important and most touching book, and for writing the Preface:
Human Dignity: Practices, Discourses, and Transformations: Essays on Dignity Studies in Honor of Evelin G. Lindner. Edited by Chipamong Chowdhury, Michael F. Britton, and Linda M. Hartling (Lake Oswego, OR: Dignity Press, 2019)

Thank you also for your many generous and important contributions to our 2021 workshop at Columbia University in New York:
• A Poem — Inner Dignity for Daily Meditation and Reflection shared on Day Two (Video)
• You offered a Bonus Session titled Pandemic, Inner Adventure, and Nomad Mindfulness! on Day Two of the workshop (Video)
• You contributed to Dignilogue 5 on Day Three with Buddhism Activism Democracy in Myanmar (Video)
• At the end of the workshop, you introduced your friends (Video)

You also contributed richly to the 2020 workshop at Columbia University in New York:
• Bhante Revata Dhamma: The Nomad Monk (Videos recorded in 2020, brought together by Linda Hartling on December 3, 2020)

Dagmar Kusa, Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts, Slovakia

Dignity means responsibility towards humanity in self and in the other. I am interested in the restoration of dignity in communities after war, and in polarised societies.

Dagmar Kusá received her MA in political science from Comenius University her PhD. in political science from Boston University.

A very warm welcome to our conferences for the first time, dear Dagmar! Thank you for connecting with us as far back as 2013. We are very happy to have you with us!

Jean-Damascène Gasanabo, New York City, Kigali, Rwanda

Jean-Damascène Gasanabo (Damas) has a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Geneva, Switzerland (2004). His thesis pertained to the analysis of history textbooks and the construction of exclusive identities in Rwanda from 1962 to 1994. After his studies, Damas worked with UNESCO in Paris as Consultant in Education Sector for the project Fostering Peaceful Co-Existence through Analysis and Revision of History Curricula and School Textbooks in South-Eastern Europe (2005–2006). He has also collaborated as Programme Specialist for The United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children (2006). From 2012 until 2021, Damas wored in Rwanda and is now an independent consultant. [read more]

Message from Evelin Lindner: How wonderful it is to have you with us in our dignity community, dear Damas! Thank you so much for always sharing your deeply touching and extremely valuable experiences with us! Professor Pierre Dasen introduced us in Geneva in 1999, and we have kept in touch since. You kindly attended our 2005 Dignity Conference in Berlin and contributed with an important foundational talk to our 2015 Dignity Conference in Kigali.

David Jones, Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.

Dignity is an innate sense of value of people. Humiliation is the violation of the sense of dignity that people are subject to. I see a need for recovery and healing.

David A. Jones is a professional therapist and conflict resolution practioneer, and Director of Siloam International. The purpose of Siloam International is to provide culturally based programs in the area of conflict resolution for domestic and international interventions that are comprehensive in scope, utilizing the most current and effective information, methodology, and practices available.
David A. Jones specializes in substance abuse counseling and public health education. He also conducts trauma healing dialogues for posttraumatic stress stemming from violent conflict. He teaches human rights internationally and has lectured at Portland State University. David also works with young people, and adult's transitioning from prison back to the community. David and his clients follow the sentient path to track problems to the core of the individuals' process. David's work is informed by studies in Alternative Dispute Process Handling and Process Oriented Psychology developed by Arnold Mindell for dealing with large group conflic, in which he holds a Master Degree. TDavid has an undergraduate degree in Cross-Cultural-Communication, and has a two-year certificate in Public Health Studies in the area of alcohol and drug counseling. He has been practicing for over 15 years internationally in numerous capacities for local nonprofits, private parties and governmental groups.
His contribution to the 2007 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict at Columbia University in New York was entitled: Shock and Awe — The impact of working with highly traumatized groups while conducting field work: Utter & Complete Disaster (2007)

Dilshad S, New Delhi, India

Dignity is a fundamental concept from which I think our personal and social values can be built around. I have been working on dignity and its relevance in development studies for more than a year now.

Dilshad is part of the Dignity Initiative team in Delhi, which aims to build tools, advice, and new research encouraging global development to uphold the dignity of the people it seeks to serve. Previously Dilshad supported the Punjab Learning Partnership team by setting up the partnership and leading the workstreams under it. Prior to IDinsight, Dilshad was a core team member with Udhyam Learning Foundation and worked in designing various urban livelihood projects. Dilshad earned his Master’s in Physics from NIT Rourkela.

A very warm welcome to our conferences for the first time, dear Dilshad! We are very happy to have you with us!

Donna Fujimoto, Osaka, Japan

Dignity means to me that in order for ALL to be respected, we must face the indignities that exist no matter how painful. Since our world is faced with extremely dangerous issues, it is important to discuss what is actually happening today.

When asked in 2023, 'What does "dignity through solidarity" mean to you?' Donna explained, 'To me it means learning about the plight of others — not just second-hand through reading or documentaries--but by meeting with those who have lived experience and they can open our collective eyes to what is happening in our world'.

Donna Fujimoto is a retired Associate Professor at Osaka Jogakuin College in Osaka, Japan where she taught English as a Foreign Language, as well as Intercultural Communication and Human Rights courses. She was born in the U.S. and is a third generation Japanese American who has been living in Japan for the past three decades. This experience prompted her to organize a study group of other long-term Nikkei residents of Japan (Nikkei means people of Japanese heritage). Donna has been in the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) for over 30 years. She has an M.A. from the Department of Second Language Studies, University of Hawaii, and is a doctoral candidate at Temple University, Japan.
She is the Chair of the Intercultural Communication Interest Section of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), and Co-Publicity Chair for the Pragmatics Special Interest Group of JALT (Japan Association of Language Teaching). She is the leader of the SIETAR Kansai chapter (Society of Intercultural Education, Training and Research), and Coordinator of the Contrast Culture Method, an intercultural training group. She is involved in research on Conversation Analysis, Nikkei-related topics, Intercultural Communication and issues about racism and teachers in Japan.
Three things Donna would like others to know about her, she kindly shared on November 2, 2021:
I am very interested in understanding how intercultural differences affect our perceptions and our lives.
I am a practicing Buddhist (Shinnyoen).
I am interested in talking about systemic racism.
She kindly joined us in our 2014 Dignity Conference in Chiang Mai and, together with her husband, in our 2017 Dignity Conference in India. Please see:
•  Love, Poerty and Arts Make the World Dignified (Video of the Introduction into the Dignilogue | Video of the Dignilogue | WDU Message), Dignilogue facilitated by Donna Fujimoto on 17th August 2017 at the 29th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies 'Dignity in Times of Globalisation', in Indore, India, 16th – 19th August 2017.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Donna, we are so privileged to be connected with you! SIETAR Japan brought us together! You kindly recorded my guest lecture titled How Intercultural Communicators Can Contribute to Realizing Humiliation-Free Global Peace at the SIETAR Japan Kansai Chapter's June Meeting on June 17, 2007, at the Takatsuki Shiritsu Sogo Shimin Koryu Center in Osaka, Japan (see pictures). I will never forget our lovely meeting in a small Korean restaurant near Tamatsukuri Station at the Osaka Loop Line, after Morinomiya, on July 4, 2007! Later, you kindly joined us in our 2014 Dignity Conference in Chiang Mai and, together with your husband, in our 2017 Dignity Conference in India. We miss you! Welcome back!  

Fonkem, Michael Fonkem Achankeng I, Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.A., and Ruler of Atoabechied in the former British Southern Cameroons

Dignity for me means working together for the dignity of all. It means recognising the worth of every being.

Dear Fonkem, we are in awe at the scope of your dignifying service in this world!
Thank you for making it possible for us to understand the difficult situation in former British Southern Cameroon:

• Achankeng, Fonkem (2013). "Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Africa: Engaging the Colonial Factor." In African Journal on Conflict Resolution, 13 (2), pp. 11–37.

• A summary of the situation in Cameroon: Cameroon Burning: The Unseen War, full documentary, BBC Africa Eye, June 25, 2018, "Hundreds of shocking mobile phone videos from Cameroon have surfaced in the past six months. They are coming from the English speaking part of the country, where rebels are fighting to form an independent state called "Ambazonia". BBC Africa Eye have analysed these films, shedding fresh light on who is responsible for the violence."

Ibrahim Muhammad Babangida, Niger State, Nigeria

Dignity to me means basic respect while humiliation means disrespect. I see the sanctity of Human Dignity. I'm glad to participate in this community.

Ibrahim Muhammad Babangida, Nigerian Bar Association NBA, is the Chairman/CEO of Online Dispute Resolution and Services in Niger State, Nigeria. He seeks dignity through conflict transformation and social justice.

A very warm welcome to our conference, dear Ibrahim! We are very happy to have you with us!

Ibrahim S. Bangura, Western Area Freetown, Sierra Leone

Dignity to me means respecting every living being, while humiliation is about looking down on others due to factors like age, poverty. I am committed to child protection and human dignity, aligning with the event's focus on addressing global vulnerabilities. I would love to discuss how I can share the work I'm doing with the Future Leaders Initiative SL and explore potential collaboration opportunities with your organisation.

Ibrahim S Bangura is the founder and CEO of Future Leaders Initiative SL, an organisation driven by a heartfelt mission to end violence against children, women, and girls across Sierra Leone, through advocacy, media and technology. Ibrahim S Bangura is a survivor of corporal punishment and other forms of violence. The journey is Future Leaders Initiative SL is rooted in a deeply personal commitment to ensure the welfare, survival, and flourishing of every vulnerable child.

A very warm welcome to our conferences for the first time, dear Ibrahim! We are very happy that our dear Lucien Lombardo introduced you and to have you with us!

Janet Gerson, New York City

Dr. Janet C. Gerson is the recipient of the 2018 HumanDHS Lifetime Commitment Award.

What does "dignity through solidarity" mean to you? Janet's answer:
"Dignity is the core value of a moral society. Dignity is taken to be inherent in each and every person. Entitlements, in contrast, are what governments and societies give through laws, policies, and practices. These can be both given and also taken away, unlike dignity. Dignity is operationalized through respect, the ethical principle for interpersonal interactions. From a relational conception based on dignity, justice is what each person is due and what we owe each other (Dale Snauwaert). Justice is dynamic, always balancing moral and ethical norms with practical challenges and institutional (stabilizing) formulations. Solidarity is based on the moral understanding that we know that we need each other, that human beings are interconnected and interdependent. Solidarity can be operationalized as an ethical interactive principle like respect, but how is it further enacted? From a dignity-based perspective, solidarity must be grass-roots, inclusive, communitive, and based on willing cooperation of all those involved. It is necessary to state this because solidarity has often been imposed, engaging a domination-and-control model of social-political organizing.
Solidarity is possible through dialogic means engaging deliberation and consensus-based decision-making. In reality, solidarity is often made up of a willingness to participate together based on mutual respect and understanding. Rawls stated that reasoned argumentation can lead to a congruence of opinion, a recognition that an understanding and agreement has been reached that, nevertheless, does not mean that every participant agrees 100%. Instead, it implies that despite differences that continue to be respected, a congruence of opinion has been reached thereby enabling decision-making processes to move ahead. From these, policies and courses of action can be formulated and dynamized.

In our 2020 worskhop, Janet described dignity as follows, "Dignity is inherent in each person and is operationalized interpersonally as respect. Dignity is moral autonomy in which each person is an end in herself, recognized as the author of his own story, and as a subject in society where dignity is operationalized as equality, inclusion, freedom, fulfillment and well-being. Dignity is blighted when persons are treated instrumentally as means to ends, subjected to domination, humiliation and other forms of violence."

Thank you so much, dearest Janet, for being a pillar of our work all the way back since 2001! Thank you for being a pillar also of this workshop, by introducing our Meet and Greet — Reflection and Connection groups (Video), by explaining the metaphor of the lotus flower (Video), and for hosting our Seeding Dignity Through Collaborative Action Dignilogues together with dear Elaine Meis! Also in our 2022 workshop, you introduced our Meet and Greet – Small Group Dignilogues and invited final reflections. You carried our 2021 workshop in so many capacities! Thank you for explaining the Connection and Reflection Groups (Video), for hosting a Bonus Session for "newcomers" together with David Yamada, as well as hosting Dignilogue 1. Thank you for your wonderful contribution to Dignilogue 3, The Interrelatedness of Dignity, Justice, Democracy, and Peace (Video), based on your recent book, Reclaimative post-conflict justice: Democratizing justice in the World Tribunal on Iraq (Cham, Switzerland: Springer International, 2021) co-authored with Dale Snauwaert! The list of your wonderful support is limitless!

Dr. Janet C. Gerson is a political theorist, writer, artist, and activist educator who has taught peace education, conflict processes, transformative learning, and futures envisioning. She is the Education Director of the International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE), and former Co-Director of the Peace Education Center at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City (2001- 2010). She has collaborated with the Morton Deutsch International Center on Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (MD-ICCCR) at at Teachers College since 1996. Her research and writing focus on the interrelatedness of dignity, justice, democracy and peace.

Janet came to the talk titled Humiliation and the Roots of Violence that Evelin Lindner gave at the MD-ICCCR on December 17, 2001, 3.30 pm, upon the invitation of Betty Reardon, attended by Morton Deutsch, among others. She particiated in Evelin Lindner’s first conference that was hosted by Morton Deutsch at the MD-ICCCR in 2003, and she was part of Morton Deutsch's last project, titled Imagine a Global Human Community (Video, December 11, 2013 | transcript, see the pledge Morton Deutsch brought to the 2013 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict, Columbia University, New York, December 5-6, 2013).

As a Board Member of HumanDHS, Janet co-hosts Dignity Now circles in New York City since 2015, initiated by Michael Britton with Judit Révész and Chipamong Chowdhury. The first meeting took place in Janet Gerson's NYC art gallery home on November 14, 2015, on the occasion of Gaby Saab's return to the city.

Thank you very much for your important contribution to this book:
"Reclaiming Common Bases of Human Dignity." In Human Dignity: Practices, Discourses, and Transformations: Essays on Dignity Studies in Honor of Evelin G. Lindner. Edited by Chipamong Chowdhury, Michael Britton, and Linda Hartling. Chapter 4. (Lake Oswego, OR: Dignity Press, 2019)

Javeria Noor, Pakistan

Dignity is a sense of self-worth, while humiliation involves a loss of respect and self-esteem. I am eager to attend this workshop because it focuses on the psychological aspects of shame and self-worth, exploring the impact.

Javeria Noor is an MS student in psychology at Foundation University in Pakistan. The Foundation University Islamabad (FUI), is a public sector university located in Islamabad, Pakistan. It has two campuses, Foundation University School of Health Sciences (FUSH) & Foundation University School of Science and Technology (FUSST). Foundation University Islamabad is a recognised university by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. FUI is a government university, backed by the government's Fauji Foundation which is the largest welfare organization in Pakistan.
Javeria Noor has conducted research on The impact of conformity to masculine norms on mental health in males: Mediating role of self-efficacy. She approaches the thesis component of her degree and is keen on selecting a topic that will not only contribute significantly to the field but also align with her aspiration to pursue a PhD.

A very warm welcome to our conferences for the first time, dear Javeria! We are very happy to have you with us!

Jingyi Dong, Ph.D., Norway

Dignity for me is equal value for all human beings. I am interested in the new construction of ideas that enhance human dignity. Structure, as well as passion, is indispensable for us to enhance human dignity.

Jingyi is a researcher in Educational Sociology, affiliated to the Department of Education of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. She focuses on equal opportunities in the process of higher education. She received her Ph.D. degree from NTNU in 2015. Her focus was on the life and study of rural students as a disadvantaged social group on the campuses of Chinese universities. Her interest also extended to the background of these rural students, such as the situation of peasants and of intellectuals on the university campuses in China. Earlier, she received her M. Phil in Higher Education from the University of Oslo. Her thesis was on equal opportunities to access higher education. She received her M.A in North American Studies from the same university. Her thesis was on diversity in higher education. At the level of undergraduate education, she received her B.A in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Hebei Normal University, China. Her thesis endeavored to uncover that people from different countries share more than they differ from each other.

Joe Ravetz, Manchester, England, United Kingdom

Human dignity is a key dimension of collective intelligence needed for transformation. Dignity is an integral whole person condition, social/economic/cultural/political: past/present/future etc etc...

Joseph (Joe) Ravetz is a researcher and academic at the University of Manchester, where he serves as the Co-Director of the Centre for Urban Resilience & Energy. He is also a Theme Leader for the Manchester Urban Institute, focusing on the theme of 'Future-proof cities' with an emphasis on foresight and innovation. With a background in architecture and planning, Ravetz is dedicated to exploring sustainable futures for urban and regional development. His research interests encompass a wide range of topics, including environmental policy, urban development, new economics and governance, innovation, futures studies, and systems/complexity science. Ravetz has authored several influential books, such as City-Region 2020, Environment and City (co-authored), and Deeper City: Collective Intelligence and the Pathways from Smart to Wise, which was published in 2020. His expertise has led him to advise various policy bodies, including UNIDO, UN-Habitat, the European Commission, and UK government agencies. In addition to his academic roles, Ravetz is a Principal at SAMI Consulting, a strategy and foresight firm. He is recognised for developing Synergistics methods, which facilitate collaboration and harness collective intelligence in technology, economic, urban, and policy systems. Throughout his career, Ravetz has been involved in numerous research projects and has successfully raised over £2.5 million in research funding.

A very warm welcome to our conferences for the first time, dear Joe! We are very happy to have you with us!

Joy Ndwandwe, Eswatini (former Swaziland)

Dignity for me means restoring dignity within African historical legacies and indigenous foods systemically negated by humiliation. I am interested in global vulnerabilities with regards to silenced royal historical legacies of African and its Diaspora, including indigenous food. Its time to reflect on whether we can discuss global vulnerabilities when humiliated in history books and indigenous foods systemically negated.

In 2023: Dignity through solidarity means the need for advocacy that enables the proposed advocacy for the second liberation through natural rights embedded within indigenous knowledge. Thus, solidary in advancing this second liberation as indigenous knowledge was historical and continues to be systemically negated, manifesting in the eroding of dignity manifesting in conflicts, humiliation and dehumanization.

Welcome to our conferences, dearest Joy! What a privilege to have you in our global dignity community!

Joy is a member of the World Dignity University, as the Founding President of the Indigenous Knowledge Hub in Eswatini that was founded in March 2020 as an NGO under the Swaziland Companies Act No. 8 of 2009. This hub is an academic space for policy makers and researchers for preserving and integrating indigenous knowledge and modernity towards Education for Sustainable Development and the Africa We Want.
The Indigenous Knowledge Hub is a Dignity Institute, following Joy's interest in advancing dignity embedded within indigenous knowledge towards Education for Sustainable Development. Most importantly, having access to leading dignity scholars is important, who will provide technical expertise in the establishing of the hub and strategic interventions as and when the need arises.
In 2024, Joy has been nominated and appointed Dean of the Royal Faculty on Historical Legacy with the University of the State of African Diaspora.
Joy lives by the following principles: Confidence, Dignity, and Contentment.

Thank you so much for contributing to Dignilogue 1 in our 2021 workshop at Columbia University in New York with presenting your Indigenous Knowledge Hub, dear Joy! Abantu Eswatini Dignity InstituteIndigenous Knowledge Hub: Dignity Through Solidarity: Towards a New Global Normal, presentation by Joy Ndwandwe, Founding President (Video | Video recorded on November 17, 2021 | PowerPoint). Thank you also for sharing the 2019 podcast of your story! Please join also Dignilogue 4 hosted by David Yamada on the World Dignity University initiative! Thank you also for sharing

Thank you so much for explaining the ubuntu philosophy so well in 2013!
• Video Ubuntu Open Space Dignilogue session, 25th April 2013 (unfortunately, reduced video quality), created at the the 21st Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, 24th-27th April 2013, in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
• Video Ubuntu, summary by Joy Ndwandwe, 26th April 2013, created at the 21st Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, 24th-27th April 2013, in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Julian Bodnar, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada 

I have lived with circumstances of disability all of my life. I very much relate to the subject of humiliation in that context. Humiliation means being seen as unworthy, being othered, it means indifference to, and denial of disability needs, interests and capabilities, and so forth.

Julian Bodnar offers Mediation, Arbitration & Conciliation Services. He describes himself on Linkedin as follows:
Over the course of a law career of 40 years, my practice was to be negotiation and settlement focused. My inspiration to seek resolution and settlement of legal disputes whenever possible is premised upon my belief and experience that the best outcomes for parties, as well ensuring better respect for the human aspects and interests of a legal dispute, are more likely to be accomplished by using case appropriate conflict and dispute resolution techniques and processes rather than strictly relying on legal proceedings.
From 2012 to 2022, I worked with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission as a Lawyer/Mediator where I was assigned as a mediator of human rights complaint files, and also to represent it as counsel in its Directed Mediations. I also was assigned to work on the Commission's systemic initiatives.
I now offer consulting and advocacy services in conflict and dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration, and conciliation.
As a person with lifelong experience of living with circumstances of disability, and now also seen as being an older person, I take personal and professional interest in advocating for improved acceptance and accommodation of both disability, and aging in society, through Disability, and Aging Awareness and Equality Training and Mediation Services.

Message from Evelin Lindner: A very warm welcome to our work, dear Julian! You contacted us in 2012, when you wrote to Judit Révész expressing your interest in Don Klein's work. Thank you!

María Cristina Azcona, Ph.D., Buenos Aires, Argentina

Dignity is a way to international peace and humilliation is the opposite route, possibly causing wars. For me, dignity and humilliation are both opposite sides of the same coin. I am interested to discuss new horizons on human dignity and education for dignity and peace.

2023: Dignity is the right to deserve respect from others and regarding social groups, it means respect to human rights. In the sense of children, it means respect to their bodies and not only their souls.

María studied at the Universidad del Salvador / University USAL in Argentina. She is an Educational Psychologist (Psicopedagoga, which means Educational Psychologist or Psycho Pedagogist). She also obtained the title of Family Counselor at the University of Navarra in Spain in 1999. 
María is a bilingual writer, editor and poetry critic in both English and Spanish working as a researcher in peace education through literature. She works as a psychotherapist focused on the resolution of family conflicts and is also an independent forensic expert. She also works as a translator, freelance writer, and editor, at the same time studying law at the UBA University of Buenos Aires in her third year (2024).
Being a novelist and poetess, María Cristina has authored 11 books and many articles and poems in English and Spanish, about family, society and peace, published mostly in USA, India, and Argentina. She is a contributor to the EOLSS Encyclopedia that was edited under the auspices of UNESCO, to whom she has been a consultant in the building of a culture of peace through literature.
María Cristina has been finalist in literary competitions in her own country and in the USA. Among several distinctions, she obtained the First Prize in Poetry at one of the most important contests of her country, organized by the Academic Circle of National Writers. She has been awarded a peace tribute in Uruguay in 2022, and the AKS, Orissa, India Peace Leadership award 2023 “Biju Patnaik,” as well as the first prize at the International Literature Award named after Dr. Manuel Equihua Estrella in Mexico in 2024.
María Cristina was born on April 5th, 1952, and has been married since 1977. She is the mother of two and grandmother of three.
You can visit her paper books here:
A Guide to find Peace
Window to Heaven
A Treasure of Mysterious Love
Carta abierta a los lideres del mundo
Open Letters to the World Leaders paperback
El gran doctor de la paz
Vivamos en Paz
Strategies for peace
About peace and peacemaking
Mundo postmoderno

Dear María, so good that our Ada Aharoni brought you to us in 2005! All your life you have generously woven global dignity networks! Thank you!

Thank you for sharing the Mission of the Worldwide Peace Organization (English and Spanish) at our 2021 workshop at Columbia University in New York, dear María!
See also:
• Education for a New Millennium, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2018
• The Education of Morality for Parents and Children, Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 10, 2020

Thank you for sharing earlier:
• Dignity and Humiliation in Argentina, a paper written by María for HumanDHS in 2005

Maryam Khizer, Lahore, Pakistan

Dignity means the world to me, and I want to talk about it in detail on different accpects.

Maryam Khizer is a fashion designer based in Lahore, Pakistan. She is a self-employed designer with a background in fashion education from the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design. Her work has gained recognition, including participation in a fashion show in Dallas, United States, highlighting her contributions to the fashion industry.

Message from Evelin Lindner: A very warm welcome, dear Maryam! I see on the website of the Exclusive Institute of Fashion and Art – USA that you also were in Brooklyn, where our esteemed Shahid Khan is member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Kindly see our meeting last December. And kindly see also my World Clothes for Equal Dignity project!

Michael Boyer, Hameln (Hamelin), Germany

Dignity for me is making the world a better place incrementally every day.
2023: Solidarity with your fellows should prerequisite dignified relations.

Dignity (2020): "Dignism!"

Thank you, dear Michael, for your amazing Dignity Anthem that you created in November 2022!
• the anthem as part of the Introduction to the 2022 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict
• the anthem alone with big subtitles
• the anthem alone with with small subtitles
• the anthem alone without subtitles
• the text of the anthem

Thank you, dear Michael, for your loving support for dignity and your amazing work with our DignityNowHameln group! Thank you for your Digniworld initiative that you created in 2019 (Video): Digniworld WordPress | Digniworld Facebook | Digniworld Twitter | Digniworld Instagram | World Dignity Movement (on YouTube)

All these lovely contributions to our 2021 workshop from Hameln came true due to your untiring support:
• Dignity Now: Hameln Removes Plastic Waste from the Banks of its River Weser (World Dignity Movement channel | HumanDHS channel, recorded in September 2021, finalized on November 25, 2021)
• The Dignity Now Hameln Group sings Dona Nobis Pacem ("Grant Us Peace" in Latin) in the Chapel of Wangelist near Hameln (Hamelin) on November 8, 2021
Dear Michael, thank you for devising a lovely "script" for the introduction of the Hameln group during Dignilogue 5 of our workshop: Evelin describes the Group > Evelin to Michael > Michael to Regina > Regina to Andrea > Film - BUND Plastic Action > Andrea to Georg > Georg to Claudia > Claudia to Gisela > Gisela to Dorothee > Dorothee to Andreas > back to Evelin greeting Zuzana Lučkay Mihalčinová > Dona Nobis Pacem.

Thank you also for your wonderful contributions to our 2020 workshop:
• Dignity Now: Hameln Presents Good Ideas from the Past and the Future for a More Sustainable Future. Thoughts Are Unchained (World Dignity Movement channel | HumanDHS channel, recorded in October and November 2020, finalized on November 21, 2020)
This is the contribution of the DignityNowHameln group that was recorded in October and November 2020, and finalized on November 21, 2020 (World Dignity Movement channel | HumanDHS channel)
See more in detail:
• 01 Marienhof (World Dignity Movement channel | HumanDHS channel)
• 02 Unverpackt Laden (World Dignity Movement channel | HumanDHS channel)
• 03 Song Die Gedanken sind Frei / Thoughts are Unchained (World Dignity Movement channel | HumanDHS channel)
• Dear Michael, thank you also for your wonderful vocal interlude! (Video at the end)
• Hameln Sings (all vocal interludes brought together) (Video)

Petra Kleindienst, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Vice-dean for Student and Academic Affairs at School of Advanced Social Studies in Nova Gorica, Slovenia

I am researching human dignity — legal, philosophical, educational perspective.

Petra Kleindienst is Associate Professor and Vice-dean for Student and Academic Affairs at School of Advanced Social Studies in Nova Gorica, Slovenia. In 2020, she gained a postdoctoral fellowship with a project titled Strengthening Democratic State Governed by the Rule of L aw through Realization of Human Dignity in Judicial Procedures from the Slovenian Research Agency. In 2018, she obtained her Ph.D. degree in sociology with a thesis titled The Role of Educational System for the Development of Democratic Political Culture. In 2014, she finished the post-graduate programme of law at the European Faculty of Law with a thesis titled: Human Dignity as a Base of the Democratic System. She has been a trainee at the General Secretariat of the Republic of Slovenia and Center for Social Work. She has gained comprehensive knowledge of the institutional framework of the European Union and the historical development of European integration and case-law of the European Union. In 2011, she obtained the Jean Monnet Module Certificate.
Petra has published a number of quality scientific papers in the field of law and sociology. On the research level, her focus is on the topics of human dignity, political culture and educational system. She is participating in national, bilateral and international research projects as well as international scientific conferences.

A very warm welcome to our work, dear Petra! We very much look forward to having you with us!

Peter Barus, Jacksonville, Whitingham, Vermont, U.S.A.

In 2023, Peter answered the question 'What does "dignity through solidarity" mean to you?' by responding by saying, 'Connection. Being "out here" with you'.

At our 2020 workshop, Peter described dignity as 'a question in which to live'.

Message from Evelin Lindner: We are so glad, dear Peter, that our dear Howard Richards brought you to our global dignity community in 2019! And that you drove all the way from Vermont to be with us in our 2023 workshop at Columbia University in New York was more than we could imagine! Thank you!!!

Thank you so much for sharing your reflections during the coffee break of Day Three of our 2021 workshop at Columbia University in New York that took place online due to the Coronavirus pandemic (Video) and for sharing more thoughts at the end of that workshop (Video)!

Thank you also very much for your touching and profound Message to the World in 2020!

Rajesh Dixit, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India

Professor Dr. Rajesh Dixit was part of the team that hosted the 2017 Dignity Conference in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. He is a poet, author, thinker, and orator, and he is the Vice Chancellor at Renaissance University in Indore, state of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Prior to that he was the principal of the Renaissance College in Indore. He has earned his doctorate from Vikhram University of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. His doctorate was written in Hindi, on Dr. Dharmvir Bharti, who was a great poet and novelist (Dr. Dharmvir Bharti ke Sahitya ka Samagra Anushilan). [read more]

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dr. Rajesh and Dr. Amita, you have no idea how deeply thankful our entire global dignity community is to you for being our wonderful Indian Dignity Family! Thank you so much for opening your home as Dignity Dialogue Home! Our deepest gratitude and admiration goes to you both!

Rebecca (Becky) Tabaczynski, Lexington, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Dignity, to me, means respect for every person equally, and humiliation means the violation of that. I am hoping to support dignity research and progress!

2021: What does 'dignity through solidarity' mean to you? 'When people are joined together, they create a barrier to humiliation and support dignity'.

We are so happy to have you with us in our dignity community, dear Becky! Thank you so very much for sharing your research on conspiracy theories in Dignilogue 2 in our 2021 workshop! The Threat of Conspiracy Theories (Video  | Video  recorded on November 29, 2021).

We, the entire Dignity community, are very thankful to you for recently beginning to work on a database of the resources completed by our community to aid educators, scholars, researchers, and other collaborators on topics related to advancing dignity, ending cycles of humiliation, and working for peace in the world.

Dear members of the Dignity community: We are excited that Becky will soon launch this database, awaiting your further contributions!

Rebecca (Becky) Tabaczynski holds a certificate in Global Post-Disaster Studies from the Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters, under the Direction of Adenrele Awotona, at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. In 2017, Becky became connected to HumanDHS as student in the course: Human Dignity, Human Rights, and Sustainable Post-Disaster Reconstruction. Over the last year she has been donating her research skills as a gift to HumanDHS by studying conspiracy theories. She has a bachelors degree in nursing and masters degrees in counseling and business administration.

Refried Bean, Bronx, New York City

Dignity for me means being protected from bullying. I am interested in prevention of media humiliation.

Refried Bean lives in the Bronx and enjoys writing poetry, cooking, and volunteering. She has worked in a bookstore for twelve years and has an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She mostly writes humor about food, animals, heaven, Christianity, and mental illness and has e-published several books of poetry, a book of stories, a novel, and three picture books.

Message from Evelin Lindner: A very warm welcome to our conference, dear Refried! We are very happy to have you with us! It was great to have you with us in our 2023 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict at Columbia University in New York!

Sahondra Kiplagat, Ph.D., Lecturer at the Department of Psychology, University of Nairobi, Kenya

Dignity for me is mutual respect. My research interests are climate change and universal plan design

Dr. Sahondra Chebet Kiplagat is a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Psychology from the University of Surrey, as well as a Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental Psychology from the same institution.
Dr. Kiplagat is notable for being the only environmental psychologist in Kenya. Her expertise in this field makes her a unique asset to the University of Nairobi's psychology department, which boasts faculty members from diverse specialties including social, health, counselling, clinical, forensic, special, and psychometrics.
At the University of Nairobi, Dr. Kiplagat contributes to various academic programs offered by the Department of Psychology, which include diploma, bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels. Her official email at the university is sahondra@uonbi.ac.ke[2].
Dr. Kiplagat's background in environmental psychology aligns with the department's goal of making psychology more practical and relevant to society in Kenya. Her presence in the faculty contributes to the diverse expertise that allows the department to offer a wide range of specializations in its graduate programs, including health, organizational, social, forensic, and community psychology.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Sahondra, it was great to meet you through Gay Rosenblum-Kumar during a Brown Bag Lunch Discussion by Frank Bierens titled 'Made in Africa TV: Media for Citizen Engagement' on 5th November 2013! A Very warm welcome to our conference for the first time! We are very glad to have you with us!

Suvanshkriti Singh, Göttingen, Germany

I think of humiliation as an erosion of personhood through flattening, and of dignity as the substance of identity. I am interested in the relationship between dignity and identity, and the way it is experienced through global inequality.

Suvanshkriti Singh specialises in political philosophy and cultural studies, with a focus on postcolonial migration. Since 2022, she is a student in the MA Euroculture: Society, Politics and Culture in a Global Context programme, an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Program, at the University of Göttingen in Germany. She also serves as an editor for The Euroculturer, a role she began in November 2022. Prior to her current positions, Singh worked as a Teaching Fellow at Ashoka University.

Message from Evelin Lindner: It is a privilege to have you with us, dear Suvanshkriti! We thank Brian Palmer, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Uppsala University, for introducing you to us!

Takis Ioannides Panagiotis, Athens, Greece

Dignity for me is the highest level of human's life values. I name myself conciously as 'a student of this life and citizen of Planet Earth'.

When asked in 2023, 'What does "dignity through solidarity" mean to you?' Takis explained, 'Ιf the city is good as a whole, it benefits the citizens more than if everyone is happy individually and the city is shaken as a whole, because even if the person is happy individually, he is nevertheless destroyed together with his homeland if it is destroyed. Thucydides'.

Dr. Panagiotis - Takis D. Ioannides was born in Athens οn April 15, 1955 by parents Dimitrios-Demosthenes Ioannides and Melpomeni Zagli - Ioannidou. He has 3 children and 3 grandchildren.
He worked as an executive at IBM Hellas SA and at EF Hutton sa. He is a poet, whose poetic work has been published in the Greek and foreign press, and who has been recited over the years on the radio (ERA FM, Sky FM, Athens 984 FM, Thessaloniki FM etc.). He is also painter and educator of Martial Arts.
Takis is author and co-author and has published 15 books in Greece, and his literary works have been translated into English, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Malay, French, Mongolian, and other languages. Takis is the author and co-author of several books outside of Greece as well (Global Peace Science GPS, The ABC of Harmony, Mahatma Gandhi Non-Violence, Strategies for Peace, Magna Carta of Harmony, Open Letters to the World Leaders, Anti Nuclear Manifesto XXI, XXI Century World Literature, Antiwar and Peace, among others). [read more]

Message from Evelin Lindner: We are so grateful, dear Takis, for your dignifying support, since 2011! So lovely to have you with us in our conference, welcome!

Tamer Tolba, Ph.D., Egypt, Hamburg, Germany

Dignity and humiliation, to me, reflect the two ends of the value of humanity. In my opinion, 'disability' is an expression that refers to specific medical mental or physical condition of the body that prevents the person from doing certain things. I personally find words like 'special needs' to be more 'dignifying'. I am eager to learn more on how to be able to preserve dignity in society, especially for those with special needs.

Dr. Tamer Tolba is a physicist and a Professor of Physics at the Institute for Experimental Physics of the University of Hamburg (UHH) in Hamburg, Germany. He is the Chair of the Dissemination and Exploitation Board of the ESSnuSB+ project, the principal investigator and country representative of Germany for the ESSnuSB and ESSnuSB+ projects, and was the representative from Germany to the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST), action CA15139.

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Tamer, what a gift you are to our global dignity community! I am so glad that we were introduced in fall 2023! You combine sharp scientific analysis with loving care in the most unique and invaluable ways! Thank you!

Thomas Daffern, Ph.D., La Musee des Muses, La Creuse, Aquitaine, France

The theme of this conference, in my view, is a key topic for our world right now. As to the meaning of dignity or humiliation kindly see my philosophical writings to understand this in depth.

When asked in 2021, 'What does "dignity through solidarity" mean to you?' Thomas explained, 'It means we all appreciate each other's unique gifts, talents, being-in-the-world, and that each of us works to free each other of oppression, tangles, karmic mistakes, lies, ignorance, fear, and that we spread joy, equality and love through out professional work and also in our private interactions; it also means we adopt an ethic of ahimsa, that we promise to cultivate satya, truth, and ahimsa in our personal and professional and collective mind-space'.

Dr. Thomas Clough Daffern (born Montreal, Canada (dual UK Canadian European citizen) is a philosopher, historian, peace studies expert, poet, and religious studies specialist, who has written over 60 books and is a published poet, historian, philosopher, religious studies expert, and specialist in interfaith peace-making. His philosophical commentaries on texts (the Quran, the Bible, the Upanishads, the 3 Books of Enoch, Das Kapital, and more) draw on transpersonal history. He now lives in France, where he runs an academic retreat centre in Limousin, having moved there from Scotland in 2017.
He was awarded his Ph.D. from the University of London for a thesis which explores the history of the search for peace, and which proposes a new field of historiography, Transpersonal History. More recently he has developed the Periodic Table of the World’s Religious and Philosophical Traditions as a teaching aid for use in schools and universities.
As Peace Officer to the Council of British Druid Orders, he practices an eco-centred spirituality affirming the wisdom of primal peoples of all cultures, epochs and geographical regions. He has taken initiations in Sufism, Christianity, Druidry, Qabalah, Tantric Buddhism, Sikhism, Wicca, Asatru, Jainism & other spiritual paths. He runs the Commonwealth Interfaith Network.
He is Director of the International Institute of Peace Studies and Global Philosophy (IIPSGP) which works across many academic fields to bring together all those with an interest in and a commitment towards the study of peace, nonviolence and philosophy applied to the resolution of the problems and tensions of today's world. IIPSGP arose out of a feasibility study which Thomas undertook for the University of London into the proposed establishment of an Institute of Peace Studies (from 1989-1992).  IIPSGP now operates as an autonomous Institute with members scattered worldwide.
Thomas is also Founder of The Global Green University, which has arisen from the work of IIPSGP and was launched in 1999 to bring into being a new global higher education initiative which can provide space for the deeper kind of learning which we believe is needed at this time of critical transition in the history of planet earth. ...

Message from Evelin Lindner: Dear Thomas, you are among the most erudite people who walk this planet. We learned so much from you, among others, when you came to Oslo for our 2014 dignity conference titled 'Communication and Dignity', and then to our 2021 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict at Columbia University in New York City!
This was the conversation after Evelin Lindner's talk on Day Three of our 2021 Workshop:
Thomas Daffern in the chat: loved your talk... awesome but a bit scary... 10 years to outgrow 12,000 years of behaviour !!!! help !
Evelin Lindner in the chat: Yes. HELP!
Evelin Lindner later: Dear Thomas, you are the most erudite person I know on this planet, and your comment "10 years to outgrow 12,000 years of behaviour" is the best and shortest summary of my message I have ever heard! Thank you! I have immediately included it into my book!