This is a reflection written by Professor Simon Dalby for the new series from The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace on Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic.
This post was originally published by the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the original post can be viewed here. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Grace Powers on the recent Bahá’ì Chair for World Peace Virtual Conference – Global Climate Crisis: Seeking Solutions – held on April 14, 2020. Continue reading
This is a reflection written by Dr. Nasim Ahmadiyeh M.D., Ph.D for the new series from The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace on Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic.
There is no cure for one infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus which can cause the disease commonly known as COVID-19. All we can do is wait it out, support the body and hope the immune system can fight the virus and survive its scourge. Ironically, or perhaps poetically, what is needed to fight the virus in one body, can lend insight into what is needed to fight the virus globally.
Below is an article written by Dr. Tiffani Razavi, Visiting Research Professor at The Bahá’ì Chair for World Peace.
This article first appeared in The International Educator, Vol. 34 No. 4 April 2020.
This is a reflection written by Professor Peter N. Stearns for the new series from The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace on Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The suffering and dislocation caused by the recent pandemic legitimately provoke all sorts of thoughts, including many constructive suggestions about how we can build on short term response to construct a better society and, more specifically, seek to prepare better for similar crises in the future. I certainly hope some good can indeed emerge. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Dr. Tiffani Razavi on the recent Bahá’ì Chair for World Peace Virtual Conference – Global Climate Crisis: Seeking Solutions – held on April 14, 2020.
Once again, we find ourselves in a crisis that is global in nature.
The Coronavirus outbreak is the great tragedy of our era. The pandemic has disrupted virtually every aspect of the systems that hold up our global and local society. Sadly, we do not seem to have in place what could help us to overcome this crisis. Continue reading
The world was a different place a number of months ago when the Baha’i Chair began the process of organizing our recent virtual conference. Long before the advent of the Covid-19, we planned to offer our conference virtually – the better to highlight the global, diffuse nature of environmental challenges. Sadly, these same challenges are paralleled in our coronavirus crisis – offering both hope for what we can accomplish and warnings of our essential unpreparedness. Continue reading
boutWe at the Baha’i Chair for World Peace are deeply concerned about the evolving global health crisis and its impact on people everywhere. We mourn the loss of so many lives and our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones.
This crisis is a reminder that our compassion, good will, and endurance are the characteristics that help us to pull through the most difficult of circumstances. It is also a reminder of how we as a people are closely interconnected with others in every corner of the world. Continue reading
Baha’i Chair for World Peace
Professor Joseph Richardson Jr.
Life After the Gunshot: A Digital Storytelling Project on the Impact of Structural and Interpersonal Violence and the Healing Process for Young Black Men
Monday, April 6th, 2020
2:00pm-3:30pm
Prince George’s Room, Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park Continue reading
The following piece is written by Sara Rissanen, the Bahá’í Chair’s newest Intern and Marketing Specialist.
The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace wants to welcome all of our UMD students back to campus for the spring semester! We have an exciting semester planned and want to invite you visit our office to learn more about how the Bahá’í Chair works to advance an integrative approach to world peace. We also invite you to attend our events this semester to participate in the conversation of building global peace. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Kathryn Obisesan on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Lecture, Man Up? Toxic Masculinities and the Health of Men, Women, and Children held at the University of Maryland on November 12th, 2019. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Kathryn Obisesan on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture, Even a Moonshot Needs a Flight Plan: Genetics and Ethics in the Obama Administration, held at the University of Maryland on October 10th, 2019. Continue reading
Baha’i Chair for World Peace
Professor Sacoby Wilson
Environmental Racism and Slavery in 21st Century Jim Crow America: Stories of Resistance, Hope, and Change
Thursday, October 24, 2019
12:30pm-2:00pm
Atrium, Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland College Park Continue reading
This is an insight written by Kathryn Obisesan on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Conference, Women in the World: Time for a New Paradigm for Peace, held at the University of Maryland on September 24 and 25, 2019. Continue reading
Women in the World: Time for a New Paradigm for Peace
Date:
Wednesday, September 24, – Thursday, September 25, 2019
Location:
University of Maryland, College Park
Colony Ballroom
3972 Campus Dr, College Park, MD 20742, USA Continue reading
The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace is delighted to welcome all new and returning students to campus. We have a very exciting year planned and invite you to stop by our office to learn more about us and our program’s focus on advancing interdisciplinary discourse on global peace. Continue reading
“How can we bridge divides in our community?”
It’s a question both straightforward and complicated. Written at the top of a board we displayed, it was the query we asked passersby to answer on Maryland Day–a day when thousands of people come to campus to explore the university’s programs and activities. Participants wrote their responses on a notecard, and over the course of the day, we built a two-dimensional bridge out of their answers.
This is an insight written by Erin Rao on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace panel on The Impact of Global Economic Governance on Low and Mid-income Countries, co-sponsored by the College of Behavioral and Social Science on April 9, 2019.
This is an insight written by Jack Schurman on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace panel on The Impact of Global Economic Governance on Low and Mid-income Countries, co-sponsored by the College of Behavioral and Social Science on April 9, 2019.
This is an insight written by Jack Schurman on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace conference on Infrastructure and Happiness, co-sponsored with United World Infrastructure and the College of Behavioral and Social Science on April 4-5, 2019
This is an insight written by Molly Rogers on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace conference on Infrastructure and Happiness, co-sponsored with United World Infrastructure and the College of Behavioral and Social Science on April 4-5, 2019.
This is a book review of “A Nation of Immigrants” by John F. Kennedy. The review was written by Sharath Patil.
These States are the amplest poem,
Here is not merely a nation but
A teeming Nation of nations.”
-Walt Whitman[1]
In 2018, Congressman Joe Kennedy III (D-MA), re-published a classic by his great-uncle, former U.S. President John F. Kennedy: A Nation of Immigrants. Although the book has been widely celebrated for decades, Joe Kennedy intended to demonstrate the relevance of JFK’s principles and values to debates around immigration policy today. As the first Roman Catholic U.S. president, Kennedy’s election was a critical milestone in this nation’s path to becoming a more inclusive country. Throughout his presidency, Kennedy did not forget his own immigrant roots nor that of most Americans. Irish by heritage, Kennedy wrote with great respect for the suffering that so many Irish immigrants to the United States endured – particularly during the Irish potato famine and under British rule.
This is an insight written by Jack Schurman on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace lecture by Dr. Catherine Knight Steele, Black Girl Labor as Magic: Toward an Understanding of Digital Black Feminism, co-sponsored with The Critical Race Initiative, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the College of Behavioral and Social Science on March 12, 2019. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Angela Yang on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace lecture by Dr. Catherine Knight Steele, Black Girl Labor as Magic: Toward an Understanding of Digital Black Feminism, co-sponsored with The Critical Race Initiative, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the College of Behavioral and Social Science on March 12, 2019.
This is an insight written by Molly Rogers on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Symposium, Pursuing Equity in Prince George’s County, co-sponsored with The Critical Race Initiative, on February 12, 2019. Continue reading
This is a transcript of a talk given by Professor Hoda Mahmoudi at the opening of the 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Retreat on Belonging: Connections and Challenges. The retreat was hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Maryland on January 24, 2019 in the Colony Ballroom, Stamp Student Union. Continue reading
This is a reflection by Heather DeMocker on the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and the importance of community action for not normalizing hate in America. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Heather DeMocker on the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace 2018 Annual Lecture: Deconstructing Race/Reconstructing Difference presented by Professor Jabari Mahiri, University of California Berkeley, on September 20, 2018. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Julia Thomas on the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace 2018 Annual Lecture: Deconstructing Race/Reconstructing Difference presented by Professor Jabari Mahiri, University of California Berkeley, on September 20, 2018. Continue reading
In the summer of 2018, while battling brain cancer, Arizona Senator John McCain released a book in the midst of a particularly chaotic and toxic political atmosphere. The book, The Restless Wave, serves as a powerful meditation on the future of America as an identity and an ideal; the critical need for compromise and civil discourse; and the need for the propagation of spiritual values such as humility, grace, courage, and justice both among our political leaders and the American people.
McCain’s parting advice cautions against the excesses of partisan entrenchment, righteous and arrogant discourse, and a xenophobic and exclusive definition of America. His principled guidance should be carefully considered by all Americans concerned about the unprecedented and unsettling denigration of truth, unity, civility, and community in our country. Continue reading
Welcome to the new academic year!
The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace is looking forward to another exciting academic year. We invite you to stop by our office and learn more about us and our program’s focus on advancing interdisciplinary discourse on global peace. Continue reading
i want to go home,
but home is the mouth of a shark
home is the barrel of the gun
and no one would leave home
unless home chased you to the shoreWarsan Shire
This is a blog post written by Sharath Patil examining the policies of austerity. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Ashli Taylor on a screening of the film Changing the World, One Wall at a Time, hosted by the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Alawi Masud on The Ethical Foundations of Human Rights Conference, hosted by the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace on March 28, 2018. Continue reading
This post was written by Ashli Taylor as reflection on her time as an intern with the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace. Continue reading
This piece was written by Emily Gorey, the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace’s Marketing Specialist. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Grace Russell on a lecture given by Audra Buck-Coleman as part of the Bahá’í Chair series on human nature. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Alawi Masud on a lecture given by Dr. Gregory F. Ball as part of the Bahá’í Chair series on human nature. Continue reading
International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900’s and is a day for celebrating the achievements of women across the globe. To mark the day we asked some of our students to write about women who have inspired them.
The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace is excited to welcome all of you back to campus for the start of the spring semester! We hope everyone is settling in and enjoying the first day of classes.
We look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming spring lecture series. All the lectures are open to the campus community and the public and are free to attend. These events bring leading thinkers to campus to examine obstacles to global peace, and solutions for overcoming those obstacles.
This is an insight written by Esther Kaufman on the recent 1oth UN Session of the Forum on Minorities.
Is the cost of globalization the extinction of ancestral identities?
The UN held the 10th session of the Forum on Minorities from the 28th of November to the 1st of December 2017. This conference welcomed organizations from across the world to speak as representatives of their respective minority nations, and to air their concerns to the International community. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Margo Shear on a lecture given by Dr. Mehnaz Afridi as part of the Bahá’í Chair series on human nature.
Perspective on History
The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace recently hosted Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, associate professor of religious studies and director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College. The subject of her lecture, “Muslims and the Holocaust: Reconciliation and Hope,” drew interest from guests in the hopes of exploring a dark part of history – from a different perspective. Continue reading
Freedom, Freedom, where are you? Cause I need freedom too!
Beyoncé
The turn-out to the Baha’i Chair of World Peace’s First Annual Lecture on Thursday, September 21st was impressive. The audience included University of Maryland students, teachers and deans, as well as amazing visitors from all over the world. There could not have been a better topic addressed in the presence of some of the most significant minds involved with the promotion of international peace.
Professor Hoda Mahmoudi and Professor Valerie Hudson at the Annual Lecture, September 21st 2017.
“We are a world in pieces. We need to be a world at peace.”
Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General
Today is the International Day of Peace, a day designated by the United Nations General Assembly as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. The theme for 2017 is “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All.” The day is focused on the TOGETHER campaign launched by the United Nations in September 2016 to promote respect, safety and dignity for refugees and migrants and to counter the rise in xenophobia and discrimination. Continue reading
Is capitalism the best ideology for society? As the income gap between the rich and poor grows nationally and global inequality persists, it would be beneficial to reflect on what values drive the system.
Both critiques and advocates of the capitalist system—an economic model driven by the free market and operates outside of state control— rely on the field of economics to shape their arguments. This field of study has always played an important role in understanding human behavior and specifically the interaction between humans and their society. Continue reading
The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace is very excited to welcome all of the new, and returning students, back to campus for the start of the fall semester! We hope everyone is settling in and enjoying the first day of classes.
We look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming fall lecture series. All the lectures are open to the campus community and the public and are free to attend. These events bring leading thinkers to campus to examine obstacles to global peace, and solutions for overcoming those obstacles. Continue reading
Yuval Noah Harari’s, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, is an exceedingly unique and captivating read primarily because of its brevity. In a mere 400 pages, Israeli historian Harari presents and analyzes over 50,000 years of human history. Continue reading
It’s hard to remember that our lives are such a short time. It’s hard to remember when it takes such a long time.” – Isaac Brock
The Future of Virtual Reality
This is an insight written by Esther Kaufman on an event cosponsored by The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace and organized by the Future of Information Alliance on June 6, 2017 at the Phillips Collection. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Esther Kaufman on a lecture given by Professor Cass Sunstein, at the American Enterprise Institute on April 14th 2017. Professor Sunstein is a scholar of law and behavioral economics, and he spoke about his new book #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media.
Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged people to hold elevated conversations. She once said that “great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; and small minds discuss people.” I have not heard a more elevated conversation than the week-long discussion between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu documented in vivid detail in The Book of Joy by Douglas Abrams. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Julia Thomas on the symposium given by Dr. Matthew Hughey and Dr. Paula Ioanide as part of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace series on Structural Racism. Continue reading
In this conversation, Professor Mahmoudi and a wonderful group of students discuss the challenge of gender equality on campus. Continue reading
In recognition and celebration of International Women’s Day, March 8th 2017, we asked some of our student contributors what feminism means to them. Continue reading
This is an insight written by Esther Kaufman on the lecture given by Dr. Valerie Maholmes and Dr. Lauren Abramson as part of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace series on Structural Racism.
Dr. Valerie Maholmes, NICHD
Dr Lauren Abramson, Community Conferencing Center
Symposium on Structural Racism and Youth Violence
March 1st 2017, 4pm – 6pm, Atrium 1107, Stamp Student Union
Co-sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative Continue reading
This is an insight written by Esther Kaufman on the lecture given by Professor Kathleen Cunningham as part of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace series on Leadership and Global Governance.
Professor Kathleen Gallagher’s lecture on self-determination of nationalistic organizations offers insightful and relevant evidence on moving towards a peaceful society. Groups seeking self-determination have been known to have high internal fragmentation that is associated with the use of violence in pursuit of political recognition. Continue reading
Dr. Kathleen Cunningham, Department of Government and Politics, University of Maryland College Park
Secessionism, Violence and Nonviolence
February 15th, 2017, Special Events Room, McKeldin Library, University of Maryland, College Park Continue reading
Reflection: “The Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere”
Proud Beginnings
In many ways, the new world’s first free country was not the United States, where much of the population was enslaved. The first free country was Haiti, roughly the size of Maryland and located in the Caribbean, at its peak Haiti was the most prosperous colony in the world which enabled France, and other Western nations, to acquire wealth at the expense of its own development. Continue reading
This is a reflection written by Esther Kaufman on the lecture given by Dr. Nicole des Bouvrie on the 30th of November 2016.
Why We Should Search for the Impossible
What if the question, “Can Women Think?” is not an absurd question? Dr. des Bouvrie began her lecture by introducing historic western philosophers whose ideas have established the foundation of Western thinking. From ancient times, white male philosophers have built identities based on differences. Following their philosophies women cannot think, or at least, not as men do. Continue reading
The Problem of Prejudice
Once again the stubborn scourge of racial prejudice and structural racism is tearing apart the American society. For almost four-hundred years since slavery was first introduced to the American continent, the pseudo-scientific doctrine of racial superiority, and the structural arrangements that promote the systematic support of racism, continue to persist. Continue reading
Dr. Nicole des Bouvrie, Visiting Scholar, The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace, University of Maryland, College Park.
November 30th 2016, Maryland Room, Marie Mount Hall, University of Maryland, College Park.
Can Women Think? An Attempt to Go Beyond Philosophy as Difference
Book Review: The Risks of Righteous Fury
This is a book review of The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. The review was written by Vicky Yu.
Morality and common sense suffer from the same underlying assumptions; we believe that people all abide by the same principles. Experience teaches us that common sense is not universal, but accepting the same verdict on morality is more difficult. Acknowledging differences in how we determine right versus wrong fundamentally alters perceptions of who we are and our place in the world. Continue reading
Dr. Nicole des Bouvrie, Visiting Scholar, The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace, University of Maryland, College Park.
Can Women Think? An Attempt to Go Beyond Philosophy as Difference Continue reading
This is an insight written by Esther Kaufman on the lecture given by Mrs. May Rihani as part of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace series on Women and Peace.
The Impact of Examples
Mrs. May Rihani’s lecture, “Sexism, Gender Roles and Their Intersection with Power”, shed light on the broad range of issues surrounding sexism and gender bias around the world. Continue reading
This is a reflection written by Esther Kaufman on the lecture given by Dr. Rashawn Ray as part of the Bahá’ì Chair for World Peace series on Structural Racism.
Racism as a Barrier to Justice
Dr. Rashawn Ray’s emotional presentation on “Why Police Compliance Does Not Save Black Lives” left me feeling a deep sense of disappointment in our society’s failure to recognize and deal with racism. He began his lecture with the juxtaposition of videos and statistics that emphasized the differences between races in police compliance and non-compliance. Continue reading
Are we as adults prepared to help the children we care about make sense of their own race-related observations?
This is a book review of Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum. The review was written by Brandie Williams.
In this thought-provoking work, Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria, Beverly Daniel Tatum weaves together a conscious-jolting web of understanding surrounding privilege, racial identity, and how we come to understand who we are as individuals. In the very beginning of her book, she challenges us with a simple exercise: “think back to your earliest race-related memory.”
This is a reflection written by Kate Seaman to mark World Listening Day on the 21st of October 2016.
Everybody’s talkin at me, I can’t hear a word they’re saying
Interview with Dr. Rashawn Ray, interview conducted by Brandie Reeder Williams.
Dr. Ray will be giving a lecture on the 25th of October in Hoff Theatre, Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland. To find out more and to RSVP visit the website of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace.
This is a book review of Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. The review was written by Esther Kaufman.
“Mercy is most empowering, liberating and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving,” writes author Bryan Stevenson in his book, Just Mercy. This is a concept that is difficult but perhaps essential to embrace as the media constantly divides people and societies into heroes and villains. I was born to immigrant parents who fled anti-Semitism and praise America as the land that gave their families mercy when no other state could. Yet, Bryan Stevenson’s portrayal of the American criminal justice system revealed injustices that disrupted all of my preconceived notions regarding America’s inherit goodness. Continue reading
This is a reflection written by Vicky Yu on the lecture by Professor Orna Blumen at the recent Learning Outside the Lines Conference.
My initial reaction to the topic of this talk, was a visceral sense of discomfort. “Orthodox” religious communities conjure up stereotypes of intense social conservatism: traditional, nuclear families, dogmatic leaders and a disdain for the evolution of an increasing secular and liberal youth. “Ultra-Orthodox” (U-O) could only be worse. Continue reading
This is a reflection written by Esther Kaufman on the lecture by Professor Cindi Katz at the recent Learning Outside the Lines Conference.
By juxtaposing childhood in Sudan and New York City, Professor Cindi Katz successfully brings to attention alarming issues impeding social childhood development in her lecture “Good Childhood, Social Childhood”. Continue reading
Today Professor C. Fred Alford gave a very insightful talk about his take on forgiveness in a room filled to the brim. Here are some preliminary insights taken from this lecture. Professor Alford is the author of “Trauma and Forgiveness: Consequences and Communities” (read our review here). Continue reading
A first attempt in gleaning some of the insights shared during the afternoon talks of the conference on Children and Youth in an Interconnected World, presenting a broad range of distinguished speakers, all talking about the role of children and youth in this fast-changing world.
Emerita Professor Barbara Finkelstein gives an inspiration talk about the changes we are facing today. She asks herself why we are teaching children this cliche-lesson “Stranger Danger” – so that we learn to fear everyone that looks different? It is complicated. How can we conceive of a diverse world if we take this ‘stranger-danger’ as the basic premise? So, she says, she is not going to take this as a starting point to look at children in a changing interconnected world. Continue reading
A gleaning of some of the insights shared during the conference on Children and Youth in an Interconnected World, full of presentations from a broad range of distinguished speakers, all talking about the role of children and youth in this fast-changing world.
Follow the latest news on the conference through #LOTLUMD at Twitter!
Professor Cindi Katz, City University of New York, starts her lecture by asking the question what do we mean by ‘good’? Asking this and without wanting to getting a banal answer, it turns out to be a difficult question, a more difficult question than asking what is ‘bad’. The messy spaces of civil society form the geographies of social reproduction, shaped by political economic processes and by struggles to survive and resist those processes. Without social justice, there is not going to be healthy social reproduction and security. Continue reading
A gleaning of some of the insights shared during the conference on Children and Youth in an Interconnected World, full of presentations from a broad range of distinguished speakers, all talking about the role of children and youth in this fast-changing world.
Follow the latest news on the conference through #LOTLUMD at Twitter!
Dr. Michael Robb discusses how the concept of ‘technology addiction’ comes with a lot of prejudices. Families, educators and policy makers rely on ratings that reflect research on appropriate use of technology and media based on age, but there are many controversial ideas floating around on our complicated relationship with technology. Is it the mere hours spent with technology? Or is this addiction-panic a moral phenomenon? If you look closer, technology is mostly used to access more traditional media like music and television. Continue reading
A gleaning of some of the insights shared during the talks during the conference on Children and Youth in an Interconnected World, presenting a broad range of distinguished speakers, all talking about the role of children and youth in this fast-changing world.
Follow the latest news on the conference through #LOTLUMD at Twitter!
Professor Peter N. Stearns from George Msaon University talks about the modern patterns that influence the experience and role of children in society. According to him, the four basic modern changes are the following: first the transition from children as a source of labor towards children as students, with the primary obligation to learn. Secondly, the reduced birth rates. Thirdly, the reduction in children’s death rates. And the fourth change, although all these shifts are interconnected, government interest in children, whereas before responsibility for children was left to parents and educators. Continue reading
A first attempt in gleaning some of the insights shared during the talks during the afternoon of the conference on Children and Youth in an Interconnected World, presenting a broad range of distinguished speakers, all talking about the role of children and youth in this fast-changing world.
Follow the latest news on the conference through #LOTLUMD at Twitter!
Professor F. Zachs from the University of Haifa, Israel, talks about the research on the private world of women through preserved narratives of nursery rhymes. In the last twenty years children have finally begun to be researched as a topic of themselves, not just from the perspective of adult worlds and family. Nursery rhymes as oral folklore emphasizes certain themes, like suffering and the child’s world, but in the Arabic world this is not yet studied extensively. In her work, Professor Zachs analyses these nursery rhymes to show new insight into the emotional and interconnected world of children and their families. Continue reading
A first attempt at gleaning some of the insights shared this first morning of the conference on Children and Youth in an Interconnected World, full of presentations from a broad range of distinguished speakers, all talking about the role of children and youth in this fast-changing world.
Follow the latest news on the conference through #LOTLUMD on Twitter!
Professor Marcelo Suarez-Orozco from the University of California, Los Angeles, brought up many interesting statistics as how migration is the human face of globalization as we know it now. Many cities are moving towards superdiversity hubs, where immigrants become the majority. In many places two-thirds of the children in the classroom are from immigrant backgrounds. It is the value of family that drives migration. But how might one use this challenge as an opportunity? Education is the key, making use of the multilinguistic capacities and the often missed ability of this diverse group of children to learn and reflect on their learning. Continue reading
The upcoming conference on 28-29 September 2016 entitled ‘Learning Outside the Lines‘ focuses on Children and Youth in an Interconnected World. But why are children so important? Continue reading
Book Review of “Trauma and Forgiveness: Consequences and Communities” by C. Fred Alford. The review was written by Brandie Reeder Williams.
Having grown up in what is affectionately known as the “bible belt” of rural North Carolina, the virtue of “forgiveness,” was always a taken-for-granted concept, one cloaked in the easy black-and-white morality of “right and wrong.” My orientation to, and understanding of forgiveness, was espoused through both myth (“forgive others or God will not forgive you in heaven,”) but also through folklore and narrative; through cautionary tales told about people who just “couldn’t forgive…got sick, and died.” Forgiveness then, was in every situation both a moral obligation and beneficial to one’s own “healing,” physically and emotionally. Continue reading
Rather than make assumptions about other people that are not based on facts, try to get out of your comfort zone and try to talk to people you would not normally talk to. ~ Professor Hoda Mahmoudi.
Professor Hoda Mahmoudi discusses the Baha’i Chair’s views on peace in this video by the College of Behavioral & Social Sciences, University of Maryland.
When you ask most people about world peace, they tell you that peace is among the most important matters on their mind and that we should all be concerned about it. But longing for peace is only the first step on the path toward making the world a better place for all people.
If we really wish to work toward achieving world peace we will first have to start with expanding our worldview about what peace requires from individuals, communities, and leaders of nations.
If we really desire a better more peaceful world, then we can start by accepting the fact that there are many barriers to peace. Through our actions every person has the power remove the road blocks to peace. Continue reading
Sometimes you finally get to read that book that makes things fall into place. No matter how much modern philosophy you read, without tracing those thoughts back to their place of origin, you will miss a lot. And who would have thought that this little book by Spinoza (1632-1677), who was ostracized for thinking outside of the limits the religious community he grew up in had put on him, would be such an eye-opener? Nowadays Spinoza’s work is an inspiration not only for philosophers, but also across different religious communities. In 1929 Einstein wrote “I believe in Spinoza’s God.” [Source] So why is Spinoza’s legacy still such an inspiration today? Continue reading
Professor C. Fred Alford, Department of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, College Park. Continue reading
A Conference on Children and Youth in an Interconnected World.
“The faculty to think objectively is reason; the emotional attitude behind reason is that of humility. To be objective, to use one’s reason, is possible only if one has achieved an attitude of humility, if one has emerged from the dreams of omniscience and omnipotence which one has as a child. Love, being dependent on the relative absence of narcissism, requires the development of humility, objectivity and reason.” – Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving
The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland is an endowed academic program that advances interdisciplinary examination and discourse on global peace. Viewing humanity as a collective and organic whole, the Chair’s incumbent, Professor Hoda Mahmoudi, explores the role that social actors and structures play in removing obstacles and creating paths to peace. The Chair’s explanation focuses on a number of thematic issues including, structural racism, climate change, human nature, women’s inequality, and leadership and global governance. Continue reading
“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” ~ Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood
The book reviews on the blog will feature important books related to the Chair’s research themes, both academic and non-academic texts. The reviews will focus on what the reader found inspiring, what questions the book raised and how it has influenced their approach. Continue reading
“Learning without reflection is a waste. Reflection without learning is dangerous.” ~ Confucius
The reflections on the blog will be in a number of formats. Reflections by Professor Mahmoudi will include the Chair’s thoughts and approaches to current events. Students will write reflective pieces on events they have attended, those organized by the Chair and other events across campus. Every event arranged by the Chair will be reflected upon in the blog, these reflections will highlight what the author found interesting and any questions the event made them think about. We will also feature reflections by guest authors related to the research themes of the Chair. Continue reading
“Everybody talks, nobody listens. Good listeners are as rare as white crows.” ~ Helen Keller, “The Beauty of Silence,” in The Home Magazine (1935)
As part of the conversations series the blog will also feature interviews with upcoming guest speakers and other notable figures. These interviews will be carried out by students who will select the interviewee, do the background research and then conduct the interview. Continue reading
“If one talks to more than four people, it is an audience; and one cannot really think or exchange thoughts with an audience.” ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, North to the Orient (1935)
The conversations series will feature audio recordings of discussions between the Chair and a small group of students. These conversations will focus on topics of importance and relevance and are designed to spark new ideas and approaches to challenges to world peace. Continue reading