Category Archives: Events

Upcoming Event – Book Discussion: Fundamental Challenges to Global Peace and Security

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Upcoming Event – Book Discussion: Fundamental Challenges to Global Peace and Security

May 5, 2022 

11am – 12.30pm  EST 

Virtual Event – Register at: https://umd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EFVPyWVQQjKZ8yFFic6LuQ

This event features the editors of the recent volume Fundamental Challenges to Global Peace and Security: The Future of Humanity. Professor Michael H. Allen, Professor Hoda Mahmoudi, and Dr. Kate Seaman. The discussion will explore the challenges raised in the volume around current thinking and strategies in the field of global peace and security. The discussion will be moderated by Stella Holladay Hudson.  Continue reading

Upcoming Event – Book Discussion: Struggling to Learn An Intimate History of School Desegregation in South Carolina

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Upcoming Event – Book Discussion: Struggling to Learn An Intimate History of School Desegregation in South Carolina

Professor June Manning Thomas, Mary Frances Berry Distinguished University Professor Emerita of Urban Planning, Centennial Professor Emerita of Urban and Regional Planning

April 27, 2022

1pm – 2.30pm 

Virtual Event Register at: https://umd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZxoIMjqNSFWI-NF3hgPmew

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Upcoming Event: Dignity, Repair & Retreat: reflections on anticolonial and anti-racist solidarity

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Upcoming Event: Dignity, Repair & Retreat: reflections on anticolonial and anti-racist solidarity

Dr. Olivia Umurerwa Rutazibwa, Assistant Professor, Human Rights and Politics,  Department of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK and Senior Research Fellow, Johannesburg Institute of Advanced Studies (JIAS), South Africa

April 5, 2022 

2pm – 3.30pm EST 

Virtual Event – Register at: tinyurl.com/bahai-rutazibwa Continue reading

Upcoming Event: Antisemitism in the world and why it’s often difficult to address its specificity

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Upcoming Event: Antisemitism in the world and why it’s often difficult to address its specificity

Prof. Gunther Jikeli, Erna B. Rosenfeld Professor, Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism/ Borns Jewish Studies Program

Associate Professor, Germanic Studies, Indiana University Bloomington 

March 29, 2022 

2pm – 3.30pm 

Virtual Event Register at: tinyurl.com/bahai-jikeli  Continue reading

Echoes of the Past: Invisibility and Racism

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Echoes of the Past: Invisibility and Racism

This is an insight written by Stella Hudson on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Lecture by Professor Yohuru Williams on “Simply Because People Refuse to See Me: Black Lives Matter in Historical Context” held on February 8, 2022.

In many ways, this contemporary moment feels unique. The after-effects of 2020 and the ongoing pandemic, the January 6th insurrection, Trump’s presidency, our reckoning with police violence against people of color, anti-Asian sentiments; so many tensions seem to be boiling to the surface. However, Dr. Yohuru Williams’s talk “Simply Because People Refuse to See Me: Black Lives Matter in Historical Context” points out a very significant aspect of our current moment: none of this is new at all. Our contemporary phenomena are echoes of history and reflect the issues, questions, violence, prejudice, and activism of the past. 

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Upcoming Event – Simply Because People Refuse to See: Black Lives Matter in Historical Context

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Upcoming Event – Simply Because People Refuse to See: Black Lives Matter in Historical Context

Dr. Yohuru Williams, Distinguished University Chair and Professor of History and Founding Director of  the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas

February 8, 2022

2pm – 3.30pm 

Virtual Event

Register at: tinyurl.com/bahai-drwilliams Continue reading

Treating the Disease: Street Names as Symptoms of Confederate Legacies

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Treating the Disease: Street Names as Symptoms of Confederate Legacies

This is an insight written by Stella Hudson on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Lecture on “Confederate Streets and Black-White Labor Market Differentials” co-sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative and the Department of African American Studies on November 16, 2021.

Maryland never seceded from the union, yet we still have plenty of streets named after Confederate figures like Robert E Lee. Houses are adorned with Confederate battle flags despite the state never being a part of the Confederacy, and the statue of Chief Justice Taney, who ruled against Dred Scott in 1857 was only recently removed from its place of honor in front of the State House in Annapolis. Because Maryland remained in the Union, the Emancipation Proclamation, delivered in January of 1863, did not free the people enslaved here. Slavery was not outlawed in Maryland until 1864. 

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Is Inequality Inevitable?

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Is Inequality Inevitable?

This is an insight written by Stella Hudson on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Symposium on “Inequalities and the Increased Risk of Political Violence” co-sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative and the Department of African American Studies on  October 12, 2021.

What does class inequality have to do with health? According to Professor Kate Pickett, a lot. Dr. Pickett is an epidemiologist, but in her talk “How more equal societies reduce stress, restore sanity, and improve everyone’s wellbeing” she discusses exactly how inequality is bad for public health and well-being and came armed with the statistics to prove it.  Continue reading

Costly Violence

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Costly Violence

This is an insight written by Stella Hudson on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Symposium on “Inequalities and the Increased Risk of Political Violence” co-sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative and the Department of African American Studies on  October 12, 2021.

What images does the word “violence” conjure? Perhaps it evokes ideas of war, weapons, fistfights, domestic violence, or even violent movies, or cartoon violence. For most people, it does not naturally lead to thoughts of economics. However, this is the connection that Professor Anke Heofler focused on in her October 12th talk, “What are the Global Costs of Violence?” as part of the Inequalities and the Increased Risk of Political Violence Symposium.  Continue reading

Upcoming Event: Annual Lecture 2021

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Upcoming Event: Annual Lecture 2021

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture 2021

September 30, 2021, 1pm

‘Breaking the Spell of the Welfare State?’: Public Culture in Neoliberalism’s Gender Regime

Professor Angela McRobbie, Professor Emeritus, Goldsmiths University of London and Professor of Cultural Studies, Coventry University UK

Register Now at: tinyurl.com/bahai-mcrobbie

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Welcome to Fall Semester 2021!

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Welcome to Fall Semester 2021!

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace welcomes everyone back to Fall Semester 2021. We want to welcome all new and returning students back to campus and to wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy semester.

We are hopeful that as things start to reopen we will be able to hold in person events again. However, for the moment, all of our events  will be held online only as we continue to operate in a time of uncertainty. We are committed to ensuring the safety of our wider community and holding our events in a virtual format allows us to do this. 

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Upcoming Event – Anti-Asian Violence in Context: Historical Roots and Contemporary Connections

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Upcoming Event – Anti-Asian Violence in Context: Historical Roots and Contemporary Connections

April 13, 2021 

Event Time: 2pm – 3.30pm 

Virtual Event: You must register in advance at:  https://tinyurl.com/bahai-wong

Professor Janelle Wong, Professor of Asian American Studies, American Studies, and Government and Politics, University of Maryland 

This event features a discussion between Professor Hoda Mahmoudi and Professor Janelle Wong on the recent anti-Asian violence. The discussion will focus on the historical context and contemporary connections of the recent attacks.

Speaker Bio:

Janelle Wong is Professor of Asian American Studies, American Studies and Government and Politics at the University of Maryland. Her research and teaching focus on Asian Americans and race in the U.S.

 

 

 

 

About the Author:

Kate Seaman is the Assistant Director to the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace where she supports the research activities of the Chair. Kate is interested in understanding normative changes at the global level and how these changes impact on the creation of peace.

You can find out more about the Bahá’í Chair by watching our video here.

Upcoming Virtual Event: The Colors of COVID-19: Confronting Health Disparities During a Global Pandemic

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Upcoming Virtual Event: The Colors of COVID-19: Confronting Health Disparities During a Global Pandemic

February 16, 2021

2pm – 3.30pm

Virtual – Register in advance at https://tinyurl.com/bahai-colors (link is external)

Professor Stephen B. Thomas, Professor, Health Policy and Management and Director, Maryland Center for Health Equity

Abstract: 

Never in our lives have we experienced such a global phenomenon. For the first time in history, the world has come together, focused on the same existential threat, consumed by the same fears and uncertainties, eagerly anticipating the same, yet unrealized, promises of medical science. In a matter of months, human civilization has been brought low by the novel SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), a microscopic parasite 10,000 times smaller than a grain of salt. COVID-19 attacks our physical bodies, but also the cultural foundations of our lives. Depending upon how we respond, our lives, and literally our way of life, hangs in the balance. Continue reading

Welcome to Spring Semester 2021

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Welcome to Spring Semester 2021

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace welcomes everyone back to Spring Semester 2021. While we are still living through challenging times, progress is being made and we are hopeful that we can see each other soon.

All of our events this semester will be held online only as we continue to operate in a time of uncertainty. We are committed to ensuring the safety of our wider community and holding our events in a virtual format allows us to do this.  Continue reading

Upcoming Virtual Event – Syrian Refugees in the Middle East and in Europe: On the Psychology of a Humanitarian Challenge

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Upcoming Virtual Event – Syrian Refugees in the Middle East and in Europe: On the Psychology of a Humanitarian Challenge

January 12, 2021

11 AM -12:30PM EST 

 Virtual Event

Registration Link https://tinyurl.com/bahai-syrian

Abstract:

This presentation is based on unprecedented empirical research into the psychology of Syrian refugees in the Middle East and in Europe, carried out by an international  team of researchers headed up by Professor Arie Kruglanski of the University of Maryland. The research supported by the MINERVA program at the US Department of Defense bears on questions such as refugees’ motivations, their state of mind and feelings as function of the welcome they receive in the host countries. The research looks at the interlocking views of refugees and local populations, how these are affected by cultural differences, and the conditions under which refugees are likely to integrate successful into host society as opposed to remaining an alienated minority. In light of the growing refugee problem worldwide (70 million displaced persons as of this writing)  that is threatening to worsen as function of international conflicts and climate change, this research offers a rare empirically based window into the refugees’ psyche and its implications for world societies. Continue reading

A Window Opened – Values, coherence and caring – Dr. Tiffani Betts Razavi

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A Window Opened – Values, coherence and caring – Dr. Tiffani Betts Razavi

If you are not a young black man and you listened to the recent lecture for the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace given by Professor Joseph Richardson Jr., you may have felt, like I did, that a window was opened to another world. It was a moving and deeply thought-provoking experience, both difficult and heart-warming. I realized each time one of the young men interviewed for the digital storytelling project said, “you know what I’m saying?” that I really don’t. Continue reading

Upcoming Virtual Event: The John B. Slaughter Endowment Reparations Series – Global Models of Reparations

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Upcoming Virtual Event: The John B. Slaughter Endowment Reparations Series – Global Models of Reparations

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace is delighted to co-sponsor

The John B. Slaughter Endowment Reparations Series: Global Models of Reparations 

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

12:00 pm – 1:15 pm

Register for the event at:  

https://go.umd.edu/globalreparationsafam

Continue reading

Upcoming Virtual Event: From the Powerful and Evil Jew to the Zionist as Racist, Oppressor and Imperialist:  Continuity and Change in Antisemitic Falsehoods from Ancient Times to the Present.

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Upcoming Virtual Event: From the Powerful and Evil Jew to the Zionist as Racist, Oppressor and Imperialist:  Continuity and Change in Antisemitic Falsehoods from Ancient Times to the Present.

From the Powerful and Evil Jew to the Zionist as Racist, Oppressor and Imperialist:  Continuity and Change in Antisemitic Falsehoods from Ancient Times to the Present

Professor Jeffrey Herf, Distinguished University Professor, Department of History, University of Maryland, College Park

October 6, 2020

4pm – 5.30pm

Virtual Event Only

You must register in advance for the event at:

tinyurl.com/bahai-herf

Continue reading

Welcome to Fall Semester 2020

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Welcome to Fall Semester 2020

As we begin the upcoming semester, one which will look and feel very different to those past, the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace welcomes everyone back.

All of our events this semester will be held online only as we continue to operate in a time of uncertainty. We are committed to ensuring the safety of our wider community and holding our events in a virtual format allows us to do this.  Continue reading

Upcoming Event: Reactionary Democracy in the United States: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream

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Upcoming Event: Reactionary Democracy in the United States: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream

Reactionary Democracy in the United States: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream

September 3, 2020

2PM

You can register to attend the event at:

tinyurl.com/bahai-mondon

Dr. Aurelien Mondon, Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Bath 

Dr. Aaron Winter, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of East London  Continue reading

Upcoming Event: Reactionary Democracy in the United States: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream

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Upcoming Event: Reactionary Democracy in the United States: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream

Reactionary Democracy in the United States: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream

September 3, 2020

2PM

You can register to attend the event at:

tinyurl.com/bahai-mondon

Dr. Aurelien Mondon, Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Bath 

Dr. Aaron Winter, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of East London  Continue reading

Fall Semester 2020: Upcoming Events

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Fall Semester 2020: Upcoming Events

As we prepare for the upcoming semester, one which will look and feel very different to those past, the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace is looking forward to the events we have planned.

All of our events this semester will be held online only as we continue to operate in a time of uncertainty. We are committed to ensuring the safety of our wider community and holding our events in a virtual format allows us to do this.  Continue reading

Upcoming Virtual Event: A World Without War: A Conversation with Authors Drs. Hoda Mahmoudi & Janet Khan

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Upcoming Virtual Event: A World Without War: A Conversation with Authors Drs. Hoda Mahmoudi & Janet Khan

A World Without War: A Conversation with Authors Drs. Hoda Mahmoudi & Janet Khan

Moderator: Mr. Vafa Valapour

July 25, 2020

7:00 – 8:30 AM EDT

3:00 – 4:30 PM United Arab Emirates Standard Time

9:00 – 10:30 PM Australian Eastern Standard Time.

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Upcoming Virtual Event: A World Without War: A Conversation with Authors Drs. Hoda Mahmoudi & Janet Khan

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Upcoming Virtual Event: A World Without War: A Conversation with Authors Drs. Hoda Mahmoudi & Janet Khan

A World Without War: A Conversation with Authors Drs. Hoda Mahmoudi & Janet Khan

Moderator: Dr. Tiffani Betts Razavi 

July 17, 2020

3:00PM – 4:30PM EDT 

5:00 – 6:30 AM (Saturday, July 18, 2020 Australian Eastern Standard Time)

9:00 – 10:30 PM  Central European Time

Continue reading

Fall 2020 Events Update

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Fall 2020 Events Update

As we are continuing to monitor the ongoing Covid-19 situation and adapting as necessary, we have made the decision to host all of our events during the fall semester online only. 

This allows us to move forward with our planning in a time of uncertainty, whilst also ensuring the safety of our wider community. We will share the information for the virtual events as we finalize the logistics. The details and login information will be available on our website and on our social media accounts.  Continue reading

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace hosts successful virtual conference Global Climate Crisis: Seeking Solutions

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The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace hosts successful virtual conference Global Climate Crisis: Seeking Solutions

 

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

Virtual Conference Information and Schedule: Global Climate Crisis

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Virtual Conference Information and Schedule: Global Climate Crisis

Global Climate Crisis: Seeking Solutions

Virtual Conference

Tuesday April 14th, 2020 

9am – 6pm 

To join the conference use the following: 

Virtual Conference Link: tinyurl.com/global-climate

Access Password: global2020

Learn more about the speakers and topics included in the Bahá’í Chair’s upcoming Virtual Climate Change Conference. 

Continue reading

Upcoming Event: Environmental Racism and Slavery in 21st Century Jim Crow America: Stories of Resistance, Hope, and Change

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Upcoming Event: Environmental Racism and Slavery in 21st Century Jim Crow America: Stories of Resistance, Hope, and Change

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

Welcome to Campus!

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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

Building Bridges on Maryland Day

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Building Bridges on Maryland Day

“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.

Continue reading

Insight – Black Girl Labor as Magic: Toward an Understanding of Digital Black Feminism

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Insight – Black Girl Labor as Magic: Toward an Understanding of Digital Black Feminism

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

Insight – Black Girl Labor as Magic: Toward an Understanding of Digital Black Feminism

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Insight – Black Girl Labor as Magic: Toward an Understanding of Digital Black Feminism

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. 

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Belonging and its Implications for Diversity and Inclusion

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Belonging and its Implications for Diversity and Inclusion

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

Welcome Back to Campus!

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Welcome Back to Campus!

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.

Continue reading

Insights: Muslims and the Holocaust: Reconciliation and Hope

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Insights: Muslims and the Holocaust: Reconciliation and Hope

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

Upcoming Event: Muslims and the Holocaust: Reconciliation and Hope

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Upcoming Event: Muslims and the Holocaust: Reconciliation and Hope

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Fall Lecture

Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College

Muslims and the Holocaust: Reconciliation and Hope

Tuesday October 24th

3pm

Special Events Room, 6th Floor, McKeldin Library, University of Maryland, College Park

Continue reading

Upcoming Event: Fear of the Dark: Cultural Myth, Psychological Schema, and Prejudice

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Upcoming Event: Fear of the Dark: Cultural Myth, Psychological Schema, and Prejudice

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Series on Structural Racism and the Root Causes of Prejudice Presents:

Sheri Parks, First Director of the Arts and Humanities Center for Synergy at the University of Maryland

Fear of the Dark: Cultural Myth, Psychological Schema, and Prejudice

Tuesday October 10,2017

3PM

Atrium, Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park

Continue reading

Upcoming Event: The First Political Order: Sex, Governance, and National Security

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Upcoming Event: The First Political Order: Sex, Governance, and National Security

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture

Valerie M. Hudson, Professor and George H.W. Bush Chair in the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University

September 21st 2017

7pm

Atrium, Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Continue reading

A Warm Welcome to Campus

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A Warm Welcome to Campus

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

Upcoming Event: Finding Justice in the Cambodian Genocide

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Upcoming Event: Finding Justice in the Cambodian Genocide

The Department of Government and Politics, College Park Scholars, International Studies,

and The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace

Present a Lecture

Finding Justice in the Cambodian Genocide: Mistakes, Consequences, and Questionable Ethics

Youk Chhang, Executive Director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), founder of Sleuk Rith Institute 

   2.00PM, May 9, 2017, Special Events Room, McKeldin Library, University of Maryland, College Park
Continue reading

Insights: Non-violence as an effective strategy?

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Insights: Non-violence as an effective strategy?

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. 

Non-violence as an influential strategy?

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

Insights: Searching for the Impossible

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Insights: Searching for the Impossible

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

Insights: The Power of Patience

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Insights: The Power of Patience

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

Insights: Racism as a Barrier to Justice

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Insights: Racism as a Barrier to Justice

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

Interview: Dr. Rashawn Ray on Why Police Compliance Does Not Save Black Lives

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Interview: Dr. Rashawn Ray on Why Police Compliance Does Not Save Black Lives

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.

Continue reading

Insights: Ideas of Equality in Religious Communities

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Insights: Ideas of Equality in Religious Communities

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

Insights: Can We Provide a ‘Good Childhood’ to American Children?

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Insights: Can We Provide a ‘Good Childhood’ to American Children?

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

Insights: Prof. C. Fred Alford “Forgiveness is Not To Make Us Feel Better”

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Insights: Prof. C. Fred Alford “Forgiveness is Not To Make Us Feel Better”

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

Insights: Prof. Barbara Finkelstein on The Rise of Two New Age Cosmopolitans: 1979-2012

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Insights: Prof. Barbara Finkelstein on The Rise of Two New Age Cosmopolitans: 1979-2012

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.

The Rise of Two New Age Cosmopolitans: 1979-2012

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

Insights: Prof. Cindi Katz on “Good Childhood, Social Childhood”

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Insights: Prof. Cindi Katz on “Good Childhood, Social Childhood”

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!

Good Childhood, Social Childhood

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

Insights: Dr Michael Robb on Technology Addiction

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Insights: Dr Michael Robb on Technology Addiction

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!

Technology Addiction: Cause For Concern of Media Hype?

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

Insights: Prof. Peter N. Stearns Modern Patterns and its influence on Childhood

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Insights: Prof. Peter N. Stearns Modern Patterns and its influence on Childhood

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!

Modern Childhoods: Adjustment, Variety, and Stress

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

Insights: Prof. Fruma Zachs on The Private World of Women and Children

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Insights: Prof. Fruma Zachs on The Private World of Women and Children

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!

The Private World of Women and Children: Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes in 19th Century Greater Syria – Professor Fruma Zachs

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

Insights: Conference on Children and Youth Day One

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Insights: Conference on Children and Youth Day One

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!

Globalization 2.0: Children and Youth in an Interconnected World.

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