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International Seminar on Conflict Resolution dated 15th to 17th February, 2003. |
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Dear friends, We invite you to participate in an International Seminar that is to be organized in Wardha (Sevagram, India- the place where Mahatma Gandhi had his last Ashram) on the role that Non-violence can play in resolving conflict and building up a culture of enduring peace. The spectre of terrorism and its consequences are haunting almost all parts of the world and human society in every part of the world. It ahs become clear that humanity can survive only if we find peaceful means to substitute violence, to secure justice or to resolve conflicts. Institute of Gandhian Studies and Fuji Memorial Trust, Wardha is organizing the International Seminar on the peaceful means of conflict resolution that we can identify and we need to identify today. The Institute of Gandhian Studies has been devoting itself to study, teaching and research related to the ideas and methods of Mahatma Gandhi, and the Fujii Guruji Memorial Trust, inspired by the philosophy and ideals of the Buddha has been keenly interested in promoting the conditions and methods of peace in the World.. The Institute has been working in Wardha, Sevagram for the last fifteen years. Our two organizations are jointly sponsoring the Seminar because we believe that the Lord Buddha, and Mahatma Gandhi in recent times have made distinct and unique contributions to the ideology and methods of peace and harmony. The Seminar is expected to deal with the subject of Conflict Resolution. In view of the importance of the subject, and the deep concern all of us have, we will request you to participate in the Seminar and contribute to the evolution of clearer ideas, and more effective methods for peaceful efforts. We would like to know, as soon as possible, whether you will be in a position to participate in the Seminar. |
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Correspondence to be addressed to : International Seminar on Conflict Resolution Institute of Gandhian Studies Gopuri, Wardha, Maharashtra 442 114, India Fax 0091-7152-40315, e-mail: mahatma@nagpur.dot.net.in |
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International Seminar on Conflict Resolution 15-17 February 2003 Explanatory Note for Paper Contributors and participants. Conflict resolution is an activity practised by people throughout the world. The need for evolving peaceful ways of resolving conflicts has become more urgent now than ever with the expansion in the number and variety of conflicts. In order to evolve a common (of course culturally sensitive) vocabulary for expressing and conducting conflict in a creative and peaceful manner, practitioners and theoreticians all over the world are now studying the field of conflict resolution and disseminating the results to aid future practice. This earnestness is motivated by a desire to build a more peaceful social order in which conflicts are expressed and resolved through non-violent means. While Gandhi is acknowledged as one of the precursors of the conflict resolution movement, there have been very few attempts in India to analyse and advance the field of conflict resolution as such. This seminar seeks to make a modest contribution towards this end by bringing together a number of scholars and practitioners Conflict resolution is a very vast field. When we think of conflict resolution, we need to reject first a negative view of conflicts and recognise their potential developmental implications. Gandhi was quick to realise them. He saw conflicts as representing opportunities for radical, yet peaceful social change. Accentuation of conflicts as a necessary step to resolution is a Marxist strategy; but Marxists presuppose the possibility of using violence to bring about an end to conflicts. The vast !literature on conflict resolution that has been produced in the West has relies heavily on rational choice assumptions. This approach, which is popular in management sciences and economics, often does not work in asymmetric conflicts, particularly when issues like morality, power and justice also get intertwined with the resolution process. Serious social conflicts are most often the product of systemic contradictions; only resolution of these contradictions (and reconstruction of failing systems) could resolve deep-rooted conflicts. One can also envision conflict as the product of broken relationships that could be repaired by sensitive mediation and healed by a combination of amity and institutional reform. Conflict is a major concern of every social science discipline, from political science to psychology,, from economics to communications. Conflict resolution has also been a central feature of many professions, including law and diplomacy, management and social work. A longing for justice animates much of the work in the field. Hence ethical issues constitute a key theme in conflict resolution. Gandhian approach to conflict resolution sought to bring conflicts into the open by challenging instances of structural violence through non-violent means. In the Gandhian dialectic the objective is not to win the conflict but to reach a higher level of truth and a healthier relationship between the antagonists. The teachings of Buddha have shown the doctrine of the middle way, and the four noble truths locate the deeper roots of conflict in the perceptions, values and attitudes of the conflicting parties. While this does not ignore structures, the focus is more on changes in self-awareness and the development of self -knowledge. Meditation practices aimed at cultivating compassion are integral to the Buddhist way of peacemaking. For example, core spiritual values coincidentally associated with skilful mediation -justice, love, compassion, empathy, charity, understanding forgiveness, personal tranquility, respect for people, and comfort with our inability to demand that others change - comprise invisible hands guiding a mediator's actions. The contribution of other traditions also to peacemaking needs to be documented, wherever possible, with suitable illustrative cases. Terrorism belies all conflict rules and is widely discussed following the September 11 attacks. Terrorism defies attempts aimed at amicable resolution because persons whoso identity is secret conduct it, often for realising objectives that are not clear. Conflict negotiations can take place only when there is an overt agency or person with whom one can constructively engage in negotiations. Terrorism therefore poses a challenge to the field of conflict resolution. Women are the silenced victims of most conflicts and often it is they who come up with some ingenious strategies for survival in crisis situations. A number of books have been published recently in India providing a women's perspective on conflict resolution in politically charged conflicts like Kashmir. This needs to be explored further by bringing similar perspectives from other places in India and outside. Women are generally excluded from formal peacemaking negotiations. How far militarism and militaristic values informed by masculinity hinders efforts aimed at reconciliation and conflict resolution also needs to be looked into. Environmental conflict and conflict over natural resources like water also pose no less a threat to peace. Although heavily influenced by the legal tradition, alternative dispute resolution and community mediation is increasingly coming into vogue. Using a number of resources the Panchayat and local notables also engage in local level conflict management. Such practices may not come anywhere near the conflict transformation approach currently advocated by conflict resolution theorists, but are nonetheless valuable as strategies aimed at controlling the litigation spiral. Communal and ethnic conflicts pose a serious threat to peace. We need to discuss how such conflicts over identity can be resolved drawing on the international experience on this count. The non-profit and voluntary sector as well as sectors like civil society play crucial role in peacemaking in modern times. For many NGOs, conflict resolution becomes a part and parcel of their humanitarian mission. The role of international agencies like the UN and regional organisations like the European community and ASEAN in conflict resolution is widely recognised in recent decades. These international agencies now work closely with the non-profit sector, following the broadening of their agenda from peace keeping to peacemaking and peace building. Challenges for teaching and learning conflict resolution right from the school level also needs to be discussed at length with case studies wherever possible. Since South Asia continues to be an explosive region following the recent nuclearisation and the persistence of a number of high visibility ethnic conflicts, we need to focus our attention to this region primarily. In sum the seminar should become a forum for discussing all sorts of conflicts, especially successful and failed attempts at conflict resolution, detailing out the process in each case. The seminar should also serve as a forum for interaction between academicians and practitioners with the possibility of mutual learning. |
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Following areas for discussion can be gauged from the above. 1.(a)Analysis of Conflict- theories of conflict- conflict types and dynamics- approaches to conflict resolution- Conflict management to conflict transformation. (b) Negotiation, adjudication, arbitration, ombudsmanry, mediation and problem-solving workshops- mediation may be given more focus. (c) Gender and conflicts- Critique of conflict resolution practices- ethical issues in conflict resolution- Alternative Dispute Resolution e.g.. Lok Adalat- elements of a culture of peace- peaceful societies- culture of peace 2. (a) Gandhian approach to conflict resolution- non-violent action- non-violent defence- Gandhi's satyagraha campaigns- (b) Buddhist contributions to peacemaking- cases applying Buddhist principles in conflict resolution -eg. Sarvodaya (Sri Lanka), Tibetan movement lend by Dalai Lama etc. (c) Contributions of other religious traditions to the field of conflict resolution with illustrative cases- spirituality and peacemaking. 3. (a) Role of UNO and Regional Organisations in peace keeping, peacemaking and peace building-. Co) Ethnic and communal (religious) conflicts in South Asia- Focus on Kashmir, North East India. Tamil issue in Sri Lanka and Hindu-Muslim conflict (c) Nuclear arms race in South Asia- Global terrorism- non-violent responses to terrorism- terrorism in identity-based conflicts- Conflict over natural resources and the environment-
4. (a) Issues in the teaching and learning of conflict resolution both in schools and higher educational institutions- conflict resolution
as an element of peace education- impediments to the introduction of peace education. (c) Role of NGOs and civil society groups including social movements in conflict resolution. The above categories are too broadly presented and papers having some bearing on any of the above topics are welcome. Some of the areas have a potential for large number of papers in which case an exclusive session on the theme can be arranged. The number of sessions and the inclusion of additional areas will depend on the number and nature of papers received. |