From N.Doorn at cve.ru.nl Wed Dec 23 09:33:32 2009 From: N.Doorn at cve.ru.nl (Doorn, N. (Neelke)) Date: Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:33:32 +0100 Subject: [Forgiveness] Announcement: International Conference on Public Forgiveness Message-ID: <16116bfa171ca.4b31f1fc@ru.nl> Please allow me to draw your attention to the following conference on Public Forgiveness in Post-Conflict Contexts (see announcement below or visit the conference website by clicking on http://www.ru.nl/cve/publicforgiveness/ ). ================================================= Public Forgiveness in Post-Conflict Contexts March 6, 2010, Nijmegen, The Netherlands We are pleased to invite you to the international conference on "Public Forgiveness in Post-Conflict Contexts". The conference is organized by the Centre of Ethics of Radboud University Nijmegen, together with the international development organization CORDAID (The Hague). In many post-conflict countries public forgiveness is on the rise. However, it is not clear exactly what the term means, nor whether the concept of 'forgiveness' allows for such use of the term in public or political contexts. Furthermore, the assumption that public forgiveness might stimulate the peace process is controversial. Many 'Western' authors, policymakers and 'human rights' defenders are sceptical and believe that the peace process is not really well served by public forms of forgiveness. There seems to be a knowledge divide between the conceptual analysis of the notion of 'forgiveness' and empirical knowledge about the practice of the oratory of forgiveness under different conditions. Moreover, a need is felt to relate theoretical knowledge on this topic to the experiences of practitioners exploring transitional justice processes. This conference aims to shed new light on these topics by bringing together scholars and field experts to discuss the role of forgiveness in the context of transitional justice. By transcending disciplinary boundaries between theoretical research and field experiences we hope to advance the field of pacification and peace building and promote mutual dialogue. During the conference theoretical presentations will be alternated with discussion of experiences from two countries that have suffered from gross conflict and violence, Guatemala and Northern Ireland. Confirmed speakers include Dan Philpott (International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, University of Notre Dame), Margaret Smith (School of International Service, Washington DC), Trudy Govier (University of Lethbridge, Canada), Wilhelm Verwoerd (Glencree Centre for Reconciliation, Ierland and former researcher at the South-African Truth and Reconciliation Commission) and Marlies Stappers (initiator of Impunity Watch and the Guatemala Platform Against Impunity; former researcher at the Guatemalan Historical Truth Commission and observer of the peace agreements with the VN mission in Guatemala). The conference welcomes both practioners working in the field of peace mediation and conflict resolution and academic scholars working on the topic of forgiveness. * For a detailed program please visit the conference website (http://www.ru.nl/cve/publicforgiveness/). * Click http://www.eventbrite.com/event/457870503 to register for the conference. On the day preceding the conference, an expert seminar will be organized where the contents of an edited volume on the same topic will be discussed. For those interested it is possible to attend the expert seminar as a guest (registration required). Initiators and contact The conference is co-organized by Bas van Stokkom, Neelke Doorn, Paul van Tongeren and Marjolein de Boer, with financial support of several institutions, including ICCO, Sormani Fonds, Radboud University Nijmegen, Dpt. Philosophy Radboud University Nijmegen. ---------- Contact Radboud University Nijmegen Centre for Ethics P.O. Box 9103 6500 HD Nijmegen Email: B.v.Stokkom at cve.ru.nl or N.Doorn at cve.ru.nl