Changing Nature of War and Peace

Workshop Title: Strategies for Peace Building: Lessons Learned from India & Norway

Workshop Facilitator: Usha S. Nayar, Ph.D. 

The workshop is focused on familiarizing and utilizing strategies for intervention in emergency conflicts. We will be learning culture specific examples from India and Norway so as to compare and contrast the particular strategies used. Through these case studies we will highlight the roles played by civil society, state and local communities to bring and sustain peace. Our motivation in the workshop is to build a working framework from these two case studies for future successful interventions. We will examine and construct the interface between the stakeholders mentioned above and determine a timeline of response.

Case Study in India: 1992/93 Mumbai Riots Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_Riots

Remembering 1992 - Tata Institute of Social Sciences, School of Media & Cultural Studies

Case Study in Norway: 2011 Norway Attacks Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Norway_attacks

Resources: 

Attached articles below titled (1) How to cope with a terrorist attack? (2) Mohalla Committees 2004 should be circulated among workshop participants. 

I will need a whiteboard with colored pens (or alternatively a larger poster) for our workshop participants to write out a framework as developed in the workshop.

I will be using a powerpoint presentation (which will also be uploaded here before the workshop) so I will require a room set up for use with powerpoint. 

Discussion Questions: 

1. How can we cultivate diversity, compassion, and empathy in today's world? Is it possible to utilize such values to prevent terrorism? 

2. How do we prevent individuals from becoming fantastic extremists, potential terrorists, and martyrs? What can be done on an individual, group, and societal level? 

3. How do we heal wounds (individual, in families who were directly impacted and in society) after terrorist attacks and to create reconciliation? 

Keywords: 

Nonviolence, Ubuntu (philosophy), inclusion and exclusion processes, healing humiliation, ... others? 

Bio: 

Usha Sidana Nayar received her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and Doctorate in Developmental Psychology from University of Allahabad. She is the fmr. Deputy Director and Senior Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, India and Part-Time Professor at the New School for Public Engagement, Graduate Program in International Affairs as well as Adj. Professor at Adelphi University's Ruth S. Ammon School of Education. Usha also has a long standing academic association with Norway having been associated with NTNU, Trondheim, Oslo University, and with number of Norwegian scholars working in the field of child & youth policy and practice research, for the past 20 years. 

Usha has served as an expert for World Health Organization, Geneva in the area of mental health and social change. Besides this, she has worked closely with various United Nations' bodies and international networks in building and sustaining child friendly policies, child rights and research. She served for three terms as an elected member on the board of ChildWatch International and has recently served as the chair for Stigma & Discrimination group, USAID & UNICEF Global Health Evidence Summit.

Usha has published articles extensively in both national and international journals and books.  Some of her recent publications are: An edited book on Child and Adolescent Mental Health, SAGE, 2012, an article in Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives Volume 19 2014  Special Issue: Population-Level Behavior Change to Enhance Child Survival and Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Review of the Evidence., Yoga for Children and Young People's Mental Health and Well-Being: Research Review and Reflections on the Mental Health Potentials of Yoga. online  Frontier's Journal Psychiatry., 2014.

She served as an expert committee member of the Ministry of Labor, Govt. of India, University Grants Commission and NAAC. She also served as President of India Nominee to Universities in India. Currently she is on Academic Advisory Committee of CECED,  Ambedkar University. Additionally, she is  on the expert committee of the Commonwealth Youth Development Index based out of London, United Kingdom.

Her Areas of Specialization include:

Yoga, Happiness from a Life Course Perspective

International perspectives on Childhood & Adolescence

International Social Policy, Research & Advocacy

Social research with special focus on qualitative methodologies

Social issues related to vulnerable and marginalized groups e.g. child labour,girl child education and developmental opportunities for child and youth.

Media, information and communication technology and young people

Capacity building of organizations towards enhancement of social capital. 

Recommended Video for Forum: Scourge for War (vimeo link) http://vimeo.com/67838241