A New UNESCO/WISE publication: Unfinished Business: A Comparative Survey of Historical and Contemporary Slavery

By Dr Joel Quirk, Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE), University of Hull. 

The full report is avaliable as a free pdf download at

http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=38451&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Abstract:

Interest in contemporary slavery has increased dramatically over the last ten years, but there remains a widespread tendency to view slavery in the past and slavery in current society as independent fields of study. This publication moves beyond this artifical divide, providing the first ever comparative analysis of historical slave systems and modern forms of human bondage. From this standpoint, recent concerns over human trafficking, debt-bondage, child labor and other related problems are analyzed in view of the historical strengths and weaknesses of the legal abolition of slavery. By bringing together a range of studies on different aspects of slavery, both past and present, this publication provides an innovative platform for promoting dialogue about ways of addressing both contemporary slavery and the enduring legacies of historical slave systems.

The ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PEACE EDUCATION is now accessible.

http://www.tc.edu/centers/epe/ 

The online Encyclopedia of Peace Education provides a comprehensive overview of scholarly developments in the field to date as well as new insights from across the globe from various actors involved in advancing peace education. This online resource serves as a living reference guide that traces the history and emergence of the field, highlights foundational concepts, contextualizes peace education practice across international and disciplinary borders, and suggests new directions for peace educators. From core conceptual perspectives to the moral and spiritual foundations of the field to the role of the United Nations, the Encyclopedia grounds peace education in a solid theoretical and practical framework through the writings of some of the field’s most renowned scholars and its emerging voices. This online resource targets undergraduate and graduate students as well as scholars and practitioners working in international and non-governmental organizations in the field of peace education.

Present entries include:

* A History of Peace Education in the U.S. (Aline Stomfay-Stitz)
* Access to Peace Education (Surya Nath Prasad)
* American Friends Service Committee and Peace Education (Charles F. Howlett)
* American School Peace League and the First Peace Studies Curriculum (Charles F. Howlett)
* Andrew Carnegie’s Educational Efforts For World Peace (Charles F. Howlett)
* Baha’i Faith and Peace Education (Marie Gervais)
* Brookwood Labor College and Peace Education (Charles F. Howlett)
* Caring and Peace Education (Nel Noddings)
* Coexistence Education (Daniel Bar-Tal)
* Comparative and International Education and Peace Education (Robin J.
Burns)
* Conceptual Perspectives in Peace Education (Magnus Haavelsrud)
* Countering Militarism through Peace Education (Carl Mirra)
* ‘Critical’ Peace Education (Monisha Bajaj)
* Elise Boulding and Peace Education (Mary Lee Morrison)
* Environmental Peacemaking, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (Patricia Mische)
* Form and Content of Peace Education (Johan Galtung)
* Futures Education (David Hicks)
* Global Citizenship Education (Lynn Davies)
* History of Peace Education (Ian Harris)
* Human Rights Education (Felisa Tibbitts)
* International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE) & Community-Based Institutes on Peace Education (CIPE) (Tony Jenkins)
* Islam and Peace Education (Mustafa Köylü)
* Jane Addams and the Promotion of Peace and Social Justice Among the Masses (Charles F. Howlett)
* John Dewey and Peace Education (Charles F. Howlett)
* Learning to Communicate Peacefully (Francisco Gomes de Matos)
* Learning to Live Together (Margaret Sinclair)
* Maria Montessori’s Contribution to Peace Education (Cheryl Duckworth)
* Merle Curti and the Development of Peace History in American Thought and Culture (Charles F. Howlett)
* Multiculturalism: Critical Reflections (Zvi Bekerman)
* Nonviolence and Peace Education (Barry L. Gan)
* Paulo Freire and Peace Education (Lesley Bartlett)
* Peace History Society (Charles F. Howlett)
* Philosophy of Peace Education (James Page)
* Schools, Violence, and Peace Education (Clive Harber)
* The Moral and Spiritual Foundations of Peace Education (Dale T. Snauwaert)
* The United Nations and Peace Education (James S. Page)
* UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) and Peace Education (Lynn Davies)
* Unity-Based Peace Education (H.B. Danesh)
* Youth and Peacebuilding (Roshan Danesh)

 The Human Rights Reception will take place on Tuesday, September 23 from 4-6PM at the Dodd Center Lounge.

Namaste, the student run human rights journal at UConn, is currently looking for an editor. This is a great opportunity, especially for those interested in the position and are looking for a HR internship for the Spring semester.   Namaste is also now accepting essays, artwork, poetry, creative fiction, photography and much more for the next issue of the journal.  This is an excellent opportunity to get published as a college student and a great resume builder! If you would like to learn more about the journal or submit your work, please contact Namaste at namastejournal@gmail.com or join the Namaste Journal on Facebook.

The Global Health and Human Rights Film Series is showing A Walk to Beautiful, a documentary about five women with obstetric fistula in Ethiopia.

Notes and materials from the symposium, “Human Rights Archives and Documentation:  Transforming Ideas Into Practice,” hosted by the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut in March 2008, and co-sponsored by the Center for Human Rights Documentation and Research at Columbia University Libraries and the Center for Research Libraries Global Resources Network, are now available on the Dodd Center’s website.  Click here for minutes, notes, and outcomes. 

A recurring theme of the symposium was the need for increased communication and collaboration among archivists working with human rights materials.  To help meet this need, the University of Connecticut and symposium participants have initiated several projects:

1. A listserv designed for archivists working with human rights collections
2. An online Human Rights Archives Information Portal, which will include information about human rights archival collections, repositories currently collecting human rights materials, resources for organizations and governments working to preserve their own records, and a calendar of upcoming conferences events pertaining to human rights library and archival collections. 

The Human Rights Archives Listserv is open to anyone working with human rights collections, or interested in human rights and archives.  The listserv is hosted by the University of Connecticut.  The link to subscribe is here. 

Idealists United, a human rights advocacy and awareness group founded at UConn, is hosting its second annual Human Rights Awareness Week with events on campus from April 14-19, 2008. 

Each day of the week has a different theme, and events range from lectures, to concerts, to films to rallies.

Monday, April 14:  Genocide Awareness
Tuesday, April 15:  The Environment
Wednesday, April 16:  Women’s Rights
Thursday, April 17:  Labor Rights
Friday, April 18:  Anti-Discrimination
Saturday, April 19:  Human Rights Music Festival

For a full schedule and information, see the Idealists United Homepage, or join their Facebook Group.