Dignity Letter — Summer 2025 | | |
Dear Friend,
We are excited to announce that we are in the process of upgrading the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies website (HumanDHS; www.humiliationstudies.org). The website will look the same, yet behind the scenes we are enhancing its functionality and accessibility for our growing global community.
As we embark on this transformative journey, we want to express our deepest gratitude to our esteemed HumanDHS community. We recognize that you may encounter a few bumps on the road as we make these improvements. Rest assured, we genuinely appreciate your understanding, patience, and unwavering support.
In this edition of the Dignity Letter, we warmly invite you to join us for several upcoming events, and we're pleased to share the recent efforts of our DigniCommunity around the world!
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Contents
Upcoming Opportunities to Connect and Register
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A Warm Welcome to Our 2025 Dignity Conference in October — Please Come to Pakistan!
- A Warm Welcome Also to Our Annual Dignity Workshop in December in New York City
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Please Save These Dates: Welcome to Our 44th Dignity Conference, Hamburg, Germany in 2026
News From Our Dignity Community
- In Remembrance: Professor Francisco Gomes de Matos
- Good News and Important Messages From Our DigniCommunity
- Resources for Research and Action
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DigniFunding: Thanks to All of Our Sharegivers!
| | Please note: Rather than sending numerous Dignity Letters throughout the year, HumanDHS sends fewer, longer letters. Since we are a global community, if you have trouble accessing links on our website, please let us know. We warmly welcome your feedback. | | 2025 Dignity Conference: You're Warmly Invited! | | |
42nd Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies
"International Conference on Mental Health,
Human Dignity, and Climate Change: Mitigating Global Psychological Risk"
in Lahore, Pakistan, and online
Monday – Tuesday, 27th – 28th October 2025: Dignilogues
Wednesday – Thursday, 29th – 30th October 2025: Academic Dignity Conference
This International Conference on Mental Health, Human Dignity, and Climate Change will be organized collaboratively by the Department of Psychology at the University of Central Punjab (UCP) in Lahore, Pakistan, Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (Human DHS), and The World Dignity University (WDU) initiative.
This conference aims to foster a global dialogue on human dignity, humiliation, and the intersection of these themes with pressing global challenges, such as mental health and climate change. The conference will be an opportunity to reflect on the global mission of advancing human dignity and preventing cycles of humiliation that might cause psychopathology at the global level, particularly in regions like South Asia that are experiencing social, environmental, and mental health-related risks for individuals and communities.
This conference is designed to have an enduring impact, contributing significantly to understanding, preventing, and managing global vulnerabilities.
Please visit the conference webpage regularly for the latest information
as plans for this event are unfolding.
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Registration is Free
Registration Closes 22nd October 2025
Whether you join us in person (seating is limited), online, or are with us in spirit, your kind support is invaluable!
We look forward to welcoming you!
Please know that you are invited to spend the entire conference with us, so that true dignity-family-building can emerge!
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| | | Welcome to Our Annual Dignity Workshop in New York! | | |
Welcome to Our 2025 Workshop!
Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict, “The Courage to Protect and Nurture Dignity in Times of Humiliation.”
This annual gathering is dedicated to fostering global dialogue to end cycles of humiliation while strengthening the dignity of all people.
Through interactive sessions, we will explore strategies to transform cycles of humiliation into opportunities for reconciliation and healing, contributing to a culture of dignity in both personal and global contexts.
This is a Hybrid Workshop
Zoom Participants: Doors open at 10:45 am (New York time)
In-Person Participants: Doors open 9:00 am (New York time)
Columbia University, Teachers College, Gottesman Libraries, 306 Russell Hall
525 West 120th Street, New York City, NY 10027
(Please remember to bring your workshop confirmation and ID)
The workshop begins 11:00 am and concludes at 4:00 pm (New York time).
Registration in advance is required (please see below).
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This is an event that emphasizes collaborative learning and community building. We strongly encourage participants to join us for the entire time. By nurturing a “global family of dignity,” the workshop aims to inspire participants to become lifelong advocates for peace through dignity.
Organized by the HumanDHS network, partnering with the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (MD-ICCCR), this workshop brings together scholars, practitioners, and advocates from diverse fields to address the root causes of humiliation and its role in perpetuating violence. We invite you to visit our workshop website for the latest details.
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Registration is Free
Registration Closes December 1, 2025
Whether you join us in person (seating is limited), online, or you are with us in spirit, your kind support is invaluable!
We look forward to welcoming you!
We are eager to have many conversations that will contribute to our continuing journey toward a more dignified world.
We look forward to welcoming you!
| | | Save These Dates: Hamburg, Germany, in 2026 | | |
44th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies
"Maintaining Human Dignity in the Midst of Crises"
Hamburg, Germany, and online
26th August 2026: Public Event
27th – 29th August 2026: Dignity Workshop
(including Two Global Village Sessions and excursions to interesting places in Hamburg)
This Dignity Conference in Hamburg, Germany, will be linked to the annual summer school of the trans-disciplinary "Peace Education/Peacebuilding" initiative at the University of Hamburg. Both teachers and students from the university will partake in the conference.
In the summer semester 2026 immediately preceding the conference, students of the "Peace Education/Peacebuilding" curriculum will develop stories or other arts-based activities for (and with) children and young people that address a constructive overcoming of humiliating experiences in childhood and adolescence. These students will share their results with other participants of the conference in the usual Open Space format.
Please visit the conference webpage regularly for the latest information
as plans for this event are unfolding.
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Registration is Free
Registration Closes:
Friday, 23rd October 2025
Whether you join us in person (seating is limited), online, or you are with us in spirit, your kind support is invaluable!
We look forward to welcoming you!
Please know that you are invited to spend the entire conference with us, so that true dignity-family-building can emerge!
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| | | Remembering Francisco Gomes de Matos | | |
Professor Gomes de Matos presented more than 80 papers in national, regional, and international conferences in Brazil, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He was a world pioneer in Peace Linguistics since 1993, publishing four books, two of which are in Portuguese and two in English.
For more than two decades, Francisco's poetry and linguistic creativity have been a source of courage for our dignity community. We invite you to immerse yourself in his poems online, his books, and review his creative posters, including: If DIGNITY was a tree, what would we see?
| | Good News and Important Messages | |
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Andrea Bartoli:
Global Citizenship Education Interview Series
Hosted by Emiliano Bosio
The Global Citizenship Education Interview Series welcomed Dr. Andrea Bartoli, President of the Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace & Dialogue.
Dr. Emiliano Bosio, Director of the Global Citizenship Education Interview Series, and Dr. Bartoli delved into key themes, including: Global Citizenship Education, peacebuilding, genocide prevention, and nuclear disarmament (June 2025).
Please read more...
| | The Global Citizenship Education Interview Series features conversations on the transformative power of education and sustainability. It serves as a key resource for educators, researchers, international organizations, and general viewers. | | | |
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2025 American Psychological Association Convention
Burned Bridges and Broken Trust
Peter Coleman
Peter Coleman, Director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University, contributed to a panel discussion, "Burned Bridges and Broken Trust: Psychology's Solutions for a Troubled Time," at the 2025 American Psychological Association's Convention, August 8th, in Denver, Colorado (+virtual). Please read more here...
In addition, Peter Coleman published a valuable article, "The Conflict-Intelligent Leader," in the Harvard Business Review (July/August 2025). The article explores how leaders can empower their teams while building creative organizational cultures that treat internal and external stressors as opportunities for positive change.
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Special Issue of In Factis Pax
Bridging Traditional Wisdom and Modernity: Exploring an Eco-Relational Paradigm for Peace
This Special Issue of In Factis Pax, with an introduction by Janet Gerson and co-editor Jeffery Warnke, examines the ecological crisis and social, political, and cultural obstacles to addressing it (Vol. 19, No. 1, 2025).
The article “Widening and Wilding Toward a Regenerative Peace Education,” — by Janet Gerson, Stephanie Knox-Steiner, and Daniela Pastoor — explores shared intersubjective experiences that enhance the reflective and relational potential of socio-ecological peace learning.
In Factis Pax, Journal of Peace Education and Social Justice, is led by Founder and Chief Editor Dale T. Snauwaert. It is a peer-reviewed online journal that examines issues central to peaceful society formation, violence prevention, political challenges to peace, democratic societies, and much more.
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Please also see these videos:
Geoscientist Thomas Kleineidam in Wacken, Germany (July 18, 2025).
Farmer Hans Möller in Wacken, Germany (July 19, 2025).
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Evelin Lindner
Human Dignity as the
Meaning of Life
Video Presentation in German
The physician and psychologist Evelin Lindner founded Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies as an academic field and global community. She conducts research, connects with people, and organizes conferences on all continents to promote dignity and equality. She focuses on the impact of violence and humiliation on conflicts and wars, emphasizing the importance of human rights and dignified coexistence.
Evelin shared her life's work in this talk presented in Wilster, Germany. Lindner’s life was shaped by her father’s nonconformity to the National Socialist image, his loss of family and homeland in World War II, and his unwavering commitment to human rights ideals.
Please read more here...
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New Video:
A Modest Case for
Connected Intelligence
Linda Hartling
In this video, HumanDHS Director Linda Hartling explores a deeper “intelligence problem” — not in terms of modern security breaches or AI — but in how society defines and uses intelligence itself.
Honoring the courage of HumanDHS members and other collaborative communities, this video asks:
"Imagine what we could achieve if we truly connected our intelligence, rising above hubris and division to create solutions that benefit everyone? Image what we could do if we connected our intelligence intelligently?"
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This talk challenges the narrow, individualistic view of intelligence and advocates for "connected intelligence": The collective power of people working together to more effectively address the interconnected crises facing people and the planet today.
Please read more...
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The Home for Humanity Movement was co-founded by Rama Mani, an Indian-French transformative leader, peacebuilder, poet, and performance artist, and Alexander Schieffer, an academic activist, social innovator, and transformative poet. | | |
New Video:
Our One Home:
Humanity's Epic Journey Home
Rama Mani and Alexander Schieffer
Home for Humanity is a transcultural alliance of humanity, comprised of individuals, homes, organizations, and communities committed to human and planetary renewal.
This initiative strives to activate the power of our homes to pioneer personal, local, societal, and planetary renewal.
The community seeks to transform our divided world into a united, inclusive, regenerative, just and peaceful home for humanity and the diversity of life on Earth. Please read more...
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Association of Professionals Solving the Abuse of Children: Prevention Award
Congratulations to Dr. Lucien Lombardo
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Lucien Lombardo on his well-deserved Prevention Award, presented by the Association of Professionals Solving the Abuse of Children (APSAC). He was nominated for this award by Ibrahim Bangura the founder of Future Leaders Initiative, Sierra Leone.
Dr. Lombardo has dedicated decades to advancing children’s rights and dignity through groundbreaking research, advocacy, and education. He has shared insights about dignity and childhood at many HumanDHS events over the years. As a Professor Emeritus at Old Dominion University, his scholarship on children’s human rights, dignity, and nonviolence has impacted policy and practice worldwide.
Please see his article: "Children’s Rights and Children’s Dignity Should Be Inseparable."
Please also view: "Implementing No Hit Zones for Preventing Child Maltreatment: Experiences from Sierra Leone" with Ibrahim Bangura and Dr. Lucien Lombardo.
Dr. Lombardo's unwavering commitment to prevention, collaboration, and education inspires transformative change at both the grassroots and global levels. Dr. Lombardo’s dedication to children’s well-being makes him an exemplary recipient of the APSAC Prevention Award. Please read more...
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Learning Opportunity: Wikiversity
Reformation Workshop
Leland Beaumont
In a world facing profound challenges and rapid change, thoughtful, purposeful reform is essential. The Reformation Workshop invites you to prepare, think critically, and act courageously in pursuit of a better future. This learning opportunity is brought to us by Leland Beaumont.
Reform requires reflection, resilience, and responsibility. It begins with awareness and is sustained by intentional effort. This isn’t just about fixing what’s broken. It’s about envisioning and building a better future—a future that works for more people, with more wisdom, and greater integrity. This workshop urges us to "progress from good intentions to effective action." Please read more...
| | | | We are always delighted to learn about dignity news, even when we can't include everything in this Dignity Letter. If you would like to share your dignity news — positive progress, courageous action, promising practices, new publications, and the like — we warmly invite you to send it to our attention: humandhs@humiliationstudies.org. | |
World Dignity University Initiative: Research & Action
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Work in Progress!
Dignity Resources Database
Thanks to the truly remarkable efforts of HumanDHS Senior Project Leader Becky Tabaczynski, the Dignity Resources Database now includes over 9000 entries!
This database documents references to books, chapters, articles, papers, presentations, or other resources authored, co-authored, or initiated by members of the HumanDHS/WDUi community. To see a preview of this project as it evolves, please click here.
We are committed to maintaining this database to support educators, scholars, researchers, and other collaborators on topics related to advancing dignity, ending cycles of humiliation, and working for peace in dignity.
If you have feedback about this project or resources to share, please email
Senior Project Leader Becky Tabaczynsk
beckytaba@humiliationstudies.org
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Please join us in expressing our deepest gratitude to Becky Tabaczynski
for her leadership and tireless research!
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| | | | DigniFunding: Thanks To All of Our Sharegivers! | |
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We are deeply grateful to all who generously sustain HumanDHS through action gifts and economic support!
HumanDHS does not have a paid staff, administrative assistance, or IT services. We are an "extreme, lean, green, but not mean" community, essentially a "do-it-together-with-dignity" community. We do not charge registration fees for events, yet we appreciate thoughtful contributions (according to one's ability).
If you would like to contribute, we warmly welcome your kind support:
| | | | Wishing You a World of Dignity! | | | |  | |
Evelin Lindner, MD, PhDs, Founding President
Linda Hartling, PhD, Director
Uli Spalthoff, PhD, Director of Project Development and Systems Administration
Michael Britton, EdD, PhD, Board Member
Richard Slaven, PhD, Director of Dignifunding
Jane Hilken, MA, Publication Advisor
Fatma Tufan, Senior Partner and Advisor
Rebecca Tabaczynski, Senior Project Leader
HumanDHS Board of Directors
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