Dignity Letter — May 2020
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We are sending you strength and courage!
Dear Friend,
More than ever before, we hope you, your family, and your colleagues are finding strength, courage, and solidarity during this difficult time.
Our hearts go out to all who are suffering as a result of the global pandemic, particularly those caught in situations where protection is virtually impossible, such as refugee camps, war zones, poverty stricken areas in general.
Our highest admiration goes to the heroic individuals on the front lines of this emergency, the "global careholders": nurses, doctors, emergency responders, caregivers to the elderly, firefighters, police, sanitation workers, food distribution workers, and all those who are sustaining families and communities at the risk of their own lives.
In the midst of tragedy, we are seeing a world lighting up with Beacons of Dignity!
Contents
- Building a Vision of Healing – Reflections on the Global Pandemic by Evelin Lindner
- New Dates and Plans for Upcoming Conferences and Workshops
- New Books from Dignity Press
- Ideas for Inspiration and Action
- New Ways to Connect: Introducing #Digniworld!
- WISR Seminar on Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies — Open to all!
- Dignifunding: Evelin Needed a New Computer Fast — Thanks to All Sharegivers!
Please note:
Rather than sending numerous Dignity Letters throughout the year, HumanDHS sends longer letters. We warmly welcome your
feedback
about this approach.
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Building a Vision of Healing and Hope in Times of Crisis
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From Humiliation to Dignity:
For a Future of Global Solidarity
"The Coronavirus Pandemic as
Opportunity in the Midst of Suffering"
Where do we stand, as humankind? We have dug ourselves into a multitude of perilous crises, both despite and because of what we call progress or economic growth. In service of profit, we practice strategies of development that shred our social fabric while simultaneously plundering our planet – fueling a toxic combination of
sociocide and
ecocide that leads to intractable cycles of systemic humiliation. The coronavirus pandemic is one manifestation of this dire predicament.
At the same time, there are also immense windows of opportunity waiting for us to use. The pandemic reminds humanity that it can and must change. It reminds us also that we can change quickly. And, it reminds us that we can change for the better. This article offers reflections on the predicament we as humankind face, as well as offering a way forward.
(Many thanks to Ardian Adenela and his son for this image of "Relational Bridge Building")
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HumanDHS Workshops and Conferences
New Dates and New Ways to Participate!
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Please Note:
Due to the coronavirus pandemic,
we have rescheduled this conference to 2021.
Welcome to Our 36th Annual
Dignity Conference
"Global Vulnerabilities – From Humiliation to Dignity and Solidarity"
September 21 – 24th, 2021 in Madrid, Spain
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Welcome to our
36th Annual Dignity Conference in Madrid, Spain, entitled "Global Vulnerabilities – From Humiliation to Dignity and Solidarity." This conference has been rescheduled to the fall of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
We thank Saulo Fernández and José Francisco Morales Domínguez for inviting us! If you would like to participate, please
send us a message and follow the program as it evolves on our
conference webpage.
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Join us online for our workshop!
Welcome to Our 17th Annual Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict
"From a Virus Pandemic to a Pandemic of Dignity:
How Can We Escape Complicity with Institutionalized Humiliation?"
December 10 – 11, 2020
We are in the process of formulating plans for hosting this year’s gathering online. If you wish to participate, please
email us. We are looking forward to welcoming you! You can see the program evolve on our
workshop website.
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Join Us in 2022 for This Conference!
38th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies
in Lahore, Pakistan - End of March 2022
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New Publications from Dignity Press
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Human Dignity:
Practices, Discourses, and Transformations
Essays on Dignity Studies in Honor of Evelin Lindner
Editors: Chipamong Chowdhury, Michael Britton,
and Linda Hartling
Dignity and humiliation are at the root of countless urgent issues today. This book is a multifaceted discussion of dignity from social, cultural, religious, legal, educational, psychological, and political perspectives. It is written as a tribute to
Dr. Evelin Lindner
, HumanDHS Founding President and global scholar nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
This book is a celebration! It is an intellectual surprise party for Evelin Lindner. It is a tribute to — and an appreciation of — Evelin’s lifelong dedication to awakening and strengthening mutual understanding in the world.
Table of Contents
- Preface: Chipamong Chowdhury
- Foreword: Linda Hartling
- Chapter 1: "Introduction" by Michael Britton
- Chapter 2: "Growing Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies: Without Falling Prey to Neoliberal Norms" by David C. Yamada
- Chapter 3: "Everyday Dignity: The Surprising Power of 'Small' Acts" by Claudia E. Cohen
- Chapter 4: "Reclaiming Common Bases of Human Dignity" by Janet Gerson
- Chapter 5: "The Language of Respect and Dignity for Intercultural Understanding and Conflict Resolution" by Noriko Ishihara
- Chapter 6: "Dignity and Therapeutic Jurisprudence: How We Can Best End Shame and Humiliation" by Michael L. Perlin
- Chapter 7: "Humiliation, Social Justice, and Ethno-Mimesis" by Maggie O’Neill
- Chapter 8: "School Discipline: A Prosocial Perspective" by Philip M. Brown
- Chapter 9: "Mindfulness, the Reawakening of Black Dharma, and Mastering the Art of Policing" by Tony Gaskew
- Chapter 10: "Suspension Bridge Mental Health Network for Human Dignity" by Michelle Jones
- Chapter 11: "Human Dignity and Human Rights Terms in Transition" by Zaynab El Bernoussi
- Chapter 12: "On the Problem of Evil and Violations of Human Dignity" by Kebadu Mekonnen Gebremariam
- Chapter 13: "World Dignity University Initiative in the Amazon Rainforest" by Mariana I. Vergara Esquivel
- Chapter 14: "Full Circle: With Gratitude to Our Dearest Evelin Lindner" by Judith Revesz
- Chapter 15: "Moving Beyond Humiliation: A Relational Conceptualization of Human Rights" by Linda Hartling
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Women and the Nobel Peace Prize
by Ingunn Norderval — Coming Soon!
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Ingunn Norderval has done groundbreaking research, looking at all of the women who were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize from 1901 to 1960, many of whom were bold enough to work for peace during the darkest of times.
Few people realize that it was a woman, Bertha von Suttner, who inspired Alfred Nobel to establish the Prize in the first place. Bertha von Suttner was also the first woman to be awarded the Prize in 1905. Yet, relatively few women, though nominated, have been awarded the Prize after her. This book honors them.
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(Thanks to Lisbeth Vilkan Glad who created the graphic image for this new book.)
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From Humiliation to Dignity
Evelin Lindner's New Book on
Building Global Solidarity
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A digital version of this publication, with full endnotes, will soon be downloadable from Evelin Lindner's
webpage for the book.
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Ideas for Inspiration and Action!
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Politico Magazine
Thoughts on a Pandemic From Peter Coleman
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Peter T. Coleman
, the director of the Morton Deutsch International Center on Cooperation and Conflict Resolution
(MD-ICCCR)
, at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City, shares two factors that may lead to constructive openings in this time of hardship. Peter's comments are part of the article: "
Corona Virus Will Change the World Permanently. Here’s How
," which invited 34 prestigious thinkers to share their prediction for what is ahead.
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"How COVID-19 Has Placed Health Care Providers at Grave Risk of Moral Injury"
By David Yamada and
Minding the Workplace
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In his recent posting, HumanDHS
Board Director David Yamada
observes, "[T]he coronavirus pandemic is squeezing the capabilities of our health care systems ... This experience will leave its formative mark on current generations of health care workers for decades to come. We owe them our support for the short and long runs alike."
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SEKEM: The Pandemic and
Sustainable Development
Is It Time to Rethink Economics?
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For more than 40 years the SEKEM initiative has promoted sustainable development in ecology, economy, societal, and cultural life. Helmy Abouleish is the CEO of the SEKEM Initiative in Egypt, founded by his father Ibrahim Abouleish in 1977. SEKEM kindly hosted our
2018 Dignity Conference in Cairo, Egypt.
In response to the pandemic, SEKEM observes: "In the past, the world has lived in the conviction that a flourishing economy is fundamental to the advancement of humanity. Now that the economy has suffered enormous losses in a very short time ... can this be a lesson for us that encourages us to rethink economics?"
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Join the Celebration: Global Love Day
Friday, May 1, 2020 — You're Invited!
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Harold Becker, the Founder and President of
The Love Foundation, invites you to an online celebration of Global Love Day, Friday, May 1, 2020: "Especially in this year of a worldwide pandemic, let us embrace our global family in
the spirit of love, compassion, and kindness."
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"Raising Our Resilience in Times of Risk"
Chapter by Linda Hartling, Evelin Lindner,
Thelma Duffey, and Shane Haberstroh
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Linda Hartling and Evelin Lindner collaborated with the editors on a chapter discussing dignity as the root of resilience, "
Raising Our Resilience in Times
of Risk." The editors kindly gave us permission to share the
chapter with students and the HumanDHS community.
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Poetry and "(Re)claiming Dignity"
Contributions from Amanda Smith Byron
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Join the Dialogue!
HumanDHS Friends Continue Conversations about Current Issues and Concerns via WhatsApp
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The present coronavirus pandemic may be intimately connected to human activity, robbing wild animals of their habitat, and bringing them into overly close contact with humans, a problem that indigenous peoples have been aware of for a long time.
Thanks to
Gaby Saab, the HumanDHS WhatsApp group was founded in August 2019 prior to our conference in the Amazon. It continued during our workshop in New York City in December 2019 and has since become a space for sharing in times of the coronavirus pandemic. If you would like to join in the conversation, please send us a message:
humanDHS@humiliationstudies.org
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Poly Money Podcast:
An Interview of Evelin Lindner about Her Global Life
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The hosts of this podcast, Mel Wymore, Stefanie Overbeck, and Riley Paul, explore
Evelin Lindner's choices and consider how they help her spread her message of love. Evelin Lindner describes how she lives a global life, with as little money as possible.
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A Dialogue about Our Human Climate:
Carol Smaldino is Interviewed
by Stephanie James on
The Spark
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Teaching Human Dignity
Auburn School District in New York
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Last November,
Lucien Lombardo
contributed to a workshop on “Human Dignity and Childhood,” in conjunction with the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace and the school system in Auburn, New York. One of the goals of the workshop was to encourage and support efforts to teach human dignity in learning institutions. We hope these types of efforts will grow as schools go online.
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New Book
Beyond Contempt: How Liberals Can Communicate across the Great Divide
By E
rica Etelson
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The Unbounded Organization Academy
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The
Unbounded Organization Academy
is a transdisciplinary space open to all involved in informal, nonformal, and formal education. We work with the concept of unbounded organization and other concepts that also need development and critique to illuminate the issues facing people and planet. We promote an ethics of solidarity and learn from reflection on experiences of and proposals for unbounded organization, using the lens of moral realism.
We collectively align with calls for climate justice, cognitive justice, gender justice, the restoration of dignity and equity, and organization for the common good across the boundaries of country, ideology, and creed. Although we may not add to the already strong case for working for these and similar goals, we believe we have added and continue to add to the effectiveness of methods for accomplishing them and to the clarity of theory. We are convinced that there is a need for a paradigm shift in the way the public and private sectors are going about solving pressing problems.
We invite you to join this learning journey and participate in one of the four streams of conversation that have emerged so far — or indeed to propose another stream.
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Do You Have Dignity News?
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We love sharing news that grows out of the global efforts of our HumanDHS community!
If you would like to share your dignity news, including "good news," "positive progress," or "promising practices," you are warmly invited to send it to our attention:
humandhs@humiliationstudies.org.
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Many New Ways to Connect!
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Introducing #Digniworld
We are profoundly thankful to Michael Boyer for creating the following new ways to connect to HumanDHS friends, collaborators, projects, topics of interest, and community gatherings via several popular cyber platforms! We warmly invite you to visit the links below and let us know what you think:
humandhs@humiliationstudies.org
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Dignity Studies — Online Learning Opportunities!
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WISR’s mission is strongly compatible with the commitments and values of HumanDHS, the organizational home of the WDUi.
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Upcoming WISR Seminar Online
All HumanDHS Friends Welcome!
Human Dignity and Humiliation Dialogue
Saturday, May 2, 2020; 10:00 AM to Noon, Pacific Time
WISR helps students build bridges toward their personal and professional goals through action projects, research, and writing that leads to a sustainable and just future for all.
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Disastershock: How to Cope with the Emotional Stress of a Major Disaster
Invitation to Help
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This book is intended to help families and communities cope with disaster-related stress, such as that caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been distributed worldwide for over 30 years and has been recently updated.
Disastershock is a free book, and Brian Gerrard, Ph.D., Chief Academic Officer for WISR, welcomes your help distributing it in support of all who are suffering from disasters around the world today.
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DigniFunding: Always a Labor of Love
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It takes many hands to make light work.
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All HumanDHS efforts are a
labor of love
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We strive to operate on a nearly zero budget so we never depend on big donors or corporate sponsors. When we have an unavoidable expense, we invite those who can to contribute according to their ability —
Sharegivers!
We call our economic approach "Dignifunding." Over the years this sharing method has helped us ensure that money consistently serves our efforts with integrity and never dictates the direction of our work for dignity.
This spring — just in the nick of time
—
we were able to raise more than half of the funds needed to buy a new computer for our beloved Founding President Evelin Lindner. Her old computer, our virtual global headquarters, completely broke down.
Thankfully, Board Members
David Yamada
,
Michael Britton
, and others, urged us to create an easy, sustainable way for HumanDHS friends to make ongoing or one-time contributions. Now we have two secure Paypal links (below) that can be shared with anyone who wants to be a Sharegiver!
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Courage Grows through Connection!
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Thank you for joining us in our efforts to support the dignity of all people and the planet!
Uli Spalthoff
, PhD, Director of Project Development and Systems Administration
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Dear Friend,
you are kindly receiving this email because you have expressed interest in the collaborative efforts of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies community. Thank you for adding
humandhs@humiliationstudies.org
to your address book so these messages will be sure to land in your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, you can unsubscribe using the links below.
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