Violence itself is a very broad
concept - ranging from individual to international conflict patterns.
It involves the infliction of pain and suffering on life forms
(human, animals) and the destruction of property and the natural
environment. To narrow our focus we identify collective political
violence with global or international implications (Global Violence)
as the major concern of the world today. Our more specific interest
here is on the impact or consequences of such violence on the
human and global environment.
The main types of global violence to be investigated are international
wars involving bombings (particularly cluster bombs), and at the
domestic (national) level, civil wars and land mines, ethnic conflicts,
and resource wars (over land, oil, diamonds etc.) in the Global
South, particularly those conflicts in which the US and other
developed global powers were/are directly involved both historically
and contemporaneously.
A focus on the impact of collective violence counterbalances
the plethora of existing theories on its causes and spread. The
more immediate consequences involve in some cases genocide, in
other cases refugee crises, deforestation and desertification,
air, ground and water pollution, starvation, lost childhood, and
untold numbers of casualties.
For the more economically developed societies such as the United
States, the consequences of global violence could be viewed in
terms of what Chalmers Johnson called the “blowback”
effect which has brought economic crises, mass political protest,
serious challenges to democratic participation and values, xenophobic
responses to such issues as immigration and religious tolerance,
global anti-Americanism and increasing terrorism.
In academia, the study of global violence transcends disciplinary
boundaries. Apart from the Social Sciences (particularly Political
Science and History) where probably most of the writing and studies
of this phenomenon are pursued, the humanities and the arts also
demonstrate concerns about wars and the consequences of wars and
other forms of collective violence. Both war and peace have inspired
creative expressions in music and song, films and plays, novels
and poetry, and varieties of paintings. Also, in the natural sciences
wars and collective violence significantly impact research on
the environment and health issues.
Important among the consequences of global violence are the collective
responses to it, particularly the varied approaches to conflict
mitigation or resolution. Resolution of global violence could
be conceived in terms of seeking alternatives to violence in struggles
for change, such as non violent responses/approaches, instituting
or expanding political democracy, and states employing more racially
and socially inclusive economic redistribution programs and projects.
The Humanities Center is inviting WSU faculty to nominate themselves
to present papers on the theme “Global Violence: Impact
and Resolution” for the Center’s 2008 Fall Symposium
on November 21, 2008. Each self-nomination must include the proposed
title of the talk and short description (abstract) of the content
of the paper including its theoretical framework, if applicable.
This statement should not be long (a paragraph would suffice)
but should contain enough information for the Center’s Advisory
Board to make a decision on the papers to choose for the symposium.
The proposals should be addressed to Walter Edwards, Director
of the Humanities Center, 2226 FAB or email your proposal to walter.edwards@wayne.edu
. The proposal should reach the Director by April 25, 2008. Authors
of selected papers will be notified by May 9, 2008.
The Humanities Center welcomes proposals to talk about global
violence from all disciplines.
