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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20191009T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20191009T080000
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SUMMARY:Congolese Research Network on Peace and Security (ResCongo) - Annual Conference 2019
DESCRIPTION:ResCongo held its second annual conference from 9-10 October 2019\, in collaboration with the SSRC’s Understanding Violent Conflict (UVC) program\, the University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN)\, Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Bukavu (ISP-Bukavu)\, and the Conflict Research Group (CRG) at Ghent University\, at Hôtel Beau Lieu in Bukavu. UVC director Dr. Tatiana Carayannis was invited to attend as a member of the advisory committee. ResCongo invited members and interested researchers to submit abstracts\, draft papers\, and present their work through a call for proposals. The theme of the conference was “Citizenship\, Conflict and Cross-Border Mobility: A Look at DRC and its Neighbors.”The conference began with opening remarks from Godefroid Muzalia\, Professor at the department of history & social science at the ISP-Bukavu and head of the research group for conflict and human security (GEC-SH) at the University Research Center of Kivu. Over the course of two days\, conference leaders and participants held panels on topics ranging from “Dynamics of armed groups and contexts of insecurity” to “Socio-professional mobility and cross-border trade.” Prominent Congolese researchers led most of the panel discussions\, while Dr. Carayannis was asked to co-lead a discussion on methodologies\, the usefulness of scientific research\, and how scientific research can best inform public policy.ResCongo\, the first national Congolese network of researchers working on peace and security issues\, is a virtual platform that promotes and facilitates exchanges among Congolese scholars\, connecting and enhancing the participation of these researchers in international academic and policy discussions. ResCongo was created in October 2016 and is coordinated by Professor Jose Bazonzi (UNIKIN) and Professor Godefroid Muzalia Kihangu (ISP-Bukavu & GEC-SH).Support for the creation of the website and virtual presence of ResCongo comes from the UK Department for International Development (DFID)\, while funding for the conference was provided by LSE’s Centre for Public Authority and International Development (CPAID) through the UK Economic and Social Research Council and Global Challenges Research Fund (ESRC-GCRF). For more information on ResCongo\, please see their website: http://rescongo.org/ and Twitter handle @ResCongo.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/congolese-research-network-on-peace-and-security-rescongo-annual-conference-2019/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191120
DTSTAMP:20210913T133548Z
CREATED:20210913T133548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T133548Z
UID:10000732-1574035200-1574207999@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:China-Africa Peace Research Fellowship\, Writing and Research Workshops (New York)
DESCRIPTION:The 2018-2020 cohort of the Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC) China-Africa Peace Fellowship met for a second time for a research and writing workshop in New York. The first day of the workshop\, (18 November 2019) served as an opportunity for Fellows to workshop and refine first drafts of their research papers through a collaborative exchange of ideas with Program Director Tatiana Carayannis\, and a small group of invited scholars working on their topics. \nThe SSRC’s China-Africa Peace Fellows received training and research support to travel to five field-work sites (Juba\, South Sudan\, Addis Ababa\, Ethiopia\, Monrovia\, Liberia\, and Johannesburg\, South Africa) throughout the summer of 2019. Fellows were matched with host institutions across the African continent and were integrated into platforms of scholarly exchange with African scholars\, human right activists\, and expert practitioners in their region\, which helped expand their understanding of issues of global inequality and the impact of China’s engagement with multilateralism and with the African continent. One Fellow observed the ways in which her positionality as an independent Chinese academic researcher surfaced as she moved across her different research sites. \nIn research site 1\, the Fellow explains\, “I was warm-welcomed and was able to conduct a lot of well-organized data. When I switched to research site 2\, I met great resistance from the Chinese community that did not automatically trust the scientific and academic integrity of my research and targeted me with great suspicion. These tensions in the fieldwork restricted my research access significantly.” \nThe project has also exposed our research Fellows first-hand to the lived realities of African communities with the aim to work towards approaches to sustaining peace that are better adapted to the needs of these countries. \nUpon returning from the field one Fellow highlighted a new sense of understanding of the term “soft power” and remarked\, “Instead of inserting our understanding of soft power and seeing whether it’s operable\, we have to rethink and get the idea and new ideas from the field from the local people’s own understanding. The Chinese emphasize mutual understanding\, but we are reluctant to present ourselves as powerful and impactful even though we are yielding significant power over local people’s lives.” \nOn Tuesday\, 19 November\, at the Security Council Report in New York\, Fellows presented their research findings to an academic\, diplomatic\, NGO\, and UN policy audience and participated in a conversation with the audience on China’s contributions to global peace practice. Dr. Carayannis introduced the program and the fellows. Dr. Lina Benabdallah of Wake Forest University\, an expert on China’s foreign policy\, served as moderator for the Fellows’ presentations where Fellows shared emerging views on global peace practice\, noting various themes such as the role of regional powers in peacekeeping and international peacekeeping norms\, to the role of infrastructure initiatives and philanthropy. Fellows also received insightful feedback from invited scholars\, NY-based think tanks\, and peace practitioners on their projects. Dr. Duncan Omanga\, Program Officer for the SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network and Next Generation Social Sciences Africa moderated the conversation on China’s contributions to global peace practice. Dr. Benadbdallah and Dr. Xue Lei of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies shared their assessments of China’s growing leadership in the UN\, and the potential challenges and possibilities for sustaining peace and multilateral cooperation. \nAfrican host institutions are core to the project. The mutual trust created through these relationships will facilitate a necessary dialogue between Chinese and African scholars at the research and policy workshops planned during a conference in Beijing in Spring 2020. The research conference will facilitate a broader dialogue in the Chinese scholarly community about field research methods and evidence-based scholarship. The workshop will also be open to advanced graduate students and interested faculty and will discuss challenges\, best practices\, and recommendations for conducting effective field research in conflict-affected regions. Panelists will share their experiences in data collection\, data security\, and data analysis\, and discuss questions about the ethics of doing field research and international research collaborations. \nFellows have been invited to submit their research papers to the World Economics and Politics Journal at Peking University. In addition\, Fellows will be publishing English research briefs which will be published on the SSRC website. \nWith support from the Ford Foundation\, the China-Africa Peace Fellowship strengthens the evidentiary basis for Chinese scholarship on the UN and multilateral cooperation\, fosters greater South-South dialogue and promotes knowledge exchange between African and Chinese scholars\, and integrates African and Chinese perspective into key policy debates within the UN. The China-Africa Peace Fellowship is emblematic of the Social Science Research Council’s longstandingcommitment to enhance international research collaborations and to produce knowledge for the public good. Our partners in this research fellowship include the Centre for Dialogue\, Research\, and Cooperation in Addis Ababa\, Ethiopia; The Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation at the University of Liberia; The South African Institute for International Affairs in Johannesburg; The University of Dar es Salaam; The Institute for Peace\, Development\, and Security Studies at the University of Juba (South Sudan)\, Chinese Peacekeeping Police Training Centre; and Peking University.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/china-africa-peace-research-fellowship-writing-and-research-workshops-new-york/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191119
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191122
DTSTAMP:20241213T153023Z
CREATED:20210917T180003Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T153023Z
UID:10000770-1574121600-1574380799@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:China-Africa Peace Research Fellowship\, Writing and Research Workshops (New York)
DESCRIPTION:The 2018-2020 cohort of the Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC) China-Africa Peace Fellowship met for a second time for a research and writing workshop in New York. The first day of the workshop\, (18 November 2019) served as an opportunity for Fellows to workshop and refine first drafts of their research papers through a collaborative exchange of ideas with Program Director Tatiana Carayannis\, and a small group of invited scholars working on their topics. \nThe SSRC’s China-Africa Peace Fellows received training and research support to travel to five field-work sites (Juba\, South Sudan\, Addis Ababa\, Ethiopia\, Monrovia\, Liberia\, and Johannesburg\, South Africa) throughout the summer of 2019. Fellows were matched with host institutions across the African continent and were integrated into platforms of scholarly exchange with African scholars\, human right activists\, and expert practitioners in their region\, which helped expand their understanding of issues of global inequality and the impact of China’s engagement with multilateralism and with the African continent. One Fellow observed the ways in which her positionality as an independent Chinese academic researcher surfaced as she moved across her different research sites. \nIn research site 1\, the Fellow explains\, “I was warm-welcomed and was able to conduct a lot of well-organized data. When I switched to research site 2\, I met great resistance from the Chinese community that did not automatically trust the scientific and academic integrity of my research and targeted me with great suspicion. These tensions in the fieldwork restricted my research access significantly.” \nThe project has also exposed our research Fellows first-hand to the lived realities of African communities with the aim to work towards approaches to sustaining peace that are better adapted to the needs of these countries. \nUpon returning from the field one Fellow highlighted a new sense of understanding of the term “soft power” and remarked\, “Instead of inserting our understanding of soft power and seeing whether it’s operable\, we have to rethink and get the idea and new ideas from the field from the local people’s own understanding. The Chinese emphasize mutual understanding\, but we are reluctant to present ourselves as powerful and impactful even though we are yielding significant power over local people’s lives.” \nOn Tuesday\, 19 November\, at the Security Council Report in New York\, Fellows presented their research findings to an academic\, diplomatic\, NGO\, and UN policy audience and participated in a conversation with the audience on China’s contributions to global peace practice. Dr. Carayannis introduced the program and the fellows. Dr. Lina Benabdallah of Wake Forest University\, an expert on China’s foreign policy\, served as moderator for the Fellows’ presentations where Fellows shared emerging views on global peace practice\, noting various themes such as the role of regional powers in peacekeeping and international peacekeeping norms\, to the role of infrastructure initiatives and philanthropy. Fellows also received insightful feedback from invited scholars\, NY-based think tanks\, and peace practitioners on their projects. Dr. Duncan Omanga\, Program Officer for the SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network and Next Generation Social Sciences Africa moderated the conversation on China’s contributions to global peace practice. Dr. Benadbdallah and Dr. Xue Lei of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies shared their assessments of China’s growing leadership in the UN\, and the potential challenges and possibilities for sustaining peace and multilateral cooperation. \nAfrican host institutions are core to the project. The mutual trust created through these relationships will facilitate a necessary dialogue between Chinese and African scholars at the research and policy workshops planned during a conference in Beijing in Spring 2020. The research conference will facilitate a broader dialogue in the Chinese scholarly community about field research methods and evidence-based scholarship. The workshop will also be open to advanced graduate students and interested faculty and will discuss challenges\, best practices\, and recommendations for conducting effective field research in conflict-affected regions. Panelists will share their experiences in data collection\, data security\, and data analysis\, and discuss questions about the ethics of doing field research and international research collaborations. \nFellows have been invited to submit their research papers to the World Economics and Politics Journal at Peking University. In addition\, Fellows will be publishing English research briefs which will be published on the SSRC website. \nWith support from the Ford Foundation\, the China-Africa Peace Fellowship strengthens the evidentiary basis for Chinese scholarship on the UN and multilateral cooperation\, fosters greater South-South dialogue and promotes knowledge exchange between African and Chinese scholars\, and integrates African and Chinese perspective into key policy debates within the UN. The China-Africa Peace Fellowship is emblematic of the Social Science Research Council’s longstanding commitment to enhance international research collaborations and to produce knowledge for the public good. Our partners in this research fellowship include the Centre for Dialogue\, Research\, and Cooperation in Addis Ababa\, Ethiopia; The Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation at the University of Liberia; The South African Institute for International Affairs in Johannesburg; The University of Dar es Salaam; The Institute for Peace\, Development\, and Security Studies at the University of Juba (South Sudan)\, Chinese Peacekeeping Police Training Centre; and Peking University.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/china-africa-peace-research-fellowship-writing-and-research-workshops-new-york-2/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191124
DTSTAMP:20200827T170602Z
CREATED:20200827T170602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200827T170602Z
UID:10000596-1574294400-1574553599@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:African Studies Association 2019 Annual Meeting
DESCRIPTION:The African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and the Next Generation Social Sciences (Next Gen) in Africa programs of the Social Science Research Council participated in the African Studies Association’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Boston\, Massachusetts. The APN and Next Gen programs convened a special panel on “Discourses that Make or Mar: Engaging History\, Identity and the Narratives of Violence and African Peacebuilding\,” featuring the following APN and Next Gen alumni: Samaila Suleiman (IRG 2018 and Next Gen 2012/2013)\, Sifiso Ndlovu (Next Gen 2015)\, Chantal Ingabire (IRG 2017)\, and Edmore Chitukutuku (IRG 2018 and Next Gen 2013/2015). Program Director of the APN and Next Gen\, Dr. Cyril Obi\, was the chair and Patience Adzande (IRG 2017 and Next Gen 2013/2014) was the co-chair and discussant. \nAPN Special Panel \nAPN alumnus Chantal Ingabire (IRG 2017) presented a paper on “Youth Perspectives and Practices on the Reconciliation after the Genocide: A Study of Rwanda.” She focused on community-based sociotherapy and the importance of youth participation in reconciliation initiatives in post-genocide Rwanda. Dr. Ingabire also focused on psychosocial recovery from a historical perspective – in this case the history of the genocide – and how facilitating social change can promote sustainable peace by drawing upon the important role being played by youth associations/clubs. APN and Next Gen alumnus Edmore Chitukutuku (IRG 2018 and Next Gen 2013/2015) followed with a presentation on “Spiritualized Everyday Youth Peacebuilding Initiatives in Northern Zimbabwe.” He spoke about the ways in which youth in Northern Zimbabwe participate in spiritual cleansing ceremonies of youth who had committed acts of violence/atrocities in the past. It was a way of making them atone for their past acts of violence\, reconcile with their victims and prevent future conflict. Dr. Chitukutuku also described his fieldwork experience working with churches in the region to get a deeper understanding of the messages of peace that the youth were embracing and how these were impacting conflict and peacebuilding in their communities. \nThe third presentation on\, “Ethnocultural Diversity and Peacebuilding in Postcolonial Southern Africa: The Case of Post-apartheid South Africa.” was delivered by Next Gen alumnus Sifiso Ndlovu (Next 2015).  Dr. Ndlovu spoke about ethnocultural identity in South Africa and how diversity was accommodated under the constitutional design of the country. \nThe last presentation of the panel was given by APN alumnus Samaila Suleiman\, who presented on “The Perils of History: Another Culture of Violence in Central Nigeria.” His paper was based on the problematic nature of the manipulation of historical facts and how these could escalate tensions or lead to conflict.  To illustrate this Dr. Sulaiman gave instances of the falsification of historical narratives by various political actors and how these increased inter-ethnic and inter-religious tensions in Central Nigeria. He argued that the distortion of historical information to mobilize people along regional\, religious and religious fault lines in a multi-ethnic and culturally diverse Nigeria was fueling a culture of violence with its attendant risks. \nOther Panels \nSeveral other APN and Next Gen alumni and grantees presented papers on other panels at the conference. APN alumnus Aymar Nyenyezi Bisoka (IRG 2017) spoke on a Roundtable on “Field Research in Sensitive Contexts.” Dr. Bisoka talked about the decolonization of knowledge and shared some of his experiences regarding field research in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He urged other presenters and members of the audience to question and really think about the challenges that come with doing field work in conflict-affected settings\, and how to address such challenges. \n2017 Next Gen alumnus Evarist Ngabirano gave a presentation on “The Politics of Local Governance” on a panel on “Explaining Variation in Local Governance.” He focused his presentation on postcolonial politics of “tribalism” in Africa and Uganda. In his presentation he focused on the kingdom of Buganda and spoke about the ways in which this region has been an important site for the emergence of postcolonial ethno-politics in Uganda. \nCurrent Next Gen fellow Titilope Ajayi (APN IRG 2018) presented a paper on “Local conflicts\, global frameworks: the Boko Haram Conflict and the Women\, Peace\, and Security Agenda” at a panel on “Women and Political Resistance.” Ajayi emphasized the fact that the search for the missing Chibok girls was started by local women who were on the ground. In Nigeria\, the elite women are the ones who hold the power when it comes to advocating for peace\, however\, where is the acknowledgement of the local women who started the work? When the lived realities of women who are most affected are overlooked\, it leads to an incomplete view of the problem at hand. \n2017/2018 Next Gen alumnus Patricia Serwaa Afrifa’s presentation was titled “’These Days Nothing is for Free’: The Nature of Childcare Arrangements in Urban Accra.” Her paper examined the changing nature of childcare arrangements and how they are impacted by social\, cultural\, and economic changes. She focused among others on the commodification of childcare and its impact on the changing dynamics that ensue within the household. \nIn addition to fellow and grantees\, APN and Next Gen Program Officer Duncan Omanga presented on “Digitality” on the “African Studies Keywords Part III” panel. APN and Next Gen Program Director Dr. Cyril Obi spoke on a roundtable on “Change and Continuities in the 2019 Nigerian Elections” organized by the Nigerian Studies Association. \nDuring the closing ceremony\, the following fellows and alumni were honored as 2019 ASA Presidential Fellows: Patricia Serwaa Afrifa (Next Gen 2017)\, Aymar Nyenyezi Bisoka (APN IRG 2017)\, and Evarist Ngabirano (Next Gen 2017). Serwaa and Aymar were also ASA-SSRC Presidential Fellows. Furthermore\, Daniel Olisa Iweze (IRG 2017)\, Nicodemus Minde (IRG 2013 and Next Gen 2017/2019)\, Patience Adzande (IRG 2017 and Next Gen 2013/2014)\, and Titilope Ajayi (IRG 2018\, Next Gen 2017/2019) were honored as Carnegie Corporation of New York Scholars and Fellows.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/african-studies-association-2019-annual-meeting/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191208
DTSTAMP:20210902T155011Z
CREATED:20200827T202419Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210902T155011Z
UID:10000606-1575590400-1575763199@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Planning Workshop\, Beirut
DESCRIPTION:On December 6–7\, a planning workshop of the Transregional Collaboratory on the Indian Ocean took place in Beirut\, Lebanon\, hosted by our partners at the Arab Council for the Social Sciences. The workshop brought together eight regional experts representing institutions across Africa\, Asia\, the US\, and the UK\, and the disciplines of history\, economics\, anthropology\, sociology\, geography\, and political science. Discussions were further informed by generous written contributions from scholars who could not be in attendance. \nOver the course of the two-day meeting\, the group reflected on the potential of the Collaboratory to catalyze innovative social research in the region and to encourage models of effective collaborative research. Among the key issues raised were the evolving intellectual project of Indian Ocean studies as well as the benefits and limitations of using the lens of climate change and other environmental issues in shaping new knowledge about this historically rich region. For instance\, how might research into water scarcity inform our understanding of migration and conflict? What insights could an emphasis on coastal communities and livelihoods bring to studies of governance and infrastructure? \nParticipants also suggested that research engage previously understudied subregions within the Indian Ocean world\, including the Arab Gulf and coastal East Africa\, and reflect on the region’s connectedness to other oceans. Participants also discussed the practicalities of effective collaborative research\, including the need for clearer ethical standards and principles regarding both interregional research collaboration and knowledge production in and about the Global South. Central concerns included the problem of translating ethical principles into practical models of collaboration\, and addressing ethics beyond the research planning and funding phases to include the dissemination of research and its impact on research subjects. \nDrawing on the recommendations emerging from this meeting\, program staff have developed the Collaboratory’s first call for funding applications for Transregional Planning Grants. Applications are due May 8\, 2020. \nMeeting Participants \nSelina Ho\, National University of Singapore\nHafeez Jamali\, Government of Balochistan\nGodwin Murunga\, CODESRIA\nRohit Negi\, Ambedkar University\, Delhi\nRavi Palat\, Binghamton University\nWilmar Salim\, Bandung Institute of Technology\nMathew Senga\, University of Dar es Salaam\nSeteney Shami\, Arab Council for the Social Sciences\nAla’a Shehabi\, University College London \nOther Contributors \nJatin Dua\, University of Michigan\nDevleena Ghosh\, University of Technology\, Sydney\nPamila Gupta\, University of the Witwatersrand\nIsabel Hofmeyr\, University of the Witwatersrand/New York University\nRita Padawangi\, National University of Singapore\nAlexis Wick\, Koç University
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/planning-workshop-beirut/
LOCATION:Arab Council for the Social Sciences
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191208
DTSTAMP:20241213T153016Z
CREATED:20200827T170300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T153016Z
UID:10000595-1575590400-1575763199@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:African Peacebuilding Network and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa National Proposal Writing Workshop
DESCRIPTION:The African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) program held a national proposal writing workshop in Dar es Salaam\, Tanzania. Participants were given the opportunity to share their draft projects and research proposals with their peers and several experienced mentors. The workshop was organized in collaboration with the College of Social Sciences\, University of Dar es Salaam from December 6th to 7th\, 2019. \n20 participants benefitted from lectures\, roundtables\, breakout sessions\, and one-on-one sessions with experienced mentors and current and past members of both APN and Next Gen Advisory Boards. Some alumni of the APN and Next Gen programs attended and played the role of peer-mentors to some of the participants. The workshop was to help participants refine their research/project proposals ahead of submission to APN and Next Gen Fellowship competitions. Other goals included helping them build upon their proposal writing skills. It was an opportunity to inform Tanzanian scholars about the opportunities that the APN and Next Gen Fellowships offer them to advance their research skills and professional development. Another point is that Tanzania had been under-represented in terms of applications received by APN and Next Gen and it was hoped that the workshop will sensitize Tanzanian scholars to both programs and increase the number of applications received as well as increase the representation of Tanzanian scholars in APN and Next Fellowship cohorts. \nThe first day of the workshop began with opening remarks by Dr. Cyril Obi\, the Program Director of APN and Next Gen. Dr. Obi homed in on the main objective of both the SSRC and the University of Dar es Salaam; to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from one generation to another. Dr. Obi continued by talking about the focus of both the APN and Next Gen fellowships and emphasized how the participants are well on their way to beginning their journey. Professor Razack Lokina\, Principal of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Dar es Salaam\, was represented by Dr. Sigalla Huruma spoke to the benefits of the workshop  as an important opportunity for participants drawn from across the country to strengthen their capacities for proposal writing\, and working with senior and highly experienced mentors to develop their draft proposals  ahead of applying for APN and Next Gen fellowship awards. He also commended the partnership between the University of Dar es Salaam and the Social Science Research Council\, describing the workshop as a highly valued opportunity for the participants can expand their knowledge on the various aspects of proposal writing\, research method ethics\, literature review\, and editing. \nThe first keynote lecture of the day was delivered by Professor Sarah Ssali\, Dean of the School of Women and Gender Studies at Makerere University and Chair of the Next Gen Advisory Board. The title of her presentation was “Situating Research on Peacebuilding and Development in East Africa.” During her keynote lecture\, Professor Ssali talked about how conflict in East Africa is not always clear because it is seen as a region that is politically dynamic and diverse\, has the greatest level of development\, and has the least wars. However\, she does emphasize that there is still a lot of research that needs to be done on conflicts in East Africa. Furthermore\, Professor Ssali advised participants to go beyond focusing on land conflicts and asked them to keep this question in mind: How do these conflicts (terrorism\, post-election conflict\, conflict of the youth\, etc.) play out in terms of gender\, ethnicity\, and local and international politics? \nThe second keynote lecture on “The Fundamentals of Crafting a Winning Research Proposal: Linking Research Questions\, Theory\, and Methods” was given by Dr. Christine Now\, senior lecturer in Geography at the University of Dar es Salaam and member of the Next Gen Advisory Board. Dr. Noe presented participants with the four reasons to develop their proposal writing skills: to build their capacity to write highly competitive proposals\, make intellectually compelling arguments; nurture a clear and coherent research agenda; and to raise the standard of the academic quality of the research project. She also emphasized you’re the importance of content of research proposals to actively push for an African narrative. \nThe first roundtable of the workshop on “Academic Citizenship: African Universities\, Society\, and Developing an Academic Culture.” featured Professor Ismail Rashid (Vassar College)\, Professor Sarah Ssali (Makerere University)\, Ernest Mallya (University of Dar es Salaam)\, Damian Shumbusho (University of Dar es Salaam)\, and Iddy Ramadhani Magoti (Next Gen alumnus 2013/2014\, IRG 2018)\, and was moderated by Duncan Omanga (Program Officer\, APN and Next Gen). One of the key points that the roundtable participants emphasized was the three roles of the academic; to teach\, to research and produce knowledge\, and participate in public/community services. They recognized the dual role of academics as citizens and scholars and explored ways of advancing both roles simultaneously. Of note were the guiding principles of commitment\, professional development and contribution to national development through teaching\, research and service. Participants are discussed the importance of belonging to international networks of scholars and knowing what other scholars are doing in other parts of the world. \nThe second day of the national workshop began with one-on-one sessions and was followed by a presentation given by Professor Ismail Rashid\, professor of history at Vassar College and Chair of the APN Advisory Board. The title of his presentation was “Conducting Fieldwork-based Research in Conflict-Affected Settings: Design\, Techniques\, and Ethics” where he talked about researchers needing to be aware of their position of privilege when working in certain conflict-affected environments. Professor Rashid also advised scholars on the need to always act in an ethical manner; in other words\, acting with integrity when in the field or working with junior colleagues or their PhD students. He emphasized the importance of always operating within the ethical framework of “do no harm” to research participants or respondents. \nThe last roundtable of the workshop was titled “APN and Next Gen Alumni Testimonials: My APN/Next Gen Fellowship Experience” and featured the following alumni; Enock Makupa (APN IRG 2016)\, Iddy Ramadhani Magoti (Next Gen 2013/2014\, IRG 2018)\, Verdiana Tilumanya (Next Gen 2012)\, and was moderated by Duncan Omanga (Program Officer\, APN and Next Gen). The panelists talked about the ways in which receiving either an APN or Next Gen fellowship allowed them to continue their research and spoke to how the fellowship enabled them complete their PhDs\, while that of the APN spoke to how they was able to complete their project and how it impacted their professional development. They also spoke on the ways in which being part of the APN and Next Gen community has benefited them\, from building a network of scholars to being able to continue their field work and research.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/african-peacebuilding-network-and-next-generation-social-sciences-in-africa-national-proposal-writing-workshop-2/
LOCATION:Ramada Resort\, Wyndham Dar es Salaam\, Tanzania\, United Republic of
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191208
DTSTAMP:20200827T152335Z
CREATED:20200827T152252Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200827T152335Z
UID:10000589-1575590400-1575763199@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:African Peacebuilding Network and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa National Proposal Writing Workshop
DESCRIPTION:The African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) program held a national proposal writing workshop in Dar es Salaam\, Tanzania. Participants were given the opportunity to share their draft projects and research proposals with their peers and several experienced mentors. The workshop was organized in collaboration with the College of Social Sciences\, University of Dar es Salaam from December 6th to 7th\, 2019. \n20 participants benefitted from lectures\, roundtables\, breakout sessions\, and one-on-one sessions with experienced mentors and current and past members of both APN and Next Gen Advisory Boards. Some alumni of the APN and Next Gen programs attended and played the role of peer-mentors to some of the participants. The workshop was to help participants refine their research/project proposals ahead of submission to APN and Next Gen Fellowship competitions. Other goals included helping them build upon their proposal writing skills. It was an opportunity to inform Tanzanian scholars about the opportunities that the APN and Next Gen Fellowships offer them to advance their research skills and professional development. Another point is that Tanzania had been under-represented in terms of applications received by APN and Next Gen and it was hoped that the workshop will sensitize Tanzanian scholars to both programs and increase the number of applications received as well as increase the representation of Tanzanian scholars in APN and Next Fellowship cohorts. \nThe first day of the workshop began with opening remarks by Dr. Cyril Obi\, the Program Director of APN and Next Gen. Dr. Obi homed in on the main objective of both the SSRC and the University of Dar es Salaam; to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from one generation to another. Dr. Obi continued by talking about the focus of both the APN and Next Gen fellowships and emphasized how the participants are well on their way to beginning their journey. Professor Razack Lokina\, Principal of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Dar es Salaam\, was represented by Dr. Sigalla Huruma spoke to the benefits of the workshop  as an important opportunity for participants drawn from across the country to strengthen their capacities for proposal writing\, and working with senior and highly experienced mentors to develop their draft proposals  ahead of applying for APN and Next Gen fellowship awards. He also commended the partnership between the University of Dar es Salaam and the Social Science Research Council\, describing the workshop as a highly valued opportunity for the participants can expand their knowledge on the various aspects of proposal writing\, research method ethics\, literature review\, and editing. \nThe first keynote lecture of the day was delivered by Professor Sarah Ssali\, Dean of the School of Women and Gender Studies at Makerere University and Chair of the Next Gen Advisory Board. The title of her presentation was “Situating Research on Peacebuilding and Development in East Africa.” During her keynote lecture\, Professor Ssali talked about how conflict in East Africa is not always clear because it is seen as a region that is politically dynamic and diverse\, has the greatest level of development\, and has the least wars. However\, she does emphasize that there is still a lot of research that needs to be done on conflicts in East Africa. Furthermore\, Professor Ssali advised participants to go beyond focusing on land conflicts and asked them to keep this question in mind: How do these conflicts (terrorism\, post-election conflict\, conflict of the youth\, etc.) play out in terms of gender\, ethnicity\, and local and international politics? \nThe second keynote lecture on “The Fundamentals of Crafting a Winning Research Proposal: Linking Research Questions\, Theory\, and Methods” was given by Dr. Christine Now\, senior lecturer in Geography at the University of Dar es Salaam and member of the Next Gen Advisory Board. Dr. Noe presented participants with the four reasons to develop their proposal writing skills: to build their capacity to write highly competitive proposals\, make intellectually compelling arguments; nurture a clear and coherent research agenda; and to raise the standard of the academic quality of the research project. She also emphasized you’re the importance of content of research proposals to actively push for an African narrative. \nThe first roundtable of the workshop on “Academic Citizenship: African Universities\, Society\, and Developing an Academic Culture.” featured Professor Ismail Rashid (Vassar College)\, Professor Sarah Ssali (Makerere University)\, Ernest Mallya (University of Dar es Salaam)\, Damian Shumbusho (University of Dar es Salaam)\, and Iddy Ramadhani Magoti (Next Gen alumnus 2013/2014\, IRG 2018)\, and was moderated by Duncan Omanga (Program Officer\, APN and Next Gen). One of the key points that the roundtable participants emphasized was the three roles of the academic; to teach\, to research and produce knowledge\, and participate in public/community services. They recognized the dual role of academics as citizens and scholars and explored ways of advancing both roles simultaneously. Of note were the guiding principles of commitment\, professional development and contribution to national development through teaching\, research and service. Participants are discussed the importance of belonging to international networks of scholars and knowing what other scholars are doing in other parts of the world. \nThe second day of the national workshop began with one-on-one sessions and was followed by a presentation given by Professor Ismail Rashid\, professor of history at Vassar College and Chair of the APN Advisory Board. The title of his presentation was “Conducting Fieldwork-based Research in Conflict-Affected Settings: Design\, Techniques\, and Ethics” where he talked about researchers needing to be aware of their position of privilege when working in certain conflict-affected environments. Professor Rashid also advised scholars on the need to always act in an ethical manner; in other words\, acting with integrity when in the field or working with junior colleagues or their PhD students. He emphasized the importance of always operating within the ethical framework of “do no harm” to research participants or respondents. \nThe last roundtable of the workshop was titled “APN and Next Gen Alumni Testimonials: My APN/Next Gen Fellowship Experience” and featured the following alumni; Enock Makupa (APN IRG 2016)\, Iddy Ramadhani Magoti (Next Gen 2013/2014\, IRG 2018)\, Verdiana Tilumanya (Next Gen 2012)\, and was moderated by Duncan Omanga (Program Officer\, APN and Next Gen). The panelists talked about the ways in which receiving either an APN or Next Gen fellowship allowed them to continue their research and spoke to how the fellowship enabled them complete their PhDs\, while that of the APN spoke to how they was able to complete their project and how it impacted their professional development. They also spoke on the ways in which being part of the APN and Next Gen community has benefited them\, from building a network of scholars to being able to continue their field work and research.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/african-peacebuilding-network-and-next-generation-social-sciences-in-africa-national-proposal-writing-workshop/
LOCATION:Ramada Resort\, Wyndham Dar es Salaam\, Tanzania\, United Republic of
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/african-peacebuilding-network-and-next-generation-social-sciences-in-africa-national-proposal-writing-workshop-1-scaled-e1598541752186.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191209
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191213
DTSTAMP:20241213T153011Z
CREATED:20200827T151146Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T153011Z
UID:10000588-1575849600-1576195199@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa joint Bi-Annual Fellows Workshop
DESCRIPTION:The Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) and African Peacebuilding Network (APN) program of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) held a week-long joint workshop in Dar es Salaam\, Tanzania for the 2019 cohort of APN Individual Research Grant (IRG) recipients and the 2019 cohort of Next Gen fellows. The workshop was organized in collaboration with the University Dar es Salaam from December 9th to 14th\, 2019. \n24 Next Gen Proposal Development and Dissertation Research fellows were joined by six experienced and scholars and Next Gen board members in Dar es Salaam\, Tanzania for a four-day workshop event including two full days devoted to holding a series of joint activities with APN grantees. Next Gen fellows met from December 9th – 12th\, 2019. The workshop was designed to help early-career faculty (progressing through various stages of their doctoral dissertation) from African universities learn more about each other’s work\, engage in scholarly reflections\, research\, writing and networking. Other activities included a series of lectures\, working group sessions and one-on-one feedback sessions with facilitators on individual projects and interdisciplinary perspectives to research. \nThe first day of the Next Gen workshop began with opening remarks given by Professor Razack Lokina\, the principal of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Dar es Salaam. Professor Lokina welcomed the fellows to Tanzania and acknowledged the SSRC’s efforts to advance knowledge sharing of important issues pertinent to the African continent. Dr. Cyril Obi\, Program Director of the APN and Next Gen programs also gave opening remarks. \nThe keynote lecture\, titled “Green Violence\, Environmental Governance and the Challenge of Development in Africa\,” was delivered by Professor Maano Ramutsindela of the University of Cape Town\, South Africa. In his lecture\, Professor Ramutsindela spoke about conceptualizing violence in the context of “nature\,” environmental governance\, and the challenge of African development. He noted that this was important for several reasons: the place of Africa in the world\, the history of conservation on the continent and contemporary practices and experiences. In this regard\, Prof. Ramutsindela called for greater reflection on the brutalities against non-human nature with the visible suffering of certain animals. He interrogated the assumption that local African communities do not appreciate nature\, and such appreciation had to imposed or received from outside. He went further to show how and why global and local forces interprete nature\, and raises the important question about “How do Africans own and govern their own natural resources?” In concluding he called for a critical reading of tactics of conservation movements\, and learn to confront these by pooling Africa’s intellectual resources to tackle the logic underpinning such tactics. \nThe second day of the workshop consisted of plenary sessions\, cohort breakout sessions\, and one-on-one sessions. The first plenary lecture of the day was given by Professor Thomas Kwasi Tieku (Western University) and was titled\, “Why Writing Matters: Overcoming Common Problems in Doctoral Dissertation Writing.” The lecturer talked about the value of good writing and how readers don’t care about “linguistic gymnastics” and that using complicated jargon will isolate the common reader. He also emphasized the need to diversify resources and the importance of paying attention to the content of dissertations. \nThe second plenary lecture was titled “The Lived Experiences of Women Scholars in Peacebuilding Research: Some Reflections” and was given by Dr. Yolande Bouka (Queen’s University). Professor Bouka spoke about the patterns of discrimination that come with being a woman in academia and opened it up to the women fellows in the room to talk about their experiences. \nThe third day of the workshop turned into a joint meeting with APN grantees. The day began with opening remarks from Professor William A. L. Anangisye\, Vice Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam. This was then followed by a keynote lecture titled “Law Making\, Peacemaking\, and National Development: Reflections on Research and Policy Linkages” given by Dr. Tulia Ackson\, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Tanzania. Dr. Tulia Ackson spoke about the correlation between research and policymaking and how these two are very important when talking about peacebuilding in Tanzania and in other African countries. The day’s activities were concluded with an emotional and reflective off-site visit to Bagamoyo\, a cultural heritage site which in the first half of the 19th century became a trading port for ivory and the slave trade. Following the visit\, APN and Next Gen fellows and grantees attended a dinner at the Vice Chancellor’s Residence at the University of Dar es Salaam. \nThe second joint workshop day consisted of two joint thematic sessions and two roundtables. The first roundtable featured Professor Yolande Bouka (Queen’s University)\, Dr. Siphokazi Magadla (Rhodes University)\, and Professor Sarah Ssali (Makerere University). The roundtable was titled “Mainstreaming Gender in Academic Writing.” During the roundtable\, the speakers talked about how taking gender seriously when researching can allow scholars and researchers to take fundamental parts of and facts about our history into consideration. They also urged the fellows and grantees to question how having a gender focus can bring about new insights to their analyses/research. \nThe second and last roundtable of the joint workshop featured a panel of APN and Next Gen fellows and grantees who spoke on the “Challenges of Dissertation Writing – Candidate and Supervisor Perspectives.” The featured grantees were Njoki Wamai\, Fikile Masikane\, Wesley Mwatwara. It was moderated by Nixo Wamamela. The fellows and grantees on the panel talked about how important it is to make sure candidates do their research before getting into a PhD program. Some spoke about the complicated power dynamic embedded within the student-supervisor relationship while others talked about the pressure of having to publish while being a PhD student.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/next-generation-social-sciences-in-africa-joint-bi-annual-fellows-workshop/
LOCATION:Ramada Resort\, Wyndham Dar es Salaam\, Tanzania\, United Republic of
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/next-generation-social-sciences-in-africa-joint-bi-annual-fellows-workshop-e1598541222739.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191211
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191215
DTSTAMP:20200827T165218Z
CREATED:20200827T165218Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200827T165218Z
UID:10000594-1576022400-1576367999@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:African Peacebuilding Network Grantee Research Writing and Dissemination Training Workshop
DESCRIPTION:The African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) program held a week-long joint workshop in Dar es Salaam\, Tanzania for the 2019 cohort of APN Individual Research Grant (IRG) recipients and the 2019 cohort of Next Gen fellows. The workshop was organized in collaboration with the University Dar es Salaam from December 9th to 14th\, 2019. \n15 APN Individual Research Grant participants benefited from lectures\, working group sessions\, and one-on-one dialogues with experienced facilitators\, including senior scholars\, and current and former APN Advisory Board members. The grantees met from December 11th to 14th\, 2019. The workshop involved a mix of plenary lectures\, small working groups and one-on-one feedback sessions. During the breakout sessions\, each small working group (led by a facilitator) guided grantees through presentation of their projects and peer-review and feedback on each other’s projects. These sessions helped grantees refine their proposals\, research questions and methods before heading out to conduct fieldwork and collect data for their research projects. \nOn December 11th\, APN grantees joined Next Gen fellows for the first day of their joint workshop. The day began with opening remarks from Professor William A. L. Anangisye\, Vice Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam. This was followed by a keynote lecture titled “Law Making\, Peacemaking\, and National Development: Reflections on Research and Policy Linkages” given by Dr. Tulia Ackson\, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Tanzania. Dr. Tulia Ackson spoke about the correlation between research and policymaking and how these two are very important when talking about peacebuilding in Tanzania and in other African countries. The day’s activities were concluded with an emotional and reflective off-site visit to Bagamoyo\, a cultural heritage site which in the first half of the 19th century became a trading port for ivory and the slave trade. Following the visit\, APN and Next Gen fellows and grantees attended a dinner at the Vice Chancellor’s Residence at the University of Dar es Salaam. \nThe second joint workshop day consisted of two joint thematic sessions and two roundtables. The first roundtable featured Professor Yolande Bouka (Queen’s University)\, Dr. Siphokazi Magadla (Rhodes University)\, and Professor Sarah Ssali (Makerere University). The roundtable was titled “Mainstreaming Gender in Academic Writing.” During the roundtable\, the speakers talked about how taking gender seriously when researching can allow us to take fundamental parts of and facts about our history into consideration. They also urged the fellows and grantees to question how having a gender focus can bring about new insights to their analyses/research. \nThe second and last roundtable of the joint workshop featured a panel of APN and Next Gen fellows and grantees who spoke on the “Challenges of Dissertation Writing – Candidate and Supervisor Perspectives.” The fellows and grantees on the panel talked about how important it is for candidates to do their research before getting into a PhD program. Some spoke about the complicated power dynamic embedded within the student-supervisor relationship while others talked about the pressure of having to publish while being a PhD student. \nThe third day of the APN workshop included two plenary sessions and one roundtable discussion. The first plenary keynote was given by Professor Rita Abrahamsen (University of Ottawa) and was titled “The Perils of Securitization: Understanding the Global Political Economy of Conflict and Insecurity.” Professor Abrahamsen talked about how poverty and development usher in a new type of militarization and that certain myths such as “poverty is dangerous” determine the process of securitization. She also talked about the ways in which politicians and policymakers can change their language when talking about underdevelopment. The second plenary keynote was titled “Contemporary Issues in African Peacebuilding” and was given by Professor Kenneth Omeje (University of Johannesburg). Professor Omeje spoke about how peacebuilding can be considered as a post-conflict activity. He also touched on making a distinction between “orthodox peacebuilding in Africa” and “African peacebuilding.” \nThe roundtable discussion featured Dr. Temitope Oriola (University of Alberta)\, Professor Rita Abrahamsen (University of Ottawa)\, and Dr. Ismail Rashid (Vassar College). The roundtable focused on “Disseminating Research Findings through Peer-Reviewed Journals.” They spoke to the mechanics of submitting articles to journals\, the various steps and things to consider\, particularly the things journal editors look out for. Some of the advice given included the following: decolonizing debates as Africa in under-represented in most journals\, take writing seriously – you cannot make a good argument without revising your draft many times – identifying your audience\, and learning how to deal with rejection. The featured speakers also talked about the Catch 22 that occurs when African scholars start publishing in international journals. What happens is that even though publishing internationally is a good thing\, it also impoverishes national journals because people put their best efforts in international journals. They also spoke on the writing process and how researchers need to decide early on in their process who their audience is going to be and understand that that is going to influence their approach. \nThe last day of the APN workshop began with a plenary keynote titled “The Politics of Knowledge Production\, Power\, and What it Means to be an African Scholar” given by Professor Ismail Rashid (Vassar College). Professor Rashid talked about the historic mission of the African scholar and how a myriad of disciplines have been clustered together to create a particular subject on the African continent. He also emphasized that the purpose of being in education or being a scholar is to be the best possible citizen in the world. \nThe last plenary session and activity of the workshop featured Dr. Christine Noe (University of Dar es Salaam) and Dr. Duncan Omanga (APN and Next Gen Program Officer). The session was titled “Using Digital Data and Platforms for Academic Writing and Publications.” Dr. Noe and Dr. Omanga talked about how it is necessary for journals and writers to tap into the power of media in order to disseminate their work.  Dr. Noe also identified and spoke about several digital tools for collaboration with other scholars\, referencing\, and compiling bibliographies. She noted that such tools were important for the following: searching literature\, knowledge-sharing\, image editing\, editing\, writing help\, visualizing work in different ways and reference management.  In his presentation\, Duncan Omanga noted that it was not sufficient to publish\, and emphasized the importance of making an overt and conscious effort to disseminate the knowledge produced. He also underscored the importance of developing a sound knowledge of social media and spoke to the use of social media to disseminate information about research findings and publications.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/african-peacebuilding-network-grantee-research-writing-and-dissemination-training-workshop/
LOCATION:Ramada Resort\, Wyndham Dar es Salaam\, Tanzania\, United Republic of
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/african-peacebuilding-network-grantee-research-writing-and-dissemination-training-workshop-1-scaled-e1598547127276.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20191213T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20191214T170000
DTSTAMP:20211008T141524Z
CREATED:20211113T130000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211008T141524Z
UID:10000795-1576224000-1576342800@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON) - Annual Meeting and Seminar
DESCRIPTION:On 13-14 November 2019\, UVC Director Tatiana Carayannis and Senior Program Manager Aaron Pangburn participated in the Annual Meeting of the Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON). The first day served as an opportunity to report on network activities\, tweak the common methodology for the research studies\, and brainstorm potential new missions for 2020 site visits. On Thursday\, 14 November\, at the International Peace Institute\, various EPON researchers briefed New York-based policy makers and United Nations practitioners on the findings and lessons from EPON case studies to date\, as well as on the progress of the studies underway and future plans. Tatiana served as a panel discussant on Central Africa/Great Lakes\, and serves as a member of the external reference group. Aaron is a co-author of the EPON report on the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUC/MONUSCO)\, and UVC Research Associate Gino Vlavonou is a member of the research team for the EPON report on the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)\, which will be published in February 2020. \nThe Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network aims to enhance the effectiveness of international peace operations by enabling and supporting collaborative research. The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)\, together with over 40 partners from across the globe\, has established an international network to jointly research the effectiveness of peace operations. SSRC joined the network during its inception phase in 2018. Each EPON case study focuses on a specific peace operation using a common methodology. In their own right\, these case studies provide unique insights into specific operations. Jointly\, however\, the case studies also create a comprehensive resource on peace operations and their effectiveness.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/effectiveness-of-peace-operations-network-epon-annual-meeting-and-seminar/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/post_title_banner.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191216
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191219
DTSTAMP:20210913T173520Z
CREATED:20210913T173520Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T173520Z
UID:10000749-1576454400-1576713599@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:5th Annual CPPF-DPA MENA RC Forum (Geneva)
DESCRIPTION:On 16-18 December\, CPPF co-hosted its Sixth Annual Middle East and North Africa UN Resident Coordinators’ Forum in Geneva. The annual forum\, the first to take place under the new United Nations Reform of 2019 brought together the MENA region’s Resident Coordinators\, representatives from other parts of the UN system\, and external academic experts to examine the challenges facing the MENA region and to brainstorm new entry points and opportunities for the UN.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/5th-annual-cppf-dpa-mena-rc-forum-geneva/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ssrc_logo.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200101
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200120
DTSTAMP:20201026T163312Z
CREATED:20201019T200422Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201026T163312Z
UID:10000656-1577836800-1579478399@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Beyond the New Media: Deep Time of Networks and Infrastructural Memory in Asia
DESCRIPTION:WORKSHOP DIRECTORS:\nXiao LiuAssistant Professor\, East Asian Studies\, McGill Universityauroliu@gmail.com \nShuang ShenAssociate Professor\, Comparative Literature Department & Asian Studies Department\, Pennsylvania State Universitysxs1075@psu.edu \nCALL FOR WORKSHOP PAPERS:\nIt is said that we are now living in a “network society\,” in which digital social media such as Twitter and Wechat\, or information and communication technologies from smart mobile phones to portable minicomputers\, form nodes and edges that knit everyone into interconnected networks. While digital and information technologies have indeed transformed the ways in which people interact with each other\, the fetish of the “new” media and information technologies in this understanding of the “network society” obscures historical forms of connectivity and the materiality of networks. A historical understanding of network would enable to us to gain a better understanding of the past and future of inter-Asia connections. \nAlthough Asia has never been unified\, there have been multifarious socio-political formations and cultural imaginaries aimed at bridging the gaps between disparate localities or nations-states in Asia. Whether we are talking about the spread of certain universalist philosophies and worldviews or the political alliances created in defiance against the domination of Superpowers\, inter-Asian connections have persisted throughout Asia’s historical passage from the era of empire and colonialism to the decades of nationalism and globalization. How can current discussions of “network society” come to terms with inter-Asian connectivity as histories of contact\, contest\, and negotiation in Asia? How do “new” media co-exist and intersect with networks and infrastructure that have facilitated the flows of goods\, people\, or ideas and allowed for their exchange over space and continuously reshaped geopolitical imaginations of Asia? \nThis panel foregrounds the deep time of network and adopts an interdisciplinary perspective to connectivity and infrastructure. As we probe into the conjunction between historical and present forms of connectivity as well as the intersection between “new” and “old” media in an inter-Asian context\, we intend to move beyond the narrow understanding of “media” as merely content carrier or the means for representing existing things. Rather\, we want to draw attention to the infrastructural aspect of the media in enabling the circulation of knowledge and things and producing new relations and connections. Asia is one of the fastest growing areas for new media and digital technology. Yet this fervor for the new media barely paints over an uneven space and discrepant histories of modernization and development. Only by viewing networks from historical and materialist perspectives\, and only through examining media or cultural networks in conjunction with networks of resource\, labor\, and commerce\, can we hope to gain a better understanding of contemporary Asia and inter-Asian connectivity in the era of globalization. \nWe invite a wide range of explorations into cultural and social networks and infrastructures that address the following questions: How do existing infrastructural networks\, from railway to historically evolved telecommunication networks\, to undersea cable systems\, indicate layers of historical powers and connectivity\, and thus\, the palimpsestic nature of networks? How does infrastructure register the presence and legacy of imperial and colonial power or symbolize the strategic alliance across sovereign\, linguistic\, ethnic\, and religious borders? How have different regions\, societies\, localities in Asia responded to the advent of the so-called “information age”? How do they make strategic uses of historical networks and cultural memories of connectivity to construct new information infrastructures and networks? How do local and regional flows of labor\, resources\, and knowledge suggest innovative forms of inter-Asian relationality that challenge historical or emergent geopolitical patterns\, such as the polarized divides of the Cold War? \nPotential topics include but are not limited to: \n\nComparison of the ways in which different regions and areas go through the process of “informationization” by making use of their existing infrastructures and networks\nThe overlapping of the purported “new” and “old” information technologies in specific or comparative Asian contexts\nThe repurposing of old infrastructure for new and emergent media networks\nTranslocal and regional media flows and media culture across Asia\nThe circulatory histories of the flow of resources\, labor and ideas underrepresented by national histories\nThe networks of knowledge production\, both ancient and contemporary that continuously reshape the imaginations of “Asia”\nThe infrastructural as institutional memories and records of human cost\, particularly those pertaining to inter-Asian connections\nOnline shopping media platforms in and across Asia such as Taobao and Amazon and logistical labor as part of everyday infrastructures that facilitate the smooth circulation of products and commodities
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/beyond-the-new-media-deep-time-of-networks-and-infrastructural-memory-in-asia/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Hanoi-.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200113T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200114T170000
DTSTAMP:20210913T173636Z
CREATED:20210913T173636Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T173636Z
UID:10000751-1578902400-1579021200@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Sanctions and Human Rights (Geneva)
DESCRIPTION:On 13-14 January\, CPPF convened an expert brainstorming on the impact of sanctions and human rights. The brainstorming analyzed the debate surrounding the nexus of sanctions and human rights to better inform the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights understanding and guidance in the field and at its headquarters.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/sanctions-and-human-rights-geneva/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200127T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200127T170000
DTSTAMP:20210913T173755Z
CREATED:20210913T173755Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T173755Z
UID:10000753-1580115600-1580144400@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Chad and the Region (New York)
DESCRIPTION:On 27 January\, CPPF organized an expert brainstorming on Chad and the Region. The meeting assessed recent developments in the region and explored opportunities for enhancing cross-border coordination of UN conflict prevention activities in Chad’s border areas.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/chad-and-the-region-new-york-2/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ssrc_logo.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200130T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200130T170000
DTSTAMP:20241213T152959Z
CREATED:20210913T174214Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152959Z
UID:10000754-1580374800-1580403600@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Research Workshop on Disinformation\, Democratic Processes\, and Conflict Prevention
DESCRIPTION:On January 30\, 2020\, the SSRC convened the second research workshop of its Academic Network on Peace\, Security\, and the United Nations in New York\, an initiative of the Council’s Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum (CPPF) and its Understanding Violent Conflict (UVC) Program. This workshop\, on “Disinformation\, Democratic Processes\, and Conflict Prevention\,” examined the frameworks\, findings\, and debates in emerging scholarship on information disorder and the linkages between disinformation\, elections\, hate speech\, and identity-based violence. Participants drew on cases in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The workshop also explored the ways in which disinformation affects the UN conflict prevention agenda\, and how the UN system can better identify\, track\, and respond to the negative impacts of disinformation in countries and regions where the UN is engaged. \nThis workshop was a multiprogram collaboration led by CPPF. It drew on the Council’s new MediaWell initiative\, a disinformation research mapping web platform\, and the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa program. \nCPPF commissioned Professor Sahana Udupa of Ludwig Maximilians-Universitat (LMU) Munich to draft a literature review on the intersection of hateful speech\, information disorder\, and conflict. The review was distributed to workshop participants\, together with several MediaWell research reviews. A summary version of this review is being prepared and will be published separately by MediaWell. \nThe SSRC Academic Network on Peace\, Security\, and the United Nations was established in 2019 out of a request from the United Nations Secretariat to provide UN entities and departments charged with responsibility for peace and security with better\, more systematic access to new and emerging research in the academy. The Academic Network also aims to facilitate collaborative engagements between the UN and various academic institutions\, research networks\, and professional associations working on conflict-management relevant research.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/research-workshop-on-disinformation-democratic-processes-and-conflict-prevention/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200205
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200207
DTSTAMP:20210913T174412Z
CREATED:20210913T174412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T174412Z
UID:10000755-1580860800-1581033599@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Ethiopia (Nairobi)
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/ethiopia-nairobi/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ssrc_logo.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200305
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200306
DTSTAMP:20210810T203842Z
CREATED:20200827T160909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210810T203842Z
UID:10000593-1583366400-1583452799@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Rethinking Approaches to Chronic Crises in Africa: American and African Perspectives
DESCRIPTION:The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) in association with Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum (CPRF)\, held a conference on “Rethinking Approaches to Chronic Crises in Africa: American and African Perspectives\,” at the John Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies’ Kenney Auditorium\, on March 5\, 2020. The conference was organized around two panels featuring leading African scholars and American policy makers\, implementers\, and development actors. \nThe conference featured opening remarks by Cyril Obi\, Program Director of the African Peacebuilding Network and the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa programs at the Social Science Research Council and Shamil Idriss\, CEO of Search for Common Ground. \nThe first panel discussion on “Understanding the Chronic Crises” was chaired by Mike Jobbins\, Associate Vice President\, Global Affairs and Partnerships at Search for Common Ground. It featured three presenters — Pamela Chepngetich (Kisii University\, Kenya)\, Christelle Amina Djoulde (University of Ngoundere\, Cameroon)\, and Titilope Folarin Ajayi (University of Ghana\, Legon)\, SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) program’s grant alumni researching chronic crises in three African countries. \nThe first presentation by Pamela Chepngetich on “Conflict and Crises in borderlands of Kenya and Somalia\,” focused on refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Dabaab Refugee Camp\, at one time the largest of its kind in the world. The presentation also examined persisting policy gaps\, self-settlement of some Somali refugees around the camp\, tensions around legal residency and citizenship (of non-Kenyan and Kenyan Somali’s)\, conflicts between refugees and Kenyan host-communities\, exclusion of women from decision-making\, and arguments for the closure of the Camp. \nIn her presentation on “Understanding conflict and crisis in Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR) Borderlands\,” focused on the role of local “women of peace” in indigenous Mbaya communities in East Central Cameroon and Western CAR. She analyzed the efficacy of indigenous peacebuilding in Cameroon and CAR\, particularly in preventing conflict between CAR refugees and Cameroonian host communities and spoke to her work advocating for the integration of cultural peacebuilding into official peacebuilding policies in Cameroon. \nThe third presentation by Titilope Ajayi\, on “Conflict and Crisis in the Lake Chad Basin\,” focused on how women in IDP camps were being affected by the Boko Haram conflict in North East Nigeria and the neighboring regions. She spoke to the trauma suffered by women in IDP camps\, including poverty\, lack of access to food\, transactional sex and sexual abuse\, and the lack of access to referral centers for victims of sexual violence perpetrated by Boko Haram fighters and the military. The presentation also analyzed issues related to the culture of silence\, high levels of violence\, inconsistencies and problems of coordination among development and humanitarian agencies. Other challenges identified by the presenter included inadequate funding\, lack of economic opportunities for women\, capacity deficits\, corruption\, the diversion of humanitarian aid\, poor governance and lack of political will. She also advocated for: a review of peace and security responses\, non-military approaches to peace and security\, leveraging the influence of mothers in programs for deradicalizing young men and women\, paying greater attention to the radicalization of women\, particularly those being stigmatized for having children born out of rape by Boko Haram fighters. \nThe discussions that followed involved the exchange of views on opportunities for leveraging the role of the military as a positive and developmental force\, increasing the meaningful participation of women in peacebuilding\, strengthening the role of the local media in promoting reconciliation and peace\, and the importance of linking locally-led to national and internationally-supported solutions. Other issues discussed included the need to address the exclusion of women from governance\, identifying opportunities to help build local resilience\, the role of local women in building peace in other parts of Cameroon\, and the implications of the disconnect between the international and local communities in Africa. Of note\, was the recognition of the importance of knowledge to more effective policy and humanitarian responses\, and the need to better address and bridge the gaps between research\, policy and action. \nThe second panel discussion on “Supporting African-Led Solutions\,” was chaired by Elizabeth (Liz) Hume\, with David Young\, Vanita Datta\, and Louis Le Masne as panelists. \nThe presentations that followed focused on the evolving global conflict\, peace and security landscape\, and identified growing challenges in the form of spiraling violence\, conflicts and increasing numbers of internally displaced persons in Africa.  They reviewed ongoing efforts in the US to put together a new framework for addressing global fragility. Of note was the discussion of the US government’s framework for achieving greater effectiveness\, alignment and coherence in addressing global fragility.  The dimensions of global fragility and the principles underpinning integrated military and civilian stabilization operations were explored. Other issues covered by the presentations included the coordinating role of the State Department\, working with partners and local NGOs to build resilience and prevent conflict relapse\, and determining key aspects of burden sharing with fragile states. Some of the problems facing such coordination efforts were identified as including\, the changing nature of conflict\, addressing complex transborder threats and instability through bilateral responses\, operating in highly fluid political areas which adversely affect timelines\, expectations and the ability to monitor and measure results. \nAlso\, of note\, were discussions about the forms of support that could contribute towards promoting broad based economic growth in Africa and end dependence on foreign assistance. The importance of learning from past mistakes\, identifying potential opportunities for support and ensuring that no one is left behind in addressing chronic crises were identified as critical to helping build stability in Africa. The presentations also pointed to the importance of partnering with the private sector\, learning from contextual knowledge\, and the importance of working with partners at the local\, national and sub-regional levels. In relation to addressing fragility\, they emphasized the need to pro-actively tailor objectives to address problems and explore ways of expanding opportunities to address chronic crises in Africa.  Also\, the work of the USAID in relation to Prosper Africa Act\, and the Global Shea Alliance was seen as examples of initiatives that had successfully contributed to economic growth in some West African countries. Also\, issues around migration\, media programming\, and public accountability were discussed in relation to expanding opportunities for collaboration aimed at promoting development\, stability and peace in Africa. \nThe presentations also focused on partnerships with grassroots organizations in West Africa in the areas of providing support for local communities\, training traditional leaders and grassroots organizations\, and facilitating consultations at the local level\, as well as reconciliation and reintegration programs. The role of international partners working with African institutions in giving local people a voice in development programs was seen as a vital contribution towards fostering locally grounded solutions to chronic crises in the continent. \nLastly\, the discussions also focused on the ways the US government and development actors could effectively address chronic crises in Africa\, including strategies for an African approach that could contribute towards reducing foreign assistance. They also explored various approaches for engaging the private sector and working with willing international and local partners in ensuring effective coordination of programs and interventions in conflict-affected regions of Africa. In all\, the conference provided an excellent platform for scholars\, development actors and implementers to have frank exchanges on addressing chronic crises in Africa.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/rethinking-approaches-to-chronic-crises-in-africa-american-and-african-perspectives-2/
LOCATION:SAIS John Hopkins School for Advanced International Affairs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/202653870_d132bc8e53_o.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200305
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200306
DTSTAMP:20210811T161018Z
CREATED:20200821T164652Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210811T161018Z
UID:10000585-1583366400-1583452799@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Rethinking Approaches to Chronic Crises in Africa: American and African Perspectives
DESCRIPTION:The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) in association with Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum (CPRF)\, held a conference on “Rethinking Approaches to Chronic Crises in Africa: American and African Perspectives\,” at the John Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies’ Kenney Auditorium\, on March 5\, 2020. The conference was organized around two panels featuring leading African scholars and American policy makers\, implementers\, and development actors. \nThe conference featured opening remarks by Cyril Obi\, Program Director of the African Peacebuilding Network and the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa programs at the Social Science Research Council and Shamil Idriss\, CEO of Search for Common Ground. \nThe first panel discussion on “Understanding the Chronic Crises” was chaired by Mike Jobbins\, Associate Vice President\, Global Affairs and Partnerships at Search for Common Ground. It featured three presenters — Pamela Chepngetich (Kisii University\, Kenya)\, Christelle Amina Djoulde (University of Ngoundere\, Cameroon)\, and Titilope Folarin Ajayi (University of Ghana\, Legon)\, SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) program’s grant alumni researching chronic crises in three African countries. \nThe first presentation by Pamela Chepngetich on “Conflict and Crises in borderlands of Kenya and Somalia\,” focused on refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Dabaab Refugee Camp\, at one time the largest of its kind in the world. The presentation also examined persisting policy gaps\, self-settlement of some Somali refugees around the camp\, tensions around legal residency and citizenship (of non-Kenyan and Kenyan Somali’s)\, conflicts between refugees and Kenyan host-communities\, exclusion of women from decision-making\, and arguments for the closure of the Camp. \nIn her presentation on “Understanding conflict and crisis in Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR) Borderlands\,” focused on the role of local “women of peace” in indigenous Mbaya communities in East Central Cameroon and Western CAR. She analyzed the efficacy of indigenous peacebuilding in Cameroon and CAR\, particularly in preventing conflict between CAR refugees and Cameroonian host communities and spoke to her work advocating for the integration of cultural peacebuilding into official peacebuilding policies in Cameroon. \nThe third presentation by Titilope Ajayi\, on “Conflict and Crisis in the Lake Chad Basin\,” focused on how women in IDP camps were being affected by the Boko Haram conflict in North East Nigeria and the neighboring regions. She spoke to the trauma suffered by women in IDP camps\, including poverty\, lack of access to food\, transactional sex and sexual abuse\, and the lack of access to referral centers for victims of sexual violence perpetrated by Boko Haram fighters and the military. The presentation also analyzed issues related to the culture of silence\, high levels of violence\, inconsistencies and problems of coordination among development and humanitarian agencies. Other challenges identified by the presenter included inadequate funding\, lack of economic opportunities for women\, capacity deficits\, corruption\, the diversion of humanitarian aid\, poor governance and lack of political will. She also advocated for: a review of peace and security responses\, non-military approaches to peace and security\, leveraging the influence of mothers in programs for deradicalizing young men and women\, paying greater attention to the radicalization of women\, particularly those being stigmatized for having children born out of rape by Boko Haram fighters. \nThe discussions that followed involved the exchange of views on opportunities for leveraging the role of the military as a positive and developmental force\, increasing the meaningful participation of women in peacebuilding\, strengthening the role of the local media in promoting reconciliation and peace\, and the importance of linking locally-led to national and internationally-supported solutions. Other issues discussed included the need to address the exclusion of women from governance\, identifying opportunities to help build local resilience\, the role of local women in building peace in other parts of Cameroon\, and the implications of the disconnect between the international and local communities in Africa. Of note\, was the recognition of the importance of knowledge to more effective policy and humanitarian responses\, and the need to better address and bridge the gaps between research\, policy and action. \nThe second panel discussion on “Supporting African-Led Solutions\,” was chaired by Elizabeth (Liz) Hume\, with David Young\, Vanita Datta\, and Louis Le Masne as panelists. \nThe presentations that followed focused on the evolving global conflict\, peace and security landscape\, and identified growing challenges in the form of spiraling violence\, conflicts and increasing numbers of internally displaced persons in Africa.  They reviewed ongoing efforts in the US to put together a new framework for addressing global fragility. Of note was the discussion of the US government’s framework for achieving greater effectiveness\, alignment and coherence in addressing global fragility.  The dimensions of global fragility and the principles underpinning integrated military and civilian stabilization operations were explored. Other issues covered by the presentations included the coordinating role of the State Department\, working with partners and local NGOs to build resilience and prevent conflict relapse\, and determining key aspects of burden sharing with fragile states. Some of the problems facing such coordination efforts were identified as including\, the changing nature of conflict\, addressing complex transborder threats and instability through bilateral responses\, operating in highly fluid political areas which adversely affect timelines\, expectations and the ability to monitor and measure results. \nAlso\, of note\, were discussions about the forms of support that could contribute towards promoting broad based economic growth in Africa and end dependence on foreign assistance. The importance of learning from past mistakes\, identifying potential opportunities for support and ensuring that no one is left behind in addressing chronic crises were identified as critical to helping build stability in Africa. The presentations also pointed to the importance of partnering with the private sector\, learning from contextual knowledge\, and the importance of working with partners at the local\, national and sub-regional levels. In relation to addressing fragility\, they emphasized the need to pro-actively tailor objectives to address problems and explore ways of expanding opportunities to address chronic crises in Africa.  Also\, the work of the USAID in relation to Prosper Africa Act\, and the Global Shea Alliance was seen as examples of initiatives that had successfully contributed to economic growth in some West African countries. Also\, issues around migration\, media programming\, and public accountability were discussed in relation to expanding opportunities for collaboration aimed at promoting development\, stability and peace in Africa. \nThe presentations also focused on partnerships with grassroots organizations in West Africa in the areas of providing support for local communities\, training traditional leaders and grassroots organizations\, and facilitating consultations at the local level\, as well as reconciliation and reintegration programs. The role of international partners working with African institutions in giving local people a voice in development programs was seen as a vital contribution towards fostering locally grounded solutions to chronic crises in the continent. \nLastly\, the discussions also focused on the ways the US government and development actors could effectively address chronic crises in Africa\, including strategies for an African approach that could contribute towards reducing foreign assistance. They also explored various approaches for engaging the private sector and working with willing international and local partners in ensuring effective coordination of programs and interventions in conflict-affected regions of Africa. In all\, the conference provided an excellent platform for scholars\, development actors and implementers to have frank exchanges on addressing chronic crises in Africa.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/rethinking-approaches-to-chronic-crises-in-africa-american-and-african-perspectives/
LOCATION:SAIS John Hopkins School for Advanced International Affairs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/49677482298_932e508cae_o-scaled-e1628698196562.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200306T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200306T190000
DTSTAMP:20210913T174638Z
CREATED:20210913T174638Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T174638Z
UID:10000756-1583510400-1583521200@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:National and Regional Ownership: Investments & Partnerships in African-led Initiatives in Peace\, Security and Development
DESCRIPTION:CPPF Director\, Dr. Tatiana Carayannis moderated a high-level side event at the UN Secretariat with the deputy foreign minister of Kenya\, Ambassador Macharia Kamau. The discussion\, on “National and Regional Ownership: Investments & Partnerships in African-Led Initiatives in Peace\, Security and Development\,” included a panel with the UN ambassadors from Egypt\, Brazil\, Thailand\, India\, and the African Union.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/national-and-regional-ownership-investments-partnerships-in-african-led-initiatives-in-peace-security-and-development/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ssrc_logo.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200630
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200701
DTSTAMP:20241213T152946Z
CREATED:20200827T160631Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152946Z
UID:10000592-1593475200-1593561599@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Natural Resources\, Sustainable Development\, and Peace in Africa
DESCRIPTION:On June 30\, 2020\, the Wilson Center Africa Program\, under the banner of the Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP)\, and the Social Science Research Council’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) hosted a virtual event on “Natural Resources\, Sustainable Development\, and Peace in Africa.” Dr. Monde Muyangwa\, Director\, Wilson Center Africa Program\, Washington\, D.C.\, gave the welcome remarks; while Dr. Cyril Obi\, Program Director\, African Peacebuilding Network\, Social Science Research Council\, New York City\, set the stage for and moderated the discussion. Dr. Dauda Garuba\, Technical Adviser\, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI)\, Abuja\, Nigeria; Dr. Resty Naiga\, Lecturer and Researcher\, Department of Development Studies\, Makerere University\, Kampala\, Uganda; and Dr. Seydina Ousmane Sene\, Senior Economist\, Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale (IPAR)\, Dakar\, Senegal joined as speakers. Dr. Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng\, Director\, African Natural Resources Centre\, African Development Bank (AfDB)\, Abidjan\, Côte d’Ivoire had planned to speak\, but was prevented by last-minute technical difficulties. This event examined the intersection of civil society and peacebuilding in natural resource-rich African counties. It interrogated the role of civil society in community engagement\, the promotion of accountability\, and development based on inclusive\, transparent\, and sustainable resource management. It also addressed the challenges African civil society groups have faced\, lessons learned in empowering them\, and how governments\, private businesses\, local communities\, and civil society can better work together. Speakers offered policy options for boosting the meaningful inclusion of civil society groups and local communities in transforming natural resource development and management. \nDr. Garuba observed that there is a significant link between natural resources governance\, development\, conflict\, and peace in Africa. He noted the importance of each of these links—observing that without adequate governance\, peace is much more difficult to attain. Garuba asserted that a common denominator in conflicts in Africa since the Cold War has been a shift away from inter-state conflicts toward low-intensity intra-state conflicts\, partly driven by competition over access to\, or fueled by natural resources. He stressed that while natural resources are not the basis for all conflicts in Africa\, they often play an important role in mobilizing resources to prolong violence. In assessing the roles of different actors in natural resources management\, Garuba noted that governments are often seen as being aligned with private companies against the interests of the local population—leading to a lack of trust in government and a reliance on civil society to mitigate the adverse environmental impact of natural resources extraction on communities. He observed that some of the challenges faced by African institutions in addressing natural resources management and conflict include the absence of effective governance frameworks\, absence of domestic resource mobilization\, lack of valued-added industries\, and lack of access to capital and technology. He also identified corruption and illicit financial flows\, and the disconnect between national policies and regional/continental frameworks. Garuba offered several suggestions for improving natural resource governance\, including the expansion of the role of civil society to build resilience in local communities\, looking at domestic compliance with international instruments such as the Natural Resource Charter\, and approaches such as the Africa Mining Vision\, getting better deals with resource extractors\, ensuring revenue transparency\, and managing volatility. He underlined the importance of sustainable development—as most natural resources are non-renewable—and the need to put in place safeguard mechanisms such as voluntary principles (including those in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and the Open Government Partnership) for business\, human security\, human rights and the pursuit of the public good. Garuba underscored the need for civil society to continue their resilience building strategies to promote these voluntary principals; assist regional and continental organizations in pushing the African Mining Vision agenda\, the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) mineral development policy\, and The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). He also noted the importance of creating opportunities for mediating encounters between national and local governments and local communities\, strengthening the role of communities\, and developing mechanisms to add value to natural resources\, rather than just exporting them in their raw form and losing the opportunity to add value locally. He made a case for the sustainable extraction and use of resources for the present and future generations of Africans. Garuba closed by recommending increased collaboration between international and African civil society organizations. \nDr. Naiga provided an in-depth overview of Uganda’s resource abundance\, including the recent discovery of oil. She reiterated the importance of Africa’s natural resources not just for livelihoods but also in terms of spiritual\, cultural\, and historical significance—in addition to their enormous potential for sustainable development and day to day peacebuilding. However\, she expressed the view that “resource curse” phenomenon has prevented the translation of these potential benefits into tangible outcomes. She dissected the various ways in which Uganda could be described as suffering from a resource curse: over 30\,000 people there have been displaced since the discovery of oil with questionable resettlement arrangements\, and despite abundant water supplies over 50 percent of local people lack access to clean water\, in a context where competing livelihoods were driving conflicts over access to resources. She therefore made a case for stakeholder analysis aimed at informing conflict resolution\, food security\, inclusive and responsive policies directed towards ensuring that natural resource endowment benefited the people. Still looking at strategies for addressing these challenges\, Naiga underlined the critical importance of governance. The role of governance is to ensure that natural resource development is inclusive and responsive to the needs of the people—without which it is not worth the risk and effort. She identified the key principles for governance as including legitimacy\, accountability\, transparency\, and inclusiveness. Naiga asserted that achieving good governance requires engaging stakeholders\, including academics and researchers to conduct studies and generate data and findings to inform evidence-based policy. She also underlined the role of civil society in advocating for inclusive governance and acting as a bridge between governments and communities\, and the business sector. Engaging these stakeholders requires an enabling environment for all actors\, including the recognition of the correlation between natural resource governance and sustainable development. She also interrogated approaches to natural resource management in different African countries\, Naiga also observed that a key challenge behind the resource curse is the failure to ensure transparency and accountability\, and make peacebuilding an integral part of natural resource management. To overcome the resource curse\, she recommended integrating peacebuilding and conflict resolution into natural resource management and developing robust governance systems that are legitimate\, transparent\, and willing to overcome corruption. Naiga also called on decision makers on the continent to develop home-grown strategies and capacities that would collectively reduce external dependence and pool the continent’s energies in developing the capacity to utilize resources for the benefit of Africans. She also recommended embracing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)\, and ensuring that stakeholder analysis and engagement takes place to address conflict preemptively. Naiga also observed that most natural resource management policies are not gender-responsive\, and made a strong case for integrating such considerations into efforts towards improving the quality of lives of women\, and children. She also reiterated the centrality of governance to the efficient use and fair distribution of the benefits of resource endowment in African countries. While men often make decisions regarding land and water governance\, women are the ones who shoulder the burden of the consequences of such decisions. It is important to develop responsive and inclusive regulatory frameworks. She closed her remarks by underlining the need for more data to inform policies\, including additional funding support to reinforce research efforts. \nDr. Sene spoke to issues of water resources and land management\, which are especially pressing in Senegal\, but equally have relevance for many African countries. He emphasized that peacebuilding is a long-term process. In this regard\, he made a strong case for developing and putting conflict prevention systems in place to prevent crises\, as conflict over natural resources is likely to remain a threat to Africa’s economic development. Sene also described the Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale’s (IPAR’s) efforts\, working in collaboration with the Government of Senegal to track the economic dimension of natural resources management and peacebuilding in Africa\, particularly in relation to Senegal. He also noted that this included tracking how violence (from protests and riots to military conflict) affects peacebuilding. To this end\, IPAR developed a dashboard that tracks protests\, riots\, and their impact on community-\, municipality-\, and state-level discussions and conflict. IPAR has found that over the past 10 years in West Africa\, much political violence has come from civilian battles over land-grabbing\, access to water\, and farming and industrial practices. This research is helping to better clarify how communication of grievances at the local level can rapidly transform into violence. Sene emphasized that while it is important for officials to consider high-level policy solutions\, it is also critical for them to monitor the “low intensity crises” that are occurring in communities\, which can quickly escalate into full-blown violence and disrupt peacebuilding efforts. He suggested that policymakers in Africa should focus on the key trouble “hot spots” related to land grabs\, farmer-herder\, and water-related conflicts. In this regard\, he proposed that water and land will be more critical natural resource issues in the 21st century than oil. He underscored the importance of addressing violence arising from competing natural resource exploitation and use by various stakeholders. He called for the monitoring of events across the Sahel\, to help communities with information needed to build upon resource abundance and engage in appropriate kinds of natural resource-related investments. Sene also observed that conflicts over land and water resources were growing in tandem with the expansion of large-scale agribusiness in Africa. In terms of governance\, he was of the view that centralized governments can be susceptible to corruption\, as decisions are made by a handful of national officials who may be disconnected from communities and events on the ground—providing an easy access point for a set of corrupt actors. Sene emphasized the need for communities to have a measure of independence with which to manage their natural resources. He also emphasized the importance of addressing emerging challenges to natural resource management\, noting that in Senegal there are currently 20-70 incidents of protest or political violence daily—a state of affairs that is reflected across West Africa. \nIn the subsequent discussion\, participants posed questions via Twitter and email regarding foreign exploitation\, environmental degradation\, cross-sectoral collaboration\, the relationship between public-private partnerships and corruption\, and how communities can balance benefits from natural resources with more sustainable development. \nThe SVNP is a continent-wide network of African policy\, research and academic organizations that works with the Wilson Center’s Africa Program to bring African knowledge and perspectives to U.S.\, African\, and international policy on peacebuilding in Africa. Established in 2011 and supported by the generous financial support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York\, the project provides avenues for African researchers and practitioners to engage with\, inform\, and exchange analyses and perspectives with U.S.\, African\, and international policymakers in order to develop the most appropriate\, cohesive\, and inclusive policy frameworks and approaches to achieving sustainable peace in Africa. \nLaunched in March 2012\, the African Peacebuilding Network (APN) supports independent African research on conflict-affected countries and neighboring regions of the continent\, as well as the integration of African knowledge into global policy communities. It is supported by the generous financial support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The APN promotes the visibility of African peacebuilding knowledge among global and regional centers of scholarly analysis and practical action and makes it accessible to key policymakers at the United Nations and other multilateral\, regional\, and national policymaking institutions. The APN accomplishes this by facilitating the transformation of the quality and scale of African research and consolidating the contributions of African researchers and analysts\, thereby connecting them with other African scholars\, policy analysts\, practitioners\, and networks focusing on issues of peacebuilding\, as well as with other policymaking communities around the world.  \nThis event was live tweeted and webcast. Follow the Africa Program Twitter account @AfricaUpClose and the African Peacebuilding Network’s Twitter account @APN_SSRC and catch up on the conversation #NaturalResources
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/natural-resources-sustainable-development-and-peace-in-africa/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.ssrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/10867832045_270bb832c7_o-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200831T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200904T170000
DTSTAMP:20241213T152939Z
CREATED:20210810T165624Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152939Z
UID:10000697-1598860800-1599238800@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:The African Peacebuilding Network Grantee Research Methods Training and the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa Bi-Annual Fellows Joint Virtual Workshop
DESCRIPTION:The Social Science Research Council’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) programs had their first virtually held joint fellows workshop from August 31st\, 2020 to September 3rd\, 2020. Before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected all parts of the world\, the joint workshop was originally scheduled to be held in Kampala\, Uganda in collaboration with Makerere University. \n18 APN Individual Research fellows and 35 Next Gen Proposal Development\, Dissertation Research\, and Dissertation Completion fellows participated in the workshop\, whose activities included lectures\, working group sessions\, and one-on-one mentoring sessions led by experienced scholars\, professors\, and current and former APN and Next Gen Advisory Board members.  During the small working group sessions\, fellows presented and received constructive feedback and comments on their research proposals\, updates\, workshop assignments\, and dissertation chapters from their peers and facilitators/mentors. The workshop also provided an opportunity for APN and Next Gen fellows to learn more about each other’s research\, interact with highly experienced scholars and facilitators\, and engage in interactive activities aimed at expanding their knowledge on coping with the challenges of conducting research during a pandemic\, as well as interdisciplinary perspectives to peacebuilding\, security\, and development in Africa. \nThe opening session of day 1 of the workshop featured welcome remarks by Cyril Obi\, Program Director of APN and Next Gen. He spoke about the Covid-19 pandemic had changed the nature and scope of research and how this would require the use of new tools and techniques\, including digital technologies. Duncan Omanga\, Program Officer of APN and Next Gen also gave welcome remarks and introduced the APN and Next Gen Advisory Board Chairs\, Prof. Rita Abrahamsen and Prof. Sarah Ssali\, workshop facilitators\, and the APN and Next Gen fellows. \nThe first keynote lecture\, titled\, “Making up African Worlds – How to avoid being fooled by concepts\,” was delivered by Professor Elisio Macamo from the University of Basel. He identified the key challenge in the pursuit of social science in Africa to be how to actually produce knowledge\, cautioning against being “fooled by concepts.” He also introduced fellows to three concepts pertaining to explanation: worlds implied by social science vocabulary\, the challenge of description\, and relationship between concept and reality. Furthermore\, Professor Macamo emphasized that a lot of the things that we can learn from in Africa can help render Africa intelligible by Africans\, and by interrogating assumptions and received knowledge. He then underlined the critical importance of the agency of the African researcher in possessing the power to conceptualize and theorize Africa’s reality and contribute towards improving the social sciences universally. \nThe second day of the workshop began with an interactive session Professor Morten Boas of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)\, Oslo. The session was based on the video of his keynote lecture\, titled\, “Fieldwork in Violent and Dangerous Places: Do’s\, Don’ts\, and the Question Marks\,” which fellows had watched in advance. At the beginning of the discussion\, Professor Boas spoke about how researchers and scholars have to acknowledge that they make mistakes and get confused during fieldwork\, and shouldn’t be afraid to talk about such failures\, and learn from them. He pointed to the need to reflect more on practices in the field or “social landscape\,” particularly issues around ethics\, and risks as they affect members of research teams\, and respondents.  Prof. Boas also explored the need to interrogate the unequal international research partnerships\, and what to do to ameliorate such structural imbalances that often adversely affect African researchers/partners. During the Q & A portion of the discussion\, many fellows pointed to the importance of interrogating the concept of “dangerous places” and asked about the implications of using such terms to describe certain conflict-affected spaces. \nOn day 3\, fellows were mainly in their small working group sessions\, and one-on-one sessions with their mentors. The fourth and last day of the workshop consisted of more working group sessions and one-on-one sessions and ended with a joint APN-Next Gen panel discussion\, titled\, “Doing Research in Time of Covid-19: Risks\, Innovation\, and Adaptation.” The following panelists\, Steve Akoth\, Lydia Amoah\, Amy Niang\, and Tapiwa Madimu\, spoke to their own personal experiences with conducting research during the pandemic and shared insights on how they had responded to emerging challenges\, including what scholars need to keep in mind about revising research plans and deciding on when to head out into the field to collect data. Lydia Amoah\, a Next Gen fellow\, narrated how she had to postpone data collection for her project to 2021 because of safety precautions. Amy Niang\, an APN advisory board member (and former fellow\,) emphasized the need to understand that Covid-19 affects everyone and that some of the most affected scholars will be those going into the field to gather information/data. Tapiwa Madimu\, an APN fellow\, spoke about the problem of accessing research materials since public archives had been closed due to the pandemic\, noting also how research had been impacted by the difficulty of accessing digitized archive materials. In his presentation\, Steve Akoth (Next Gen advisory board member (and former fellow) advised that scholars and researchers need to have more empathy for the people they want to take part in their research because they are also dealing with their own circumstances in relation to the pandemic. \nThe four-day virtual workshop ended with closing remarks from Program Director Cyril Obi\, Rita Abrahamsen (Chair of the APN Advisory Board)\, Sarah Ssali (Chair of the Next Gen Advisory Board)\, and Program Officer Duncan Omanga.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/the-african-peacebuilding-network-grantee-research-methods-training-and-the-next-generation-social-sciences-in-africa-bi-annual-fellows-joint-virtual-workshop/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200905T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200905T180000
DTSTAMP:20211008T210748Z
CREATED:20200923T192326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211008T210748Z
UID:10000555-1599318000-1599328800@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Abe Global Washington\, DC | Cyber Challenges: The Internet\, Global Competition\, and National Security
DESCRIPTION:  \nLivestream\n \nOverview\n“Information” has become an integral part of our daily lives. We have all become accustomed to the use of apps that ease daily life\, and rarely stop to think of the masses of big data that have made them so effective. At the same time\, there are worries every time a government\, or a company\, or an internet server reports a breach of its databases\, exposing the private data of millions of people. The worries about information extend from the most intimate personal concerns\, to the grand strategies related to national security and defense. While governments have increasingly fine-grained tools for identifying and gathering information on individuals\, at the same time\, they struggle to defend their systems against attacks from rival powers. As states move to introduce new 5G technology\, the commercial interests of tech companies have become entangled with nationalist interests of states\, and legitimate concerns about cyber security.  These issues are of particular concern in Japan as it prepares to host the Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Olympics; will current cyber security institutions be strong enough to protect such global events? Drawing on the research of Abe fellows this session will examine how these issues are being discussed in the US\, Japan\, and other parts of Asia\, and what new institutions have been developed to deal with the increasingly contentious world of information. \nOver nearly three decades\, the Abe Fellowship Program has supported several fellows whose research projects discuss the repercussions and benefits of how changing technology has allowed for the increased capacity to create\, store\, and trade information/data. For this event three Abe fellows will address multi-national cybersecurity coalitions\, strategies\, and cyber-resilient methods critical to sustaining national functions in inevitable attacks; US-China trade war and techno-nationalism’s implications for suppliers\, customers\, and the global supply chains; and Japan’s 2018 National Defense Program Guidelines which focus on Multi-Domain Operations including cyberspace\, outer space and electromagnetic space. \nAn initiative of the Abe Fellowship Program\, the Abe Fellows Global Forum (Abe Global) is designed to bring Abe Fellow research and expertise on pressing issues of global concern to broader audiences. Abe Global will host several events each year in partnership with academic and civic organizations throughout the United States. The Abe Fellowship Program is a partnership between the Social Science Research Council and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership. \nHudson Institute\, Stern Policy Center\, 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue\, N.W.\, Suite 400\, Washington\, DC 20004\, USA\nhttps://www.hudson.org/events/1715-cyber-challenges-the-internet-global-competition-and-national-security92019
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/abe-global-washington-dc-cyber-challenges-the-internet-global-competition-and-national-security/
LOCATION:Hudson Institute\, 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200918T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200918T170000
DTSTAMP:20200917T154657Z
CREATED:20200917T154230Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200917T154657Z
UID:10000553-1600416000-1600448400@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Chad and the Region (New York)
DESCRIPTION:On 27 January\, CPPF organized an expert brainstorming on Chad and the Region. The meeting assessed recent developments in the region and explored opportunities for enhancing cross-border coordination of UN conflict prevention activities in Chad’s border areas.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/chad-and-the-region-new-york/
LOCATION:Brooklyn Historical Society\, 128 Pierrepont Street\, Brooklyn\, NY\, 11201\, United States
CATEGORIES:Africa
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200924
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200925
DTSTAMP:20210916T162959Z
CREATED:20210916T162959Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210916T162959Z
UID:10000767-1600905600-1600991999@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:2020 SSRC Fellow Seminar with Aihwa Ong
DESCRIPTION:Near-Humans\, Cloned Monkeys\, & CRISPR Babies: Productive Uncertainty in China’s Quest for Biosecurity\n\nSeptember 24\, 2020 \nThe Social Science Research Council invites applications to participate in an exclusive seminar on “Near-Humans\, Cloned Monkeys\, & CRISPR Babies: Productive Uncertainty in China’s Quest for Biosecurity” led by the Council’s 2020 SSRC Fellow\, Professor Aihwa Ong. The seminar will take place via Zoom on Thursday\, September 24\, 2020\, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. eastern time. \nThe SSRC Fellow initiative invites distinguished scholars to the Council to strengthen research and programming in the areas in which we currently work or aspire to work. Professor Ong will be in virtual residency at the Council from September 23–25\, 2020\, during which time she will also give a public lecture on the same theme as the seminar. \nThis is an exclusive opportunity open only to advanced graduate students and junior faculty of the member institutions of the College and University Fund for the Social Sciences. \nThe Social Science Research Council’s College and University Fund for the Social Sciences is a consortium of higher education partners providing annual support to the SSRC to enhance the infrastructure of global social science research\, catalyze interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations\, and help launch the careers of junior scholars through fellowships\, workshops\, and mentorship. For more information on the College and University Fund\, please contact CUF@ssrc.org or call (718) 517-3713. \nSeminar Abstract\nAnthropological inquiry enhances STS (science\, technology\, and society studies) by analyzing the diversity of contexts and perspectives that participate in contemporary knowledge-making processes. The focal point for the discipline concerns how values and beliefs about being human mutate and what modes of living and forms of life modernity subsequently puts at stake. Reflexive ethnographic research illuminates how specific cases and contingent circumstances connect to big questions and situated practices contribute to globalized change. Ong’s approach has always been poised at the intersections of particularity and globality\, difference and interconnectivity\, human and nonhuman\, and stability and uncertainty. Such a vantage point analyzes how Asia’s emerging biomedical sites productively engage and transform contemporary science through a process of de- and recontextualization\, thus making it cosmopolitan. \nTo RSVP\nAdvanced graduate students and junior faculty in the social sciences are invited to attend. Attendees must be affiliated with one of the member institutions of the College and University Fund for the Social Sciences. Please RSVP to CUF@ssrc.org\, with the subject line “SSRC Fellow Ong Seminar.” Our program staff will contact you with the Zoom details for the seminar. For more information\, please contact us at CUF@ssrc.org. \nAbout Aihwa Ong\nAihwa Ong is professor of anthropology at the University of California\, Berkeley. She is a member of the Science Council of the International Panel on Social Progress. Ong has published on a range of topics including the anthropology of labor\, governance\, sovereignty\, cities\, citizenship\, life sciences\, and experimental art in the Asia-Pacific. She has lectured internationally and been invited to the World Economic Forum. Her awards include grants from the MacArthur Foundation and the National Science Foundation\, and some book prizes. Ong is the author of five works: Fungible Life: Experiment in the Asian City of Life (2016); Neoliberalism as Exception: Mutations in Citizenship and Sovereignty (2006); Buddha Is Hiding: Refugees\, Citizenship\, the New America (2003); Flexible Citizenship: The Cultural Logics of Transnationality (1999); and Spirits of Resistance and Capitalist Discipline: Factory Women in Malaysia (1986).
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/2020-ssrc-fellow-seminar-with-aihwa-ong/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200930T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200930T173000
DTSTAMP:20210914T201411Z
CREATED:20210914T201411Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210914T201411Z
UID:10000685-1601481600-1601487000@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:A Discussion on Race and Racism
DESCRIPTION:On September 30\, 2020\, the Social Science Research Council and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) held a discussion on race and racism moderated by SSRC president Alondra Nelson and Joy Connolly\, president of ACLS\, featuring Khalil Gibran Muhammad\, professor of history\, race and public policy at Harvard Kennedy School\, the Suzanne Young Murray Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies\, and director of the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project; and Bianca Williams\, associate professor of anthropology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. \n\nThis event is presented as part of the Social Science Research Council’s Inequality Initiative\, a series of programs and projects that bring innovative social science analysis to bear on our understanding of the roots and consequences of unequal participation in political\, economic\, and social systems across the globe.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/a-discussion-on-race-and-racism/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201014
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201015
DTSTAMP:20210914T200840Z
CREATED:20210914T200840Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210914T200840Z
UID:10000684-1602633600-1602719999@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:The Persistence of Racial Inequality
DESCRIPTION:The seemingly intractable problem of racial inequality in the United States—despite periods of tremendous progress—is evident in numerous measures of disparity (poverty rates\, educational achievement\, household net worth\, homicide and imprisonment rates\, and much more). The question is why racial inequality persists. \nOn October 14\, 2020\, Alondra Nelson\, president of the Social Science Research Council; Joshua Cohen\, academic faculty\, Apple University; Francis Fukuyama\, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow\, Freeman Spogli Institute\, Stanford University; and Glenn C. Loury\, Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences\, Brown University\, considered this question and discussed social policy remedies to promote racial equality and the flourishing of Black Americans\, in a conversation moderated by Margaret Levi\, director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS). \n\nThis event was hosted by CASBS in partnership with the Social Science Research Council’s Inequality Initiative and the Center on Democracy\, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University\, as part of CASBS’s Social Science for a World in Crisis series.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/the-persistence-of-racial-inequality/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201018T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201018T170000
DTSTAMP:20240108T154653Z
CREATED:20210914T185525Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240108T154653Z
UID:10000681-1603022400-1603040400@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:REIMAGINING SCHOOLS
DESCRIPTION:The Social Science Research Council and SAGE Publishing are pleased to present the first of a series of conversations—REIMAGINING SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS—a public forum focused on the work of cultivating equitable\, anti-racist social institutions. The first event in the series\, REIMAGINING SCHOOLS\, will feature several prominent experts of inequality in higher education. \nFeaturing: \nPrudence L. Carter\nE.H. and Mary E. Pardee Professor and Dean of the Graduate School of Education\nUniversity of California\, Berkeley\nUnited States \nPawan Dhingra\nProfessor of American Studies and Faculty Equity and Inclusion Officer\nAmherst College\nUnited States \nNasima Hassan\nAcademic and author\nUnited Kingdom \nModerated by Alondra Nelson\nPresident\, Global Publishing\nSAGE Publishing \nIntroduced by Ziyad Marar\nPresident\, Social Science Research Council\nHarold F. Linder Professor\, Institute for Advanced Study \nThis program is presented as part of the Social Science Research Council’s Inequality Initiative\, a series of programs and projects that bring innovative social science analysis to bear on our understanding of the roots and consequences of unequal participation in political\, economic\, and social systems across the globe. \nWatch the Event \nAbout the Speakers\nPrudence L. Carter is the E.H. and Mary E. Pardee Professor and dean of the Graduate School of Education at Berkeley. Dean Carter’s expertise centers on issues of youth identity and race\, class\, and gender; urban poverty; social and cultural inequality; the sociology of education; and mixed research methods. Specifically\, she examines academic and mobility differences shaped by the effects of race\, ethnicity\, class\, and gender. Dean Carter earned a PhD in sociology from Columbia University. She is author of Keepin’ It Real: School Success beyond Black and White and Stubborn Roots: Race\, Culture\, and Inequality in U.S. and South African Schools. Before being named dean at Berkeley\, she was the Jacks Family Professor of Education and professor of sociology (by courtesy) at Stanford University. Dean Carter is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and the Sociological Research Association and a fellow of the American Educational Research Association. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the William T. Grant Foundation and SOAR for Youth. \nPawan Dhingra is professor of American studies and faculty equity and inclusion officer at Amherst College. He is a former curator at the Smithsonian Institution. He has been published in the New York Times\, CNN\, and elsewhere\, and his work has been profiled in the Washington Post\, the Wall Street Journal\, National Public Radio\, the White House forum on AAPI heritage\, and other venues. He is a multiple award-winning author whose latest book is Hyper Education: Why Good Schools\, Good Grades\, and Good Behavior Are Not Enough\, which author Min Jin Lee described as a “fascinating exploration [that] gets to the root of education obsessions.” He also appears in the Netflix documentary Spelling the Dream. An award-winning teacher\, he has held tenured positions at Tufts University and Oberlin College. \nNasima Hassan\, originally from Lancashire\, has worked in secondary school teaching humanities\, in teacher training\, and in strategic management in higher education. She has worked extensively overseas supporting teachers’ professional development in India (Bangalore)\, South Africa (Kwazulu Natal)\, and most recently in conjunction with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Malaysia. She has published on the education system in South Africa\, faith schools\, and the schooling experience of British Muslims. Her doctoral thesis explored the concept of “Muslim consciousness” through a philosophical and political exploration of identity construction. She is coauthor\, with Tomas Boronski\, of Sociology of Education.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/reimagining-schools/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201022T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201022T150000
DTSTAMP:20201015T162433Z
CREATED:20201015T162433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201015T162433Z
UID:10000655-1603375200-1603378800@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Electoral Anxieties: November 3rd and Its Aftermaths
DESCRIPTION:The stresses and strains on US democracy\, building over decades\, have reached an apex with the upcoming presidential election in ways that are unprecedented and daunting. Real fears of voter suppression\, unfounded suspicions of voter fraud\, and the effects of disinformation hover over November 3\, 2020. Genuine uncertainty characterizes what may follow. Will the results be accepted? Will a transition be orderly if the incumbent loses? \nIn recent years\, the SSRC Anxieties of Democracy program has been preoccupied with the long-term fracturing of the democratic status quo\, and what can be done to both secure and deepen democracy in ways that serve the public good. This roundtable brings into conversation three experts who bring diverse historical\, structural\, and comparative perspectives on democratic anxieties in the United States and elsewhere\, as well as keen insight into the moment we are now experiencing. Professors Han\, Levitsky\, and Pildes will give “lightning talks” on electoral and constitutional law\, social mobilization and political participation\, and how the current American electoral maelstrom looks in light of the fragility of democracies around the globe. Following initial questions to the panelists from AOD advisory committee co-chairs John Ferejohn and Deborah Yashar\, SSRC President Alondra Nelson will then moderate a discussion on which anxieties most deserve our focus\, and what might be done to strengthen American democracy in the immediate and long-term aftermath of November 3\, 2020.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/electoral-anxieties-november-3rd-and-its-aftermaths/
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LOCATION:
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201022T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201022T170000
DTSTAMP:20210816T210127Z
CREATED:20210816T205713Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210816T210127Z
UID:10000704-1603375200-1603386000@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Electoral Anxieties: November 3rd and Its Aftermaths
DESCRIPTION:In conversation with SSRC president Alondra Nelson and Anxieties of Democracy program Advisory Committee co-chairs John Ferejohn (New York University) and Deborah Yashar (Princeton University) \n\n\n\nWatch the Roundtable\n \nAbout the Roundtable\nThe stresses and strains on US democracy\, building over decades\, have reached an apex with the upcoming presidential election in ways that are unprecedented and daunting. Real fears of voter suppression\, unfounded suspicions of voter fraud\, and the effects of disinformation hover over November 3\, 2020. Genuine uncertainty characterizes what may follow. Will the results be accepted? Will a transition be orderly if the incumbent loses? \nIn recent years\, the SSRC Anxieties of Democracy program has been preoccupied with the long-term fracturing of the democratic status quo\, and what can be done to both secure and deepen democracy in ways that serve the public good. This roundtable brings into conversation three experts who bring diverse historical\, structural\, and comparative perspectives on democratic anxieties in the United States and elsewhere\, as well as keen insight into the moment we are now experiencing. Professors Han\, Levitsky\, and Pildes will give “lightning talks” on electoral and constitutional law\, social mobilization and political participation\, and how the current American electoral maelstrom looks in light of the fragility of democracies around the globe. Following initial questions to the panelists from AOD advisory committee co-chairs John Ferejohn and Deborah Yashar\, SSRC President Alondra Nelson will then moderate a discussion on which anxieties most deserve our focus\, and what might be done to strengthen American democracy in the immediate and long-term aftermath of November 3\, 2020.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/electoral-anxieties-november-3rd-and-its-aftermaths-2/
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LOCATION:https://youtu.be/7Gjv8VgN5BQ
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201027T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201027T100000
DTSTAMP:20220103T182639Z
CREATED:20200923T190057Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220103T182639Z
UID:10000554-1603789200-1603792800@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Abe Global 2020 | Work-Life Balance in the Covid Age: Can the United States and Japan Meet the Challenges?
DESCRIPTION:Overview\nIn 2013\, standing before the UN General Assembly\, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo declared his intention to create a “Japan in which women can shine.” The government program\, which came to be known as “womenomics\,” was a central part of “Abenomics\,” the Prime Minister’s plan to revitalize the Japanese economy after several decades of stagnation. Womenomics was one of the key programs to deal with a confluence of problems: a rapidly ageing society\, a decline in the working age (15-64) population as the “baby boom” cohort retired\, and declining marriage and fertility rates. Decline in the working population was placing increasing pressure on social welfare schemes\, as smaller numbers of workers had to support a growing number of retirees. \nWomenomics aimed to increase female participation in the labor force. The policies which included generous time off for maternity and childcare\, an increase in subsidized child care capacity and paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers\, made it possible for women to return to the work force after giving birth and led to a steady increase in the female labor participation rate which was just 66.5% in 2000\, but had risen steadily\, reaching 78.9% in 2018\, a rate that was higher than that of the United States. \nThe hard-won gains of the Womenomics policies have been called into question with the advent of the Covid epidemic. In Japan\, as in the United States\, schools were temporarily closed causing a crisis for families with young children. Women\, who had become accustomed to busy lives in which they somehow “balanced” work with family and childcare obligations\, found themselves facing a more difficult struggle to meet both family and work obligations simultaneously. In both countries\, essential workers in many sectors of the economy were forced to make choices\, with implications for their health\, their families’ economic stability\, and the functioning of local and national economies. \nThe Covid crisis lifted a veil\, revealing the fragile base supporting the gains in gender equality in both countries\, leaving women to wonder if the gains they had made in the hard-fought struggles for gender equality were all going to disappear. The 2020 Abe Fellows Global Forum will review the gains made in the struggle for gender equality over the last decade\, and consider the challenges facing both Japan and the United States and the differential impact of the pandemic as a result of differences in education\, marital status\, occupation\, and race. Our speakers will address these issues\, considering what needs to be done to ensure progress toward greater gender equality—a gender equality based on a work-life balance that allows both women and men to share the pleasures and burdens of a life that truly balances work and private life. The speakers will also share ideas of what Japan and the United States can learn from each other. \nAbe Global 2020 is held in partnership with the 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative at Indiana University and New America’s Better Life Lab. \n  \nAn initiative of the Abe Fellowship Program\, the Abe Fellows Global Forum (Abe Global) brings Abe Fellow research and expertise on pressing issues of global concern to broader audiences. Abe Global hosts events each year in partnership with academic and civic organizations. The Abe Fellowship Program is a partnership between the Social Science Research Council and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/abe-global-2020-work-life-balance-in-the-covid-age-can-the-united-states-and-japan-meet-the-challenges/
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LOCATION:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp10Nq6jzLI
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR