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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200930T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200930T173000
DTSTAMP:20210914T201411Z
CREATED:20210914T201411Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210914T201411Z
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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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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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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
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201110T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201123T170000
DTSTAMP:20210902T154743Z
CREATED:20210901T183936Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210902T154743Z
UID:10000719-1604995200-1606150800@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Transregional Planning Grants Virtual Development Workshops
DESCRIPTION:From November 10–23\, 2020\, recipients of the 2020 Transregional Planning Grants participated in a series of virtual development workshops. The series was intended to encourage inter-group dialogue around the broad themes of ethical and practical considerations of collaborative research\, and research in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the course of three weeks\, a total of five 2-hour sessions were held\, bringing together participants across 16-hour time differences and thirteen countries. \nEach workshop was facilitated by a leading social scientist with expertise in both research in the Indian Ocean region and the workshop series’ broad themes. Collectively\, these scholars provided a robust\, interdisciplinary array of perspectives\, encompassing anthropology\, geography\, economics\, and conflict studies. Anna L. Tsing (UC Santa Cruz) discussed the logistics of collaboration—including the “necessary messes”—drawing on her own experience working on collaborative research projects. Farhana Sultana (Syracuse University) led participants in a rich discussion of the ethical implications and considerations of field research\, including collaboration with local stakeholders. Ala’a Shehabi (UCL London) facilitated a conversation around challenges in addressing inequalities within international project teams\, especially as it regards data sharing and ownership. David Mwambari (King’s College London) posed important questions regarding approaches to and considerations for research in contexts of crises. Drawing on ideas arising during the presentations\, related readings\, and individual experiences in the field\, participants engaged with both the presenters and their peers in discussions of the ethical considerations within their own research projects and teams. \nThe workshop series was the first in a series of inter-group activities that the Collaboratory intends to host for its 2020 grantees. Beginning in Spring 2021\, grantees will have the opportunity to participate in a closed seminar series and collaborative writing activities. \nFor more information on the 2020 Transregional Planning grantees\, see the Grantees page. \nWorkshop Presenters \nAnna L. Tsing (UC Santa Cruz)\, The ethical and logistical implications of global collaborative research\nFarhana Sultana (Syracuse University)\, Ethics and praxis of collaboration in environmental research and beyond\nAla’a Shehabi (UCL London)\, (In)equality and the politics of international research collaboration: practical and ethical considerations\nDavid Mwambari (King’s College London)\, Research in the context of crisis: possibilities of remote research
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/transregional-planning-grants-virtual-development-workshops/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201204T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201204T170000
DTSTAMP:20221028T172057Z
CREATED:20210924T120000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221028T172057Z
UID:10000773-1607068800-1607101200@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:2020 Albert O. Hirschman Prize Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:Please join the Social Science Research Council and the Institute for Advanced Study for a lecture by \nJames Scott \nYale University\nwho will speak on \n“In Praise of Floods”\nFriday\, December 4\, 2020\nAward Ceremony at 4:30 p.m. ET | Lecture at 5:00 p.m. ET \n  \nAbout the 2020 Albert O. Hirschman Prize Laureate\nJames C. Scott is the Sterling Professor of Political Science\, professor of anthropology\, and codirector of the Agrarian Studies Program at Yale University. His research concerns political economy\, comparative agrarian societies\, theories of hegemony and resistance\, peasant politics\, revolution\, Southeast Asia\, theories of class relations\, and anarchism. \nHis wide-ranging and impactful publications\, including Domination and the Arts of Resistance (1985) and Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance (1980)\, explore political thought\, movements\, and resistance in Southeast Asia and beyond. Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts (1992) mined folktales\, popular songs\, oral interviews\, and other sources from around the world to get at the “secret discourse” that subordinate groups used to critique dominant elites. His most influential book\, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed (1998)\, pulled examples from many parts of the globe and from history to make the case that top-down planning has done more harm than good to the populations it was supposed to help. He followed up the political implications of that book in 2012 with Two Cheers for Anarchism: Six Easy Pieces on Autonomy\, Dignity\, and Meaningful Work and Play. More recently\, he has turned to ancient history with Against the Grain: A Deep History of the First Agrarian States (2017)\, in which he explored the costs to humankind of the agrarian revolution. \nScott is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society and has held fellowships from the National Science Foundation\, the National Endowment for the Humanities\, the Guggenheim Foundation\, and the Institute for Advanced Study. He is also a former president of the Asian Studies Association. \nA 2012 New York Times profile of Scott described the life he leads with his family on farmland in Connecticut. It is this practical knowledge of land and life—what Scott refers to as “metis\,” borrowing the ancient Greek word for “wisdom”—that he has brought to his oeuvre. \n→ Interview | “James C. Scott: Agrarian Studies and Over 50 Years of Pioneering Work in the Social Sciences\,” Yale Agrarian Studies Oral History Project\, 2018 \n→ Profile | “Professor Who Learns from Peasants\,” New York Times\, 2012 \nTributes to James Scott\nVideo tributes from former students and colleagues of 2020 Hirschman Prize laureate James Scott.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/2020-albert-o-hirschman-prize-ceremony/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201216
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210226
DTSTAMP:20210913T172426Z
CREATED:20210913T172008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T172426Z
UID:10000745-1608076800-1614297599@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Guatemala Series No. 2 (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:On 16 December 2020\, 14 January\, 28 January\, 18 February\, 25 February 2021\, 26 August\, CPPF convened a series of five meetings bringing together diverse members of Guatemalan civil society. These meetings followed a series of four earlier CPPF convenings in September and October 2020. \n 
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/guatemala-series-no-2-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210110T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210115T170000
DTSTAMP:20241213T152924Z
CREATED:20210811T162418Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152924Z
UID:10000699-1610265600-1610730000@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:International Peace Research Association (IPRA) 28th Biennial Conference\, Nairobi
DESCRIPTION:African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (NextGen) fellows were part of the delegates of the 28th Biennial IPRA conference\, that was held in Nairobi Kenya\, from January 10-15\, 2021. IPRA’s purpose is to advance research into the conditions of peace and the causes of war and other forms of violence. The theme of this years’ conference was on ‘Peace-Technology: Positioning the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Emerging Technologies in Fostering Global Peace.’ The program director of the Social Science Research Council’s APN and Next Gen programs\, Cyril Obi gave a welcome address to delegates during the opening ceremony of the conference. A group of APN and NextGen fellows and alumni made presentations under the framework of “The Journalism and media commission” of the conference. IPRA commissions are working groups based on specified themes or subject areas related to peace. At the IPRA conference in Nairobi\, the fellows presented papers on journalism\, digitality and democracy. Many of the papers focused on the Global South\, with insights drawn from Uganda\, Kenya\, Zimbabwe\, Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire. They covered the whole gamut of digitality in the continent-ranging from shutdowns and internet policing\, legal frameworks on cyberspace\, decolonization and digitality\, elections and trust\, and the abiding discussion on disinformation and online hate speech. \nOn the first day\, NextGen alumni Dr. Emilly Comfort Maractho\, a senior lecturer and Head of Department for Journalism and Media Studies at Uganda Christian University\, provided a nearly prophetic insight into election and anxieties of the internet\, just a day before Uganda went to the polls. In this paper\, Dr Maractho argued that government response (to the internet) in the 2016 elections had profound imprints for the 2021 electoral process. Indeed\, the government of Uganda exploited the ongoing ‘Covid-19’ public health responses to impose an internet blockade on the country\, giving credibility to previous doubts on the fairness of the election. Afterwards\, Dr Duncan Omanga\, program officer of the SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa programs\, provided insights into how the last three elections in Kenya have shaped conceptions of digitality\, through constructions of a techno-utopic state. Using the last three major elections in Kenya\, Dr Omanga examined how politics and digital media are dialectically shaped in the country. Taking a critical view\, his paper revealed how digital media in Kenya’s post-1990s liberalized political culture furnished innovation\, experimentation\, digital humanitarianism\, and more crucially how Kenya became a laboratory for disinformation and electoral interference abroad. Abdulhakim Nsobya\, a doctoral student at the University of Cape Town and current NextGen fellow\, looked at how Ugandan Facebook users in demonstrated contestation on the question of voting among Salafi-Muslim community\, taking a deep dive into the relationship between democracy and Islamic law (sharia) among Salafis there. The paper also explored the use of social media by contending Salafi groups in Uganda and their responses to the question of voting. \nOn the second day of the commission\, Dr Bernadine Jones\, a NextGen alumni and a lecturer at the University of Stirling presented a paper titled\, “The ’lack of listening’ during South African election news coverage: ramifications for peace and democracy.” The paper revealed the problematic news framing by media organizations in South Africa where news is mostly presented with pundits\, prophets\, and proclaimers\, making it increasingly unlikely for audiences to independently assess the political landscape themselves\, thus destabilizing participatory democracy. Former APN grantee\, Dr Admire Mare\, a journalism professor based in Namibia also presented a paper titled “Digital Media\, Elections and Manipulative Participation: Case study of Zimbabwe.” The presentation examined the various ways through which digital tools are weaponized and appropriated to produce and distribute misogynist discourses\, disinformation and misinformation\, which further polarizes and mobilizes highly ethicized\, patriarchal and toxic politics in Zimbabwe. Another former APN grantee\, Dr Arsene Brice Bado\, delivered a paper titled “Social Media and Dangerous Speech in Political Discourse in Côte d’Ivoire”\, where he explained the dynamics and impact of dangerous speech in political discourse on social media in Côte d’Ivoire whilst exploring the conditions under which counter-speech through social media might be considered. Later that day\, NextGen alumnus Dr John Githigaro\, a Kenyan scholar based at St Paul’s University\, presented a paper on “Assessing the ‘Credibility’ of the Kenya’s 2017 General Elections. A reading of select International Observers Missions ‘Digital Reports’.” The paper examined the ramifications of the EU observers’ mission and the US based Carter Center election mission reports on Kenya’s annulled 2017\, by interrogating how observer reports situated the ‘credibility’ of the August 2017 electoral outcome in Kenya. \nPresenting his paper on Ethiopia’s digital media space on the third day\, APN 2018 Fellow Prof Asnake Kefale’s paper titled “Digital Media\, Political reforms\, Elections and Peace” interrogated the political changes within the former ruling party\, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) since April 2018. Asnake observed that the 2015 protests that helped to bring about political reforms were resilient and more organized in comparison to earlier protest movements partly because of the extensive use of digital media. The digital (social) media not only helped to link diaspora-based opposition leaders (activists) and the youth protesters but also created a platform for collective action. During the last session of the day\, the focus shifted to Kenya\, where Dr Jacinta Maweu\, APN 2016 fellow\, and senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi examined how social media platforms (Twitter\, Facebook and WhatsApp) were used by citizens and politicians to spread disinformation and political propaganda during the 2017 general elections. Similarly\, NextGen fellow Job Allan Wefwafwa’s paper titled “Technology\, Public Confidence\, Electoral Fraud: The Case of Kenya’s 2017 Presidential Elections\,” explored how technology in Kenya’s elections are used to instill public confidence rather than curb electoral fraudulence. \nIn conclusion\, the papers presented by APN and NextGen fellows under the rubric of IPRA’s media and journalism commission revealed that the digital space is not just a new space with new social realities\, but an extension of the old realities that have dominated discussions of peace\, and security in the continent for ages.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/international-peace-research-association-ipra-28th-biennial-conference-nairobi-2/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210110T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210115T170000
DTSTAMP:20241213T152928Z
CREATED:20210810T165419Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152928Z
UID:10000695-1610265600-1610730000@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:International Peace Research Association (IPRA) 28th Biennial Conference\, Nairobi
DESCRIPTION:African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (NextGen) fellows were part of the delegates of the 28th Biennial IPRA conference\, that was held in Nairobi Kenya\, from January 10-15\, 2021. IPRA’s purpose is to advance research into the conditions of peace and the causes of war and other forms of violence. The theme of this years’ conference was on ‘Peace-Technology: Positioning the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Emerging Technologies in Fostering Global Peace.’ The program director of the Social Science Research Council’s APN and Next Gen programs\, Cyril Obi gave a welcome address to delegates during the opening ceremony of the conference. A group of APN and NextGen fellows and alumni made presentations under the framework of “The Journalism and media commission” of the conference. IPRA commissions are working groups based on specified themes or subject areas related to peace. At the IPRA conference in Nairobi\, the fellows presented papers on journalism\, digitality and democracy. Many of the papers focused on the Global South\, with insights drawn from Uganda\, Kenya\, Zimbabwe\, Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire. They covered the whole gamut of digitality in the continent-ranging from shutdowns and internet policing\, legal frameworks on cyberspace\, decolonization and digitality\, elections and trust\, and the abiding discussion on disinformation and online hate speech. \nOn the first day\, NextGen alumni Dr. Emilly Comfort Maractho\, a senior lecturer and Head of Department for Journalism and Media Studies at Uganda Christian University\, provided a nearly prophetic insight into election and anxieties of the internet\, just a day before Uganda went to the polls. In this paper\, Dr Maractho argued that government response (to the internet) in the 2016 elections had profound imprints for the 2021 electoral process. Indeed\, the government of Uganda exploited the ongoing ‘Covid-19’ public health responses to impose an internet blockade on the country\, giving credibility to previous doubts on the fairness of the election. Afterwards\, Dr Duncan Omanga\, program officer of the SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa programs\, provided insights into how the last three elections in Kenya have shaped conceptions of digitality\, through constructions of a techno-utopic state. Using the last three major elections in Kenya\, Dr Omanga examined how politics and digital media are dialectically shaped in the country. Taking a critical view\, his paper revealed how digital media in Kenya’s post-1990s liberalized political culture furnished innovation\, experimentation\, digital humanitarianism\, and more crucially how Kenya became a laboratory for disinformation and electoral interference abroad. Abdulhakim Nsobya\, a doctoral student at the University of Cape Town and current NextGen fellow\, looked at how Ugandan Facebook users in demonstrated contestation on the question of voting among Salafi-Muslim community\, taking a deep dive into the relationship between democracy and Islamic law (sharia) among Salafis there. The paper also explored the use of social media by contending Salafi groups in Uganda and their responses to the question of voting. \nOn the second day of the commission\, Dr Bernadine Jones\, a NextGen alumni and a lecturer at the University of Stirling presented a paper titled\, “The ’lack of listening’ during South African election news coverage: ramifications for peace and democracy.” The paper revealed the problematic news framing by media organizations in South Africa where news is mostly presented with pundits\, prophets\, and proclaimers\, making it increasingly unlikely for audiences to independently assess the political landscape themselves\, thus destabilizing participatory democracy. Former APN grantee\, Dr Admire Mare\, a journalism professor based in Namibia also presented a paper titled “Digital Media\, Elections and Manipulative Participation: Case study of Zimbabwe.” The presentation examined the various ways through which digital tools are weaponized and appropriated to produce and distribute misogynist discourses\, disinformation and misinformation\, which further polarizes and mobilizes highly ethicized\, patriarchal and toxic politics in Zimbabwe. Another former APN grantee\, Dr Arsene Brice Bado\, delivered a paper titled “Social Media and Dangerous Speech in Political Discourse in Côte d’Ivoire”\, where he explained the dynamics and impact of dangerous speech in political discourse on social media in Côte d’Ivoire whilst exploring the conditions under which counter-speech through social media might be considered. Later that day\, NextGen alumnus Dr John Githigaro\, a Kenyan scholar based at St Paul’s University\, presented a paper on “Assessing the ‘Credibility’ of the Kenya’s 2017 General Elections. A reading of select International Observers Missions ‘Digital Reports’.” The paper examined the ramifications of the EU observers’ mission and the US based Carter Center election mission reports on Kenya’s annulled 2017\, by interrogating how observer reports situated the ‘credibility’ of the August 2017 electoral outcome in Kenya. \nPresenting his paper on Ethiopia’s digital media space on the third day\, APN 2018 Fellow Prof Asnake Kefale’s paper titled “Digital Media\, Political reforms\, Elections and Peace” interrogated the political changes within the former ruling party\, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) since April 2018. Asnake observed that the 2015 protests that helped to bring about political reforms were resilient and more organized in comparison to earlier protest movements partly because of the extensive use of digital media. The digital (social) media not only helped to link diaspora-based opposition leaders (activists) and the youth protesters but also created a platform for collective action. During the last session of the day\, the focus shifted to Kenya\, where Dr Jacinta Maweu\, APN 2016 fellow\, and senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi examined how social media platforms (Twitter\, Facebook and WhatsApp) were used by citizens and politicians to spread disinformation and political propaganda during the 2017 general elections. Similarly\, NextGen fellow Job Allan Wefwafwa’s paper titled “Technology\, Public Confidence\, Electoral Fraud: The Case of Kenya’s 2017 Presidential Elections\,” explored how technology in Kenya’s elections are used to instill public confidence rather than curb electoral fraudulence. \nIn conclusion\, the papers presented by APN and NextGen fellows under the rubric of IPRA’s media and journalism commission revealed that the digital space is not just a new space with new social realities\, but an extension of the old realities that have dominated discussions of peace\, and security in the continent for ages.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/international-peace-research-association-ipra-28th-biennial-conference-nairobi/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210212T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210212T150000
DTSTAMP:20210928T140222Z
CREATED:20210212T204711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210928T140222Z
UID:10000628-1613124000-1613142000@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Rural Radicalisms and the Politics of Order: Public Authority\, Performance\, and Precarity in Africa
DESCRIPTION:On 12 February 2021\, the Understanding Violent Conflict program held a paper development workshop on “Rural Radicalisms and the Politics of Order: Public Authority\, Performance\, and Precarity in Africa.” The papers are being prepared for publication in a journal special issue that is being co-edited by Tatiana\, former SSRC board chair Michael Watts\, UVC researcher Annalisa Bolin\, and Koen Vlassenroot (Ghent University).
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/rural-radicalisms-and-the-politics-of-order-public-authority-performance-and-precarity-in-africa/
CATEGORIES:Africa
LOCATION:
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210303
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210318
DTSTAMP:20210913T175019Z
CREATED:20210913T174949Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T175019Z
UID:10000757-1614729600-1616025599@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Colombia-Venezuela Border (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\nOn March 3\, 10\, 17\, 2021\, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Political Affairs and Peacebuilding (DPPA)\, CPPF convened a series of meetings on the border area between Colombia and Venezuela\, together with colleagues from the United Nations and external experts on both sides of the Colombian-Venezuelan border.\n\n\n 
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/colombia-venezuela-border-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210312T050000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210312T090000
DTSTAMP:20210913T175248Z
CREATED:20210913T175248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T175248Z
UID:10000758-1615525200-1615539600@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Climate Security in the Andean Region (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:On 12 March 2021\, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)\, CPPF convened a workshop to discuss climate-related security risks in the Andean region. The workshop brought together regional experts\, representatives from the UNDP\, and other UN Agencies\, Country Teams to discuss climate security with a particular focus on Bolivia\, Colombia\, Ecuador\, and Peru.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/climate-security-in-the-andean-region-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210323T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210324T170000
DTSTAMP:20241213T152911Z
CREATED:20210810T165239Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152911Z
UID:10000635-1616486400-1616605200@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Africa Great Lakes Region (2030) Sustaining Peace
DESCRIPTION:The Social Science Research Council (SSRC)\, Search for Common Ground and the Faculty of Law\, University of Goma\, held a virtual conference on “Africa Great Lakes (2030) Sustaining Peace\, on March 23-24\, 2021. The conference was held over two days and organized around two themes. On the first day presentations and discussions were focused on “Consolidating and Sustaining Peace\,” while presentations and discussions on the second day focused on\, “Building Economies of Peace and Prosperity.” \nThe opening session on the first day of the conference featured brief welcome remarks by Cyril Obi\, Program Director of the SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) programs. This was followed by presentations by Ms. Floride Ahitungiye\, of Search for Common Ground’s office in Burundi on “Looking Behind\, Looking Ahead.” Ms. Ahitungiye’s presentation underscored the importance of dialogue and engaging youth and women in community-based peacebuilding and reconciliation processes in Burundi\, Rwanda. She observed that women peacebuilding processes in the DRC often limited the role of women pointing to the cases of post-conflict development in North Kivu and the 2013 Congolese Dialogues in South Africa and Ethiopia\, noting that gender should be about human rights in a country where women outnumber men. Prof. Pigeon Mahuka of the Faculty of Law\, University of Goma\, spoke to “A partnership agenda in the Great Lakes” which offered an overview of the partnerships in the region and the need to overcome them. In his presentation titled\, “Gendered approach to peacebuilding in the GLR” Tresor Mukunyo Muhindo\, of the University of Pretoria\, examined to the effects of neoliberal peacebuilding measures on women\, noting the ways in which patriarchal structures had marginalized and excluded women. He argued that seeking to fit women into a political process designed for men was inherently problematic and noted that progress would not be made if women continued to be overlooked in political and peacebuilding processes. This was followed by a presentation by Alice Kasika\, a master’s student at the University of Goma\, whose presentation on “Traumatic Identities Facing Peacebuilding: Cultural Resilience and Community Destiny\,” noted the symptoms of the trauma experienced by young people in conflict-affected communities and equally called for attention to resilience as a key element in building the capacity of war-affected communities to recover from trauma and shock. In addition\, she called for the leveraging of resilience among citizens as a way of promoting peace in the DRC. Various commentators including Nicolas Gatambi\, Vemba Disolade\, Karin Nautilyn\, Gaye Rosenblaum\, Michael Shipler and Olufunke Okome weighed in on the discussions that followed. These explored the issues raised by the presenters and focused on challenges including gender inequality and patriarchy\, political leadership\, reconciliation\, limits of UN Peacebuilding approaches\, the ineffectiveness of the states in the region and their lack of capacity for and commitment to inclusive governance and regional cooperation. Other issues that came up included the need for gender equality\, sustained community engagement\, and accelerating ongoing efforts towards harmonizing policies aimed at advancing and sustaining national and regional peace. \nOn the second day\, Professor Balingene Kahombo of the Faculty of Law\, University of Goma’s presentation on\, “Governance of Natural Resources and Peace\,” provided an overview of natural resources\, conflict and peace in the DRC. He noted how regulations were either incomplete or poorly implemented and exploited by criminal actors or corrupt public officials. Professor Balingene concluded by advocating for an appropriate legal framework for a better governance of natural resources. In her presentation on\, “Entrepreneurship and a Peace Economy for the Region’s Youth\,” Nadia Nintunze\, Chief of Party\, Tuyage Program of Search for Common Ground in Burundi\, noted the nexus between peacebuilding and economic development. She shared her experience as a practitioner working on interventions aimed at promoting entrepreneurship among the country’s youth\, by discussing efforts aimed towards providing jobs and opening business opportunities for young people and underscored the need for business and development practitioners to promote access to justice\, particularly fair access to resources as a strategy for peacebuilding. This was followed by a commentary by Michael Kavanagh of Bloomberg\, whose spoke to the linkages between natural resource wealth in Eastern DRC and violent conflict\, including the regional ramifications of the smuggling of minerals from DRC to neighboring countries. Of note was the impact of the discovery of oil on the shared ecosystems of regions\, particularly Lake Victoria\, including the impact of artisanal mining on the fragile ecosystem of the GLR countries. He ended his intervention by pointing to the urgent need to provide jobs and livelihoods to the youth\, and importance of adopting a regional and holistic approach to peacebuilding without overlooking environmental issues. Other commentators were Christina Villegas of PACT\, Naupess Kibiswa\, and John Katunga who spoke to mining and climate change and the centrality of youth\, reconciliation\, bridging the gaps between state institutions and citizens by the political leadership to the peace dividend in the GLR. Evariste Mpunga’s presentation on “Eastern DRC Facing Cyclical Conflict and Conflagration: Challenges and Outlook\,” addressed the cycle of violent conflict in the country and urged all stakeholders\, including the government\, civil society organizations and international organizations to address emerging challenges including institutional weaknesses\, ethnicity and leadership. Following the presentations\, participants addressed issues ranging from the governance of natural resources to the need for reconciliation and social cohesion\, addressing the deficit in the internal legitimacy of states and democratic processes\, particularly those linked to the bridging of the gap between states and citizens in the states\, as a key force for mobilizing the people for regional integration and peace in the African Great Lakes Region.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/africa-great-lakes-region-2030-sustaining-peace/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210330
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210331
DTSTAMP:20210915T185141Z
CREATED:20210811T160034Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210915T185141Z
UID:10000698-1617062400-1617148799@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Abe Fellowship Colloquium | The Political Economy of the Abe Government and Abenomics Reforms
DESCRIPTION:SPEAKERS\nHoshi Takeo | 星 岳雄\nProfessor\, University of Tokyo\n東京大学大学院経済学研究科教授 \nPhillip Lipscy  | フィリップ・リプシー\nAssociate Professor\, University of Toronto | 2014 Abe Fellow\nトロント大学政治学部准教授 | 安倍フェロー（2014年度） \nThe government of Abe Shinzo\, in power in Japan from 2012 to 2020\, represents an important turning point in Japanese politics and political economy. Abe became the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history\, reversing a trend of short-lived leaders. His government not only stands out for its longevity\, but also for its policies: Abe implemented a variety of significant changes\, among the most important being a series of economic reforms to reinvigorate Japan’s economy under the banner of “Abenomics.” This talk will draw on a recently published book co-edited by Takeo Hoshi and 2014 Abe fellow Phillip Lipscy\, The Political Economy of the Abe Government and Abenomics Reforms. The authors also consider the implications of these reforms for the post-Abe era that began with the Suga government in September 2020. \n2012年から2020年まで続いた安倍政権は日本の政治経済における重要なターニングポイントを象徴している。安倍首相の在職日数はそれまでの短命政権の流れを覆し、日本の憲政史上最長となった。しかし安倍政権はその在職日数だけでなく、政策においても際立っている。「アベノミクス」の旗印のもとで日本経済を再活性化するための一連の経済政策を行うなど、様々な重要となる改革を推し進めた。今回の講演では星岳雄氏と元安倍フェローのフィリップ・リプシー氏の共同編集による新刊「安倍政権とアベノミクスの政治経済学」を基に対談する。また、2020年9月に発足した菅義偉内閣のポスト安倍時代への影響についても考察する。 \nThis event is jointly sponsored by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Tokyo Office and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP). この催しは米国社会科学研究評議会（SSRC）東京事務所と国際交流基金日米センター(CGP)が共催しています。
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/abe-fellowship-colloquium-the-political-economy-of-the-abe-government-and-abenomics-reforms/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210402
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210403
DTSTAMP:20241213T152907Z
CREATED:20210402T040000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152907Z
UID:10000631-1617321600-1617407999@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Virtual Book Launch of Researching Peacebuilding in Africa: Reflections on Fieldwork\, Theory and Context
DESCRIPTION:The virtual book launch commenced with the introduction of the editors of the book\, Ismail Rashid and Amy Niang\, and the book launcher\, Nomfundo Walaza\, by Cyril Obi\, the program director of the SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) programs. This was followed by the presentation of the overview of the book by the editors and some chapter contributors. The editors explained that the book was the product of dialogues that facilitators/mentors had with each other as well as APN fellows during training workshops held annually since 2013\, on the various dimensions of peacebuilding in Africa. They explained that it was a “library” of some of the most significant work and scholarly achievements of the program from inception to date\, while noting that the book was held together by its focus on interdisciplinarity\, critical reflexivity\, research ethics and other aspects of peacebuilding research. Some attention was also drawn to the evolution of African peacebuilding as a field of study\, and the rationale for the structuring of the book to address conceptual\, thematic and methodological issues\, complemented with case studies that helped unpack and illustrate such issues. The contributors that spoke to the content of their chapters included\, Duncan Omanga and Pamela Chepngetich\, Godfrey Maringira\, Festus Aubyn and Kenneth Omeje. The book launcher\, Nomfundo Walaza\, spoke to her work as an experienced peacebuilding practitioner\, including the work of the peacebuilding organization which she co-heads\, the UNYOKE Foundation. Of note was the unique approach of the foundation to inter-generational peacebuilding by drawing on African knowledge systems and oratures\, and by focusing on youth during its retreats for mediators. Nomfundo Walaza launched the book and described it as a “beautiful” volume that everyone should be proud of. She also recommended it to readers observing that the book addresses theory in a way that equally engages practice. She however drew the attention of the audience to the need to “mind the gap” between\, research\, policy and the people. Interventions from the audience also spoke to the book’s positive qualities and raised questions related the issues of accessibility\, including language\, pricing\, and the need for translated versions so the book could reach a wider audience. The event was ended on the note of a consensus that Researching Peacebuilding in Africa would contribute significantly towards reshaping the discourse on African peacebuilding. \n 
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/virtual-book-launch-of-researching-peacebuilding-in-africa-reflections-on-fieldwork-theory-and-context/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210413
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210415
DTSTAMP:20210913T175520Z
CREATED:20210913T175520Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T175520Z
UID:10000759-1618272000-1618444799@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lessons from Previous DDR Initiatives (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:At the request of the World Bank\, the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum (CPPF) convened a series of workshops on 13-14 April 2021 on both past and current disarmament\, demobilization\, and reintegration (DDR) processes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-lessons-from-previous-ddr-initiatives-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210422T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210422T170000
DTSTAMP:20210913T191717Z
CREATED:20210913T191717Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T191717Z
UID:10000760-1619078400-1619110800@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Internal Meeting on the DRC and Lessons from Previous DDR Initiatives (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:On April 22 2021\, CPPF convened its third workshop on the demobilization and reintegration of armed groups in the Great Lakes region to support the World Bank\, the United Nations\, and the DRC government’s stabilization strategy. The internal meeting included members from the World Bank and the United Nations.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/internal-meeting-on-the-drc-and-lessons-from-previous-ddr-initiatives-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210428
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210429
DTSTAMP:20211018T204622Z
CREATED:20210428T192044Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211018T204622Z
UID:10000632-1619568000-1619654399@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Chad (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:On 28 April 2021\, the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum (CPPF) convened an expert brainstorming on Chad in partnership with the UN Central Africa division. This brainstorming brought together scholars and expert practitioners with representatives from key UN departments to discuss recent developments in Chad. The first session was a practical assessment of recent events following the death of President Idriss Deby. The second session provided an opportunity to reflect on the implications of his death for the broader region.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/chad-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210608T050000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210608T100000
DTSTAMP:20210913T192403Z
CREATED:20210913T192403Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T192403Z
UID:10000761-1623128400-1623146400@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Libya (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:On 8 June 2021\, CPPF convened a workshop on national and regional dynamics in Libya to help inform the upcoming mandate renewal of the UN Mission in Libya.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/libya-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210609
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210611
DTSTAMP:20210913T192848Z
CREATED:20210913T192848Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T192848Z
UID:10000762-1623196800-1623369599@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Great Lakes Donor Conference (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:On 9-10 June 2021\, CPPF convened a two-day workshop on the UN Regional Strategy for the Great Lakes with the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy\, the UN Stabilization Mission in DRC (MONUSCO)\, the government of DRC\, regional government and civil society representatives\, and the international diplomatic community in Kinshasa.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/great-lakes-donor-conference-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210712
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210713
DTSTAMP:20210913T193258Z
CREATED:20210913T193258Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T193258Z
UID:10000763-1626048000-1626134399@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:UNOCA Mandate Renewal (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:On 12 July 2021\, CPPF convened a virtual workshop at the request of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) to help inform its upcoming mandate renewal.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/unoca-mandate-renewal-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210726T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210801T170000
DTSTAMP:20210921T144327Z
CREATED:20210921T144327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210921T144327Z
UID:10000771-1627286400-1627837200@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Religion and the Public Sphere Summer Institute for Early-Career Scholars
DESCRIPTION:The SSRC’s Religion and the Public Sphere Program\, with support from the Henry Luce Foundation\, hosted a weeklong Summer Institute for Early-Career Scholars from July 26 – August 1\, 2021. Sixteen early-career scholars conducting research on the ways in which religion intersects with two critical public issues–social justice movements and environmental crises–participated in this hybrid-format event\, with attendees participating from Santa Fe\, NM and virtually from around the world.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/religion-and-the-public-sphere-summer-institute-for-early-career-scholars/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210726T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210803T170000
DTSTAMP:20211008T140709Z
CREATED:20210913T193637Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211008T140709Z
UID:10000764-1627286400-1628010000@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Myanmar (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:On 26\, 28 July\, and 2 August 2021\, CPPF held an expert brainstorming series for the UN on the deepening crisis in Myanmar. The three workshops brought together scholars\, civil society leaders\, and UN officials to discuss national\, regional\, and geopolitical dynamics and explore policy options for the international community.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/myanmar-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210728
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210729
DTSTAMP:20211008T140619Z
CREATED:20210913T193956Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211008T140619Z
UID:10000765-1627430400-1627516799@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Brown Bag Meeting on the Search for Common Ground Pastoralism Toolkit (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:On 29 July 2021\, CPPF convened a CPPF Brown Bag Meeting on the Search for Common Ground Pastoralism Toolkit. This meeting was convened to help Search for Common Ground share the results from its recent “Pastoralism and Conflict: Tools for Prevention and Response in the Sudano-Sahel” publication with relevant bodies in the UN system.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/brown-bag-meeting-on-the-search-for-common-ground-pastoralism-toolkit-vtc/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210729
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210730
DTSTAMP:20210913T172916Z
CREATED:20210913T172916Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T172916Z
UID:10000748-1627516800-1627603199@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Climate Change\, Peace and Security in Central Africa (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:On 28 July 2021\, CPPF convened a workshop titled “Climate Change\, Peace and Security in Central Africa.” The workshop aimed to strengthen a shared understanding of climate-related peace and security risks in the sub-region and promote collaboration among relevant stakeholders in support of a new Climate\, Peace and Security project led by the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA).
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/climate-change-peace-and-security-in-central-africa-vtc/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210908
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210910
DTSTAMP:20210913T180349Z
CREATED:20210908T040000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210913T180349Z
UID:10000721-1631059200-1631231999@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Climate Change\, Peace\, and Security in the MENA Region (VTC)
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\nOn 8-9 September 2021\, at the request of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs\, CPPF convened an expert brainstorming on climate change\, peace\, and security in the MENA region. The two-day workshop aimed to supplement an ongoing UN initiative to create an interagency task force on climate change\, peace\, and security in the region.\n\n\n 
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/climate-change-peace-and-security-in-the-mena-region-vtc/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210914T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210914T170000
DTSTAMP:20210924T165138Z
CREATED:20210914T120000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210924T165138Z
UID:10000677-1631606400-1631638800@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:2020 SSRC Fellow Lecture
DESCRIPTION:Aihwa Ong\nProfessor of Anthropology\, University of California\, Berkeley\nSpeaks on: \nNear-Humans\, Cloned Monkeys\, & CRISPR Babies: Productive Uncertainty in China’s Quest for Biosecurity\n  \n \nWith responses by: \nDuana Fullwiley\nAssociate Professor of Anthropology\, Stanford University \nGuobin Yang\nGrace Lee Boggs Professor of Communications & Sociology\, University of Pennsylvania \nWednesday\, September 23\, 2020 – 4:00 PM (ET) \nWatch the Lecture \n  \nAbout the Lecture\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 non-human\, and stability and uncertainty. \nSuch a vantage point analyzes how Asia’s emerging biomedical sites productively engage and transform contemporary science through a process of de- and re-contextualization\, thus making it cosmopolitan. \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. \nOng 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. \nOng 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). She is also the coeditor of Global Assemblages: Technology\, Politics and Ethics as Anthropological Problems (2005\, with Stephen J. Collier). Other coedited works include Worlding Cities: Asian Experiments and the Art of Being Global (2011); Asian Biotech: Ethics and Communities of Fate (2010); Privatizing China: Socialism from Afar (2008); and Ungrounded Empires: The Cultural Politics of Modern Chinese Transnationalism (1997). Her writings are translated into European and Asian languages.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/2020-ssrc-fellow-lecture/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210921T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210922T170000
DTSTAMP:20241213T152858Z
CREATED:20211028T133729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152858Z
UID:10000789-1632211200-1632330000@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Webinar on Conflict and Peacebuilding in Mozambique
DESCRIPTION:The Social Science Research Council’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN)\, in collaboration with the African Leadership Center (ALC) of Kings College London\, and Wilton Park held a virtual two-day webinar on “Conflict and Peacebuilding in Mozambique\,” from September 21 to 22\, 2021. The webinar was the latest in a “Peacebuilding in Africa series” launched in 2015 aimed towards ‘moving peacebuilding beyond state and elite-centered approaches to encompass the wider communities involved in conflict\, including youth and women’s networks on the continent.’ Participants included high-level practitioners\, scholars\, activists\, and staff and fellows of the African Leadership Centre (ALC)\, African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Science in Africa (NextGen) programs of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC). \nThe webinar commenced with an introduction and welcome remarks by Robert Grant\, program director at Wilton Park\, followed by a Town Hall discussion on “The future of Mozambique.” The panel of speakers included Adriano Nuvunga and Constancio Machanguana\, both of Eduardo Mondlane University\, Maputo\, Mozambique and Ambassador Welile Nhlapo of African Center for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)\, South Africa. The panel was moderated by Funmi Olonisakin\, the Vice President (International) of Kings College\, London. The presenters spoke to the fragile peace in Mozambique\, noting the ways in which elite-centric extractivism and global trade in natural resources are undermining governance\, peace and development in the country. Other identified challenges included  the unfinished business of Security Sector Reforms (SSR)\, disputed election outcomes\, marginalization of certain regions of the country to the point of the near absence of state authority and development\, aid dependency and the effects of climate change. During the discussions that followed\, participants noted the issue of a lost historical opportunity to rebuild the country after the Rome Agreement of 1992\, the lost connection between the ruling FRELIMO ruling party and its social base after independence\, corruption and the need for more transparent and accountable governance. Of note were discussions around the activities of extremist groups in Cabo Delgado province and the terms of engagement of international peacekeepers from the South African Development Community (SADC) and Rwanda. \nThe second day was a closed session that afforded presenters a greater opportunity to delve deeper into some of the issues discussed the previous day. The webinar commenced with opening remarks by Robert Grant\, program director at Wilton Park\, Cyril Obi\, program director of SSRC’s APN and Shuvai Nyoni\, executive director of the ALC. Their remarks were followed by a session on “Identity and Statehood\,” followed by breakout sessions on\, “Strengthening the role of next generation peacebuilding actors.” The breakout sessions were divided along the lines of the following sub-themes: Mozambique corridors: regional dynamics; Gender and reconciliation; Future Governance; and Intergenerational contestations. The speakers at the session on identity and statehood were Joao Honwana\, a retired UN official and consultant and Brian Kagoro\, director of the  Africa Regional Office of the Open Society Foundation (OSF). They described how the Mozambican state exists in conjunction with multiple identities that did not exist in harmony. It was noted that the ruling FRELIMO party and the ruling elite have yet to build national unity and some hope was expressed that a new elite would emerge to bridge the division between the haves and have-nots and embark on a new national conversation that would move the country towards social transformation. It was argued that the local context “should be read transnationally” and solutions must be approached from the local\, regional and global levels. \nDiscussions focused on the local challenges: regional disparities\, widespread poverty\, youth unemployment\, marginalization of women\, fragile peace agreements\, and regional challenges — including the relatively poor response of the SADC — particularly its penchant for state-centric elitist responses and weak peace and security architecture. At the global level\, the extractive nature of big business was noted alongside aid dependency and the activities of transnational criminal networks and extremist groups. Emphasis was placed on paying attention to the role of non-state approaches to peacebuilding\, including the role of civil society in engaging the state and big business\, the need for psychological support to marginalized and traumatized groups. The need for additional research\, education\, youth and women’s empowerment and devolution of power to local communities\, including a role for traditional leaders\, were also emphasized. \nIn the closing and wrap up session\, Monde Muyangwa of the Wilton Center\, provided a succinct summary of the discussions over the two days\, pointing to the shortcomings of the Mozambican state as well as a global power structure that had fallen short of protecting African people. She also underscored the centrality of inclusive governance as a key ingredient for transforming peacebuilding in Africa\, noting that the “people are the owners of peace.” She then explored the possibilities for building networks of solidarity and emphasized the need to “re-envision the state in Africa” in ways that would make the state serve the ordinary people—and help build inclusive and sustainable peace and development.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/webinar-on-conflict-and-peacebuilding-in-mozambique/
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