Culture, Conflict, and Death
According to new theorizing in social psychology, the main function of culture is to alleviate anxiety caused by the awareness of our eventual death. In this framework, culture and religion offer answers to the meaning of life in the face of our mortality. Faith in ones own cultural world-view provides protection from the fear of death. If people feel that their religion or other cultural world-views are threatened by other religions or conceptions of culture they can be mobilized and seem to be ready to fight or even die for their beliefs.
Church/State Relations in Multi-Sector Development
Paper Presented by Gale Mohammed-Oxley on the theme of Education in a Multi-Cultural Society: Challenges and Opportunities, as part of the Trinidad and Tobago Education Conference 2011: Maximizing the Role of Education in a Changing Society.
The “Other” Occupy
Victoria Fontan reports from Occupy Fallujah.
The Wholesaling of Political Islam
“Political Islam” is a term often used to mask over many shades of political and Islamic opinion as well as their interactions. Abukar Arman unmasks the term and discusses its complexity in light of Egypt’s ongoing political crisis.
Discerning for Peace in Africa: The Sudan Civil Wars and Peace Processes 1955-2013
Separation of the Sudan into the Republic of Sudan (North) and the Republic of Southern Sudan (South) was globally extolled as the long-lasting solution to one of the longest civil wars in post-Colonial Africa. However, recent developments in Sudan: continued clashes between north and south, crises in the contested areas and tribal civil wars have uncovered that: separation without addressing the principal root causes of the conflicts is not the panacea to prone and protracted civil wars. Taking a historical analysis framework, the paper attempts to tackle issues of causes, opportunities and challenges for peace in Sudan.
Keywords: Sudan; conflicts; civil wars; peace; CPA; referendum; secession; Abyei.
Archbishop Joseph Raya – Apostle of Peace and Love
This is a short article about Archbishop Raya, an Arab Christian peace advocate whose legacy of nonviolence and social action continues to inspire people across the religious divides of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Doublethink and Dictatorship: The Legitimacy of the State in Burma/Myanmar
The immesurable tragedy that unfolded in Myanmar last month is a sobering reminder of the extent to which poor governance can multiply human suffering in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The Burmese military government’s delay of humanitarian assistance and hostile attitude towards the international community undoubtedly increased the death toll of the cyclone, and stands out as another black mark on the regime’s claims to legitimacy. As Hamish Low describes, even before their deadly mismanagement of the cyclone, the Burmese Junta’s illegitimacy was patently clear.
China’s Death Grip on Tibet
Recent unrest in Tibet and the protests which followed the Olympic Torch relay around the world have attracted a new level of international attention to the long standing struggle between Tibet and China. Scott Lowe gives some insight into the history of this struggle and addresses the question that baffles so many in the West – why the PRC is so unwilling to consider Tibetan independence.
New People’s Army and the Philippines: No end in sight?
Noriko Hashimoto discusses the prolonged conflict between the government of the Philippines and the communist rebel group, New People’s Army. After giving an overview of the long and tragic history, focusing primarily on the presidencies of Ramos and Arroyo, Hashimoto looks to the underlying factors of poverty and land distribution, and the potential for a negotiated peace.
Switzerland’s “Minaret Conflict”
Switzerland’s “Minaret Conflict” Author: Lucy Dubochet Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on 10/06/2008 I. Description In 2006 and 2007 a few Muslim communities had requested building permits to add a minaret to their mosques. In many cases, although local administrations had considered that there was no legal basis to reject these demands, […]