Call for Papers: 5th International Conference on Peace and Reconciliation, Who is My Neighbour?
5th International Conference on Peace and Reconciliation Who is My Neighbour? Crossing Boundaries of Prejudice and Distrust
22-24 June 2015, York St John University
Many of the conflicts between various groups of people and of the difficulties of restoring relationships between people are due to the lack of understating and accepting others. When Jesus reminded his audience to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ quoting the Book of Leviticus (19.8), a man who was an expert in law asked Jesus this question, ‘who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied by telling him the story of a Good Samaritan (Luke 10.29-37), and told him, ‘Go and do likewise’. The story inspired generations of people, regardless of their religious affiliation or none, to care for strangers who are in need or in trouble. For those who are interested in peace and reconciliation, this story illustrates the importance of crossing boundaries of prejudice and distrust between the people. The question ‘Who is my neighbour?’ challenges the way we see ourselves as well as the way we see others. This is especially the case in situations where we find ourselves between the conflicting interests of keeping self-identity and pursuing common identity with wider society. There are examples of such situations in several regions of the world. In Europe, this is because of the increased success of far right political parties in the European Parliamentary election, the on-going issue of migration to Western Europe from the rest of the world, and the tensions between religious communities and wider society in the areas of education, socio-cultural integration, and the relationship between religion and the state. In Asia, increasing tensions between China, Japan, the two Koreas and other countries, which escalate military build-up for self-determination, are causing the rise of militant nationalism. In the Middle East, Arab-Israeli conflicts continue in the midst of efforts for peace-building both initiated from within the region and from the wider world, and this conflict remains a bone of contention in wider political world.
What is the role of religion in all this? The relationship between religion and peace-making is ambivalent: religion has contributed to both conflicts and peace, and scholars and practitioners are in agreement that religious resources have to be examined and utilised both in order to prevent conflict and in order to make a sustainable peace in a post-conflict situation. This approach is particularly important since religions and religious communities possess unique capacities. For example: (1) peace-making is integral to the faith and practice of most religions and religious motivation for peace-making is a powerful tool in dealing with conflict situations; (2) religion offers critical understanding of the process of peace-making, since religious traditions provide some of the fundamental explanations for and insights into both war and peace, so utilising these resources for peace is vital for peace making; (3) religious traditions possess unique authority and capacity among the followers of the particular religion to deal with conflicts, particularly by preventing conflict and making sustainable peace; (4) and religious traditions can be effective in practical ways, particularly in reconciliation, by taking practical steps such as naming and exposing sectarian dynamics, breaking the cycle of antagonised division and developing a vision of reconciled community (see ‘Introduction’ in Peace and Reconciliation: In Search of Shared Identity (2008), pp. 1-6).
In this 5th International Conference on Peace and Reconciliation, we would like to explore the role of religion in peace-building with special reference to crossing boundaries of prejudice and distrust. The aim of the conference is to examine resources and methodology for religions and religious communities to engage in peace-making and to participate in the public life of the wider society.
Individuals are invited to submit papers in one of the following areas:
• Theories and practices of crossing boundaries of prejudice and distrust in peace-making from the perspectives of theology and religious studies.
• Critical assessment of sources and methodology to address one of the four examples of the relationship between religion and peace-building mentioned above.
• Case studies of theory and practice to challenge prejudice and distrust in a particular conflict situation.
If you would like to present a paper please e-mail the title of your paper and a 200-250 word abstract by 28th February to: icpr@yorksj.ac.uk<mailto:icpr@
Plenary Speakers include:
• Fr. Dr Jamal Khader, Rector of the Latin Patriarch Seminary in Beit Jala, Bethlehem and Cardinal Hume and Cardinal de Furstenberg Endowed Chair in Religious Studies, Department of Religious Studies, University of Bethlehem
• Prof. Pan-Chiu Lai, Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Chairman of Academic Committee, Institute of Sino-Christian Studies, Hong Kong, China
• Prof. Kanan Kitani, School of Theology, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
• Prof. Young-Sang Ro, President, Honam Theological University & Seminary, Gwangju, South Korea
• Dr George Wilkes, Director of the Project on Religion and Ethics in the Making of War and Peace and Research Fellow, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh
• Prof. Dan Cohn-Sherbok, Emeritus Professor of Judaism University of Wales
• Prof. Mary Grey, Emeritus Professor of Theology, University of Wales
For more information about the conference please see our website www.yorksj.ac.uk/icpr
Professor Sebastian Kim, FRAS
Chair in Theology and Public Life
Faculty of Education and Theology
York St John University
Lord Mayor’s Walk
York YO31 7EX, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1904 876439
Email: s.kim@yorksj.ac.uk
Editor
International Journal of Public Theology