Building Peace through Dialogue, Kindness, and Forgiveness
The Fifth International Conference on Hate Studies
Save the Date, April 2-4, 2019, Gonzaga University, Spokane Washington, USA.
Co-Organizers: Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies, Kootenai County Task Force for Human Relations, Spokane County Human Rights Task Force, and the Gonzaga Student Chapter of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Sponsors: RH Cooke & Associates, Tony Stewart
Gonzaga support provided by the Office of the Provost; Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Community, and Equity (DICE); Center for Global Engagement; Center for Public Humanities; College of Arts and Sciences; Comprehensive Leadership Program; Jepson School of Business; School of Education; School of Leadership Studies
Important Dates
- February 1, 2019 - Submission Deadline for Presentations
- February 15, 2019 - Notice of Acceptance
- February 1, 2019 - Conference Registration Opens
- March 1, 2019 - Early Bird Registration Ends
Conference Description
The Fifth International Conference on Hate Studies is one of the leading interdisciplinary academic forums on hate, related social problems, and ways to create socially just and inclusive communities. It convenes leading academics from around the world, journalists, law enforcement personnel, educators, representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations, human rights experts, community organizers, activists and others to discuss hatred and ways to engage communities with justice. We anticipate richly interdisciplinary, cross-sector participation from international, national, and regional audiences. The lessons learned and plans which emerge will help educators, researchers, advocates and others better analyze and combat hatred in its various manifestations to lead to communities being committed to peace, human rights, and justice.
Hate studies is defined as “Inquiries into the human capacity to define, and then dehumanize or demonize, an ‘other,’ and the processes which inform and give expression to, or can curtail or combat, that capacity.”
If hate is understood better, then approaches to combat it can increasingly become testable theories, and then analyzed and improved. The result can have real-world impact, including creating models for changes in society, government, culture and our individual and communal lives.
The theme of this conference is Building Peace through Dialogue, Kindness, and Forgiveness. Papers analyzing this theme from different theoretical or disciplinary lenses are invited such as those from history, communications, psychology, social psychology, evolutionary psychology, anthropology, sociology, criminal justice, law, biology, business, economics, theology, religious studies, political science, literature, philosophy, education, and others. Papers are also invited that provide best practices, organizational structures, and examples of social change and creating peace related to the theme.
Select conference proceedings may be published in The Journal of Hate Studies, the international interdisciplinary peer-reviewed scholarly journal operated by the Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies.
Conference Goals
- Continue, deepen, and broker new conversations focused on building community within the Hate Studies networks
- Sharing best practices related to community and individual actions that challenge hate and support social change.
- Provide an intersection for the sharing of knowledge, practices, and perspectives from distinct academic communities, activists, professions, and vocations.
- Generate, promulgate, and publish interdisciplinary research projects, as well as new knowledge, theories, strategies and methods – educational, professional, and practical – related to the overall conference theme, specific areas of interest, and social justice and social change concerns at the individual, community, organizational, and structural levels
Conference Areas and Topics
We invite international, national, and regional audiences to participate, whether as presenters or attendees. We seek presentation and session proposals for paper dialogues, panels, round-table discussions, workshops, poster/exhibit sessions, and other formats appropriate for this unique, richly interdisciplinary conference.
We are particularly interested to receive presentation proposals that engage the conference theme, including but not limited to the following topics under the general areas of Research, Education, Practice, and Advocacy:
- The roots of “othering” in fear or ignorance, the manifestation of “othering” in hatred, intolerance, inequality, or blocking peace and how these problems persist and propagate within institutions, social dynamics, and areas of law and policymaking.
- The exploration of using the philosophies and practices of dialogue, kindness, or forgiveness as methods of reconciliation to create opportunities for peace and to abandon hate-based ideologies.
- New, emerging, or time-tested theories, concepts, practices, and lines of inquiry for understanding and challenging hatred, intolerance or inequality in the pursuit of justice.
- New, emerging, or time-tested theories, concepts, practices, and lines of inquiry for understanding the use of dialogue, kindness, or forgiveness to build peace and escape cycles of violence.
- The role of dialogue, kindness, or forgiveness in educational initiatives to teach students (primary, elementary, middle school, secondary, higher education, other) how to engage with others in non-violent, compassionate ways.
- What various academic and professional fields teach us about rebuilding communities after they have experienced acts of hatred, intolerance, inequality, and bias.
- The role of media in the promotion or prevention of building peace or challenging hate in a society.
- Context-specific or comparative analyses of manifestations of hate or intolerance within or across cultures and countries, and processes or methods by which individuals or groups can evaluate, better recognize, and reject hateful or intolerant attitudes, actions, beliefs, and speech.
- Innovative or demonstrably effective responses to acts of hate or bias (e.g. racial bias, homophobia, religious intolerance) committed within schools, businesses, local communities, national governments, or global structures as advancing peace, acceptance, dialogue, forgiveness, and justice.
- The leadership role or potential of specific sectors and vocations (law enforcement, non-profit organizations, primary and secondary education, higher education, business, etc.) in building peace or challenging individual or organized activities, practices, or policies of hatred or intolerance that hinder peace-building (e.g. hate speech, hate/bias crime).
- Solutions and strategies for changing policies, laws, and practices that sustain or encourage hate, intolerance, or inequality and for building effective cross-sector relations for change/reform.
- Strategies for changing policies, laws, and practices to sustain building peace in and across communities, regions, and countries.
- Strategies for engaging different communities in conversations and joint action to support peace, justice, and equity.
Envisioned Presenters and Audience
We wish to receive paper and session proposals from:
- Academics – scholars, researchers, educators, administrators, and students from across the humanities, social studies, law, public policy, and professional studies areas
- Community organizers
- Engaged global citizens
- Human rights leaders
- Journalists and media members
- Members of the legal community (attorneys, judges, law enforcement officials)
- Policy experts
- Professional practitioners working in areas, or on issues, related to the conference theme
- Professionals in other education sectors and circles
- Representatives of government and non-governmental organizations
Featured Speakers and Performers
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Ann Dinan, Ph.D., Deeper Peace Leadership Institute, Former Head of North American Operations for the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) |
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Ann Dinan, Ph.D., is active in the emerging field of Peace Leadership, which she defines as the nexus of peace and leadership such that Peace Leadership focuses on the intersection of both Positive Peace and Positive Leadership. She is the co-convener of the Peace Leadership Affinity Group for the ILA (International Leadership Association), is the President of the Deeper Peace Leadership Institute and previously the Head of North American Operations for the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) as well as Faculty for the Whole Foods Market Academy for Conscious Leadership. She is currently writing several books and book chapters on Peace Leadership and Human Unity for Peace. She has also presented this work with the Oslo Peace Week, sanctioned by the Nobel Institute. She earned her doctorate in Social Science Research from Washington University, USA, her master’s degree from Case Western Reserve, USA, and she is an ICF (International Coach Federation) certified coach. |
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Brian Levin, J.D., Director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino |
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Criminologist and civil rights attorney Brian Levin is a professor of criminal justice and director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino where he specializes in analysis of hate crime, terrorism and legal issues. Prof. Levin began his academic career as a professor at Stockton College in New Jersey in 1996. Previously, Professor Levin served as Associate Director-Legal Affairs of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Klanwatch/Militia Task Force in Montgomery, Al.; Legal Director of the Center for the Study of Ethnic and Racial Violence in Newport Beach, Ca. and as a corporate litigator. He was also a New York City Police Officer in the Harlem and Washington Heights sections of Manhattan in the 1980s. He is the author or co-author of books, scholarly articles, training manuals and studies on extremism and hate crime. He was also the author of influential Supreme Court briefs in the Supreme Court case of Wisconsin v. Mitchell in 1992-3, where he analyzed criminological data establishing hate crime's severity. His book, the Limits of Dissent is about the Constitution and domestic terrorism. He is presently writing another book about the hate crime and extremism. |
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Kathleen E. Mahoney, J.D., Professor of Law at the University of Calgary and Queen's Counsel, Former Chief Negotiator for Canada's Aboriginal peoples claim for cultural genocide |
Professor Kathleen E. Mahoney has a JD from the University of British Columbia, an LLM degree from Cambridge University and a Diploma in Inernational Comparative Human Rights from the Strasbourg International Human Rights Institute in France. She is Professor of Law at the University of Calgary and Queen’s Counsel. She was the Chief Negotiator for Canada’s Aboriginal peoples claim for cultural genocide against Canada, achieving the the largest financial settlement in Canadian history for the mass human rights violations against the indigenous peoples of Canada. She was the primary architect of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and led the negotiations for the historic apology from the Canadian Parliament and from Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. She was co-counsel for Bosnia Herzegovina in their genocide action against Serbia in the International Court of Justice with the result that the definition of genocide in the Genocide Convention was altered to include mass rapes and forced pregnancy as genocide offences. Among her many awards and distinctions, Professor Mahoney is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Queen’s Counsel, a Trudeau Fellow, and a Fulbright and Human Rights Fellow (Harvard). She received the Governor General’s medal for her contribution to equality in Canada. She has held Visiting Professorships or Fellowships at Havard University, The University of Chicago, Adelaide University, University of Western Australia, Griffiths University, the National University of Australia and Ulster University.
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Bethany Montgomery, Power 2 the Poetry |
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Bethany Montgomery from Tacoma, Washington is an Eastern Washington University (EWU) alumna. She attended EWU on a full athletic scholarship for basketball. She underwent heart surgery in June 2016, cutting her playing career short and forcing her to retire from the game she loved earlier than anticipated. She triumphed during this challenging time and earned a bachelor’s degree (Marketing) in 3 years and a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) in 1 year. Now that Bethany has completed her formal education, she is pursuing her passion of poetry. She envisioned the concept of Power 2 the Poetry while driving back to EWU from her home town of Tacoma after Thanksgiving 2017. She has always been a writer and used poetry as a way to express herself. She believes everyone should live out their dreams and do what they love. Power 2 The Poetry is an extension of Bethany’s heart and soul. Her life’s purpose is to eliminate all the darkness in the world by spreading light and love through the power of the tongue |
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Barbara Perry, Ph.D., UOIT Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism, The International Network for Hate Studies |
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Barbara Perry is a Professor in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, and Director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism. She has written extensively on hate crime. She is currently working in the areas of anti-Muslim violence, hate crime against LGBTQ communities, the community impacts of hate crime, and right-wing extremism in Canada. |
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Ken Stern, J.D., Bard Center for the Study of Hate |
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Kenneth S. Stern, an attorney and author, is director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate. He has testified before Congress, been an invited presenter at the White House conference on Hate Crimes, and an official member of the United States delegation to the Stockholm International Forum on Combating Intolerance. He has argued before the United States Supreme Court. Stern is the author of four books, including Loud Hawk: The United States vs. the American Indian Movement (University of Oklahoma, 1994) which won the Gustave Myers Center Award as outstanding book on Human Rights. His book on the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing – A Force Upon The Plain: The American Militia Movement and the Politics of Hate (Simon & Schuster, 1996) – was nominated for the National Book Award. For a quarter century Stern was the American Jewish Committee’s expert on antisemitism and wrote about it in books (Holocaust Denial [1993] and Antisemitism Today [2006]), legal briefs, encyclopedias, anthologies, scholarly journals and monographs. His has written pieces for the Anglo Jewish Press (The Forward, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and elsewhere), online outlets (including CNN.com), academic-focused publications (including Inside Higher Education), and mainstream newspapers including The New York Times, USA Today and The Washington Post. He has appeared on Face the Nation, Dateline, Good Morning America, the CBS Evening News, the History Channel, and National Public Radio. He is slated to appear in a 2019 PBS documentary on antisemitism by filmmaker Andrew Goldberg. |
Conference Events
Tuesday, April 2
- 8:00 am - 4:00 pm - Pre-conference (separate registration fee)
- 6:00 - 8:30 pm - Opening Sessions
Wednesday, April 3
- 9:00 am - 5:00 pm - Plenary and Breakout Sessions
- 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm - Banquet
- 7:30 pm - Choral, Theatre, and Dance Performance
Thursday, April 4
- 8:45 am - 3:00 pm - Plenary, Breakout Sessions and Closing
Gonzaga University educated students for lives of leadership and services to the common good. In keeping with the University's mission, several justice focused, participatory events have been scheduled and sponsored by Gonzaga faculty, staff, and students as a part of Communities for Justice. View the full schedule here.
