Cross-Cultural Psychology, Forced Migration, and Peace Building
29 - 30 October 2005
Course Venue: Exact location in Oxford to be confirmed
Course Fee: £125 (excluding accommodation)
This two-day workshop examines how cross-cultural psychology contributes
to post-conflict reconstruction for peace following brutal armed
conflicts that produce mass displacement such as those in Sierra Leone,
Angola and Afghanistan. It invites practitioners and theorists to
struggle with complex intercultural issues associated with psychosocial
programming.
The workshop begins with a critical analysis of contemporary
psychological approaches to post-conflict reconstruction for peace
following armed conflict and displacement. It examines psychological
approaches to tasks such as healing and reconciliation as culturally
constructed products that may or may not fit the local culture and
situation. It also analyzes how damage can be done through the
imposition of Western approaches and the marginalization of local
approaches. It shows how individualized, narrow psychosocial programs
miss important opportunities for building peace.
Next, the workshop examines the value of indigenous psychological
resources such as local rituals and traditional practices in assisting
healing, community reconciliation, and processes of nonviolent conflict
resolution. Using exemplars from field programs in sub-Saharan Africa,
it examines how to blend Western and local approaches through processes
of consultation, dialogue, and collaborative problem-solving with local
people. It also invites discussion of how to link psychologically
informed programming with wider tasks of building peace.
Instructors: Dr. Michael Wessells is Senior Child Protection Specialist
for Christian Children’s Fund and Professor of Psychology at
Randolph-Macon College. A former President of the APA Division of Peace
Psychology and Psychologists for Social Responsibility, he conducts
research on child soldiers and post-conflict reconstruction for peace.
Professor Wessells is an advisor to UN agencies, governments and donors
on child protection and has helped develop post-conflict assistance
programs in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Dr. Maryanne Loughry is the
Co-convenor of the Psychosocial Working Group, an international academic
and practitioner group committed to the development of knowledge and
best practice in the field of psychosocial interventions in complex
emergencies.
For further information, write to:
Dominique Attala
MSc Course Co-ordinator
Refugee Studies Centre
Queen Elizabeth House
University of Oxford
21 St Giles
Oxford, OX1 3LA
Tel: +44-(0)1865 270722
Fax: +44-(0)1865 270721
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
For an Online Application Form or to download a PDF version of this
announcement please visit the following RSC website page:
http://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/teaching_short_crosscultural.html
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