The Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace At the Center for Heritage Resource Studies, The University of Maryland
ď Ľ Interim Report October 2006
ď Ś Prepared by the Staff of the Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace
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I. ACTIVITIES
Essays on the Alliance of Civilizations In support of the UN initiative, the Alliance of Civilizations, Professor Suheil Bushrui (University of Maryland) and Professor David Cadman (The Temenos Academy) will serve as general editors of a series of papers to be published under the auspices of the Center for Heritage Resource Studies at the University of Maryland. The editors inaugurated the series—Essays on the Alliance of Civilizations—with a paper by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales entitled “Religion: The Ties That Bind,” published with his gracious permission. Subsequent essays will be released approximately every six months. Lebanon’s Dialogue with the West: Ameen Rihani and Arab Civilization On June 7, 2006, Professor Bushrui delivered a lecture on Ameen Rihani and East-West relations organized by the Ameen Rihani Institute and American University’s Center for Global Peace. Professor Bushrui addressed many themes in the lecture which are highly relevant to our increasingly globalized world, including inter-religious reconciliation, inter-cultural dialogue, and the role of literature and the arts in producing understandings that lead to peace. In particular, the address offered a discerning résumé of the life and work of Ameen Rihani. Meeting of the Kahlil Gibran International Advisory Board On June 14, 2006, members of the Kahlil Gibran International Advisory Board met at the Harrington Hall Hotel in London. At that meeting, the January 2006 Interim Report was distributed and discussed as well as plans for the completion of the endowment of the Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland. The Enduring Legacy of Kahlil Gibran On June 19, 2006, at the Temenos Academy of London, Professor Bushrui delivered a lecture in honor of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the passing of Kahlil Gibran entitled “The Enduring Legacy of Kahlil Gibran.” In addition to Professor Bushrui’s commemorative address, the evening, organized by the Temenos Academy and the British Lebanese Association, featured a special tribute to Kathleen Raine and readings by Tom Durham from The Essential Gibran (Oxford: Oneworld), due later this year and edited by Professor Bushrui.
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Walenstadt, Switzerland: International Seminar 2006 From July 8-15, 2006 Professor Bushrui participated in the annual seminar organized by the International Academy for Human Sciences and Culture in association with the Center for Heritage Resource Studies. This year’s theme was entitled, “Unity in Diversity as a Foundation for Peace and Security.” As a featured speaker, Professor Bushrui delivered lectures on a number of topics including: “The State of the World,” “The Role of Education,” and “The Ethics of Globalization.” Arab-American Historical Foundation (Los Angeles, California) The Arab-American Historical Foundation has invited Professor Bushrui to speak at the first Arab-American History Conference on October 21, 2006 in Los Angeles. Professor Bushrui has been asked to present a paper on the Arab-American literary heritage. University of Haifa (Haifa, Israel) Professor Bushrui has received an official invitation by the University of Haifa to participate in its lecture series. Professor Bushrui has accepted and will give a presentation on “The Ethics of Globalization” in January 2007. Sultan Qaboos University (Muscat,Oman) From March 21-22, 2007, Professor Bushrui has been officially invited to serve as a plenary keynote speaker at the first international conference held by the English Department (College of Arts), Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. The title of the conference is “Building Bridges: Integrating Language, Linguistics, Literature and Translation in Pedagogy and Research.”
II. PUBLICATIONS
The Essential Gibran. Compiled by Suheil Bushrui. Oxford: Oneworld, December 2006. A volume of selected passages representative of Gibran’s style and thought, The Essential Gibran has been compiled to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the passing of Kahlil Gibran. The Prince Speaks: Selected Speeches of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Edited by Suheil Bushrui and David Cadman. The University of Maryland: Center for Heritage Resource Studies, 2006.
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Gibran on Love. Compiled by Suheil Bushrui. Oxford: Oneworld, February 2007. Designed to reach a wide readership, this special anthology which covers the different aspects of love that Gibran refers to in his works, will have 20,000 copies printed and distributed as part of Oneworld Publications’ St. Valentine’s Day project. al-Amir Yattahadath [The Prince Speaks], a selection of the speeches of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, translated into Arabic by Suheil Bushrui. The University of Maryland: Center for Heritage Resource Studies, 2007. The Spiritual Heritage of the Human Race. Suheil Bushrui and Mehrdad Massoudi. Oxford: Oneworld, 2006. In addition to being a comprehensive survey of the divine and non-divine spiritual traditions of humanity, represented as a prolegomena and foundation for interfaith studies, the book also serves as the main textbook for the University of Maryland Honors Course under the same title. REVIEWS Professor Bushrui’s most recent books are The Wisdom of the Arabs (Oneworld, 2002) which the poet Kathleen Raine has reviewed and praised as a clear and pure statement of Arabia’s perennial wisdom; and The Wisdom of the Irish (Oneworld, 2004), which consists of selections drawn from Irish literature, folklore and tradition and has been reviewed by Brendan Kennelly, one of Ireland’s foremost poets. SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS The Collected Works of Kahlil Gibran. General Editors: Suheil Bushrui, Joe Jenkins and Susan Reynolds. Oxford: Oneworld. This groundbreaking series consisting of five volumes will be the first of its kind to include the entire creative output of Kahlil Gibran, including his English language works (books and articles), Arabic materials (which will appear in a new translation), letters, and artwork. For the first time, Gibran’s worldwide readership will have access to the range of his writings and artwork in a single, expertly produced collection: Volume I: The English Works (Estimated length: 450 pages); Volume II: The Arabic Works in Translation (Estimated length: 400 pages); Volume III: The Letters – Letters in English and those translated from the Arabic (Estimated length: 400 pages); Volume IV: The Artwork – this will include his black and white twenty drawings, published in 1919 and a selection of oil, charcoal and ink drawings (Estimated length: 200 pages); Volume V: A Supplement to the Collected Works, the World of Kahlil Gibran: A Pictorial Record of his Life and Work.
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Contribution to: The Dictionary of Literary Biography: Arabic Literature Series ENTRY ON: GIBRAN KAHLIL GIBRAN The Dictionary of Literary Biography provides extensive information on writers from all eras and styles through its series of over 300 volumes. Each volume in each series is distinguished by a concentration on a particular genre, time frame or movement in literature and presents biographical information for key figures associated with each title. In June 2004, Professor Bushrui was asked to write an article on Kahlil Gibran for the Dictionary of Literary Biography Arabic Literature Series. The article will appear in Volume IV: 1850-1950 of the four-volume series, edited by Roger Allen, Professor of Arabic at the University of Pennsylvania. Volume IV also includes entries on other writers, dramatists and poets such as Ahmad Shawqi, Iliyya Abu Madi, Muhammad al-Muwaylihi and Abu Khalil al-Qabbani.
III. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF THE LIFE AND WORKS OF KAHLIL GIBRAN
The International Association for the Study of the Life and Works of Kahlil Gibran was established on the 10th of April 2006 - the seventy-fifth anniversary of the passing of Kahlil Gibran, with Professor Suheil Bushrui as the Founder-President. A legally constituted Steering Committee, whose main function is to prepare for the First Annual General Meeting sometime in the near future, will soon be formed. The Poet Henri Zoghaib, Director of the Center for Lebanese Heritage, has been invited to act as CoCoordinator with special responsibilities for Lebanon and the Arab world. The establishment of such an Association has now become imperative, and its activities will no doubt promote greater cooperation among Gibran scholars throughout the world. A draft of the Articles of the Association is attached. Gibran Studies: An International Journal (A BI-ANNUAL PERIODICAL) The International Association for the Study of the Life and Works of Kahlil Gibran is pleased to announce the inauguration of the first periodical to be devoted exclusively to the work of Kahlil Gibran and his times. Gibran Studies: An International Journal will be published annually in the first instance and (it is hoped that) eventually it may become a bi-annual publication. Edited by an Editorial Committee to be appointed by the Founder-President of the Association, the periodical will have an international advisory board consisting of well-known Gibran scholars from different parts of the world. The journal will include critical articles, manuscript drafts of poems, plays and prose writings,
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unpublished letters, editions of individual works, reprints of inaccessible published material, reproductions of paintings and other similar items. Each issue will contain approximately 30,000 words, and while the main emphasis will be on Gibran, matters of related interest will of course be considered. Each issue of the journal will contain a review section and a bibliographical section which will aim at updating the Gibran bibliography as given in An Introduction to Kahlil Gibran. Further details regarding submission of papers, articles, news, information and bibliographical data will soon be published together with information regarding subscriptions, orders and other inquiries.
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DRAFT – ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION 1)
NAME The title of the Association shall be The International Association for the Study of the Life and Works of Kahlil Gibran
2)
OBJECTIVE Subject always to Article 19, the purpose of the Association shall be to encourage study and research of the life and works of Kahlil Gibran and related fields of study. The Association shall concern itself with the holding of conferences at regular intervals; with periodical publication of papers and bulletins, relating particularly to the study and research of Kahlil Gibran; with travel and exchange facilities for scholars who wish to study and conduct research on Kahlil Gibran; with the collection of information about the nature and location of source materials; and through the promotion of comparative studies in English and Arabic, particularly in the areas of translation and textbook preparation.
3)
AFFILIATION (a) The Association shall seek affiliation with organizations of similar aims. (b) The basis of such affiliations shall be determined by the Advisory Board.
4)
ELECTION OF MEMBERS Applications for membership shall be received by the Secretary for election by the Committee at its sole discretion.
5)
MEMBERSHIP Membership of the Association shall be divided into the following categories: (a) Ordinary, i.e., for individuals (b) Corporate, i.e., for institutions, libraries, publishing houses, societies. (c) Such other categories (i.e., temporary membership, membership of the Association for members of affiliated organizations, etc.) as the Committee may from time to time determine.
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6)
SUBSCRIPTIONS (a) The annual subscription shall be such as may be determined periodically by the Committee in respect of each category of member. (b) The Committee shall have the power to allow reduced subscriptions following an Ordinary Member’s retirement from normal professional duties, for undergraduate students and for graduates engaged in full time work for a higher degree. (c) Subscriptions shall be due on 1st January each year and the Committee may without further notice after due warning terminate the membership of any member who is more than three months in arrears with his subscription.
7)
COMMITTEE AND OFFICERS (a) The executive business of the Association shall be dispatched by a Committee consisting of the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and six other (Ordinary) Members of the Association who shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. The Chairman (or his nominee) of the Kahlil Gibran National Committee shall be an ex-officio member of the Committee. The first President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and other members of the Committee shall hold office until the first Annual General Meeting, but shall then be eligible for re-election. (b) The Committee may co-opt up to a maximum of ten additional members and may fill any casual vacancies among the officers of the Committee, but any officer or member of the Committee so appointed shall hold office only until the next following Annual General Meeting and shall then be eligible for re-election.
8)
SUB-COMMITTEE The Committee may periodically appoint from among their number such SubCommittees as they may deem expedient, and delegate them such of the Committee’s powers and duties as they think appropriate. All Sub-Committees shall report their proceedings to the Committee and shall conduct their business in accordance with the directions of the Committee.
9)
TREASURER AND AUDITORS It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to keep proper and sufficient accounts, and to
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present to each Annual General Meeting accounts for the year ended on the previous 31st December which shall be audited by two members of the Association. The first Auditors shall be appointed by the Committee to hold office until the first Annual General Meeting, and thereafter the two Auditors shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting to hold office until the next Annual General Meeting. Copies of the duly audited accounts shall be sent to each member with the Notice convening the Annual General Meeting.
10)
TRUSTEES The Committee may, if it finds it necessary, nominate not fewer than two or not more than four Trustees in whom the property of the Association (other than cash, which shall be under the control of the Treasurer) may be vested, to be dealt with by the Trustees as the Committee shall from time to time direct, and the Trustees so appointed shall hold office until death or resignation or until removed from office by resolution of the Committee, and the Committee shall have power to appoint additional Trustees (up to the said maximum) from time to time.
11)
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING An Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held no later than during the month of September in each year and no more than 15 months shall elapse between one Annual General Meeting and another. At the Annual General Meeting the following business shall be conducted: (a) The presentation and (if accepted) the passing of the accounts for the previous financial year ended 31st December, which shall first have been audited. (b) The election of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and other members of the Committee. (c) The election of the two Auditors. (d) Such other business as shall have been communicated to the Secretary and included in the Notice of the meeting sent by him to the members.
12)
EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened by the Committee at any time and shall be convened within 21 days at the written request of one-fifth of the members entitled to vote. Such request must state the purpose for which the meeting is required.
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13)
NOTICE OF MEETING The Secretary shall at least one month before any General Meeting send to every member, at his address as recorded in the Association’s books, a Notice of the meeting stating the time and the place of the Meeting and the business to be conducted.
14)
BUSINESS AT GENERAL MEETING The business at a general meeting shall be limited to that provided for in these Articles and any further matters set out in the Notice convening the meeting.
15)
VOTING At General Meetings of the Association the members shall be entitled to vote either in person or by post, and the Committee shall have power to make such regulations as they shall think expedient for the conduct of postal voting. For the purpose of voting, Corporate Members shall nominate in writing a representative to attend meetings or to vote by post, and the person purporting to be duly nominated on behalf of a Corporate Member shall be deemed to have been properly nominated if his nomination purports to be signed by the Secretary or other proper officer of the Corporate Member so nominating him.
16)
CHAIRMAN The President of the Association shall preside at all meetings of the Committee and at all general meetings of the Association, and in the case of equality of votes he shall have a casting vote. If he shall not be present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for the meeting, or he has signified his inability to be present at the meeting, the members present shall choose one of their number to preside over the meeting in his place.
17)
AMENDMENTS Subject always to Article 19, these Articles may be amended, repealed, altered or added to by a majority vote at a General Meeting, for which not less than one month’s notice containing the proposed amendment has been given.
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18)
DISSOLUTION If the Committee decides at any time that it is advisable to dissolve the Association, it shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting and if their decision shall at such an Extraordinary General Meeting be confirmed by a simple majority, the Committee shall have power to dispose of any assets held by or in the name of the Association provided that any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall (subject to Article 19) be applied towards such objects as the Committee may determine and as may be approved by the Minister of Education and Science.
19)
CHARITABLE INTENT Notwithstanding anything hereinafter contained, it is hereby declared that the Association is established for charitable purposes only and that under no circumstances shall any funds or assets of the Association be applied towards noncharitable purposes.
20)
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ASSOCIATION The headquarters of the Association shall be located at the office of the Kahlil Gibran Professor, who will act as the Coordinator and Manager of the activities of the Association, in addition to any office he may be elected to serve. The CoCoordinator will be the Poet Henri Zoghaib, Director at the Center for Lebanese Heritage (CLH) at Lebanese American University (LAU) in Beirut, Lebanon.
21)
THE ASSOCIATION’S ADDRESS The address of the Association shall be the Kahlil Gibran Professorship, Center for Heritage Resource Studies, 1141 Taliaferro Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.