Many Peaces Magazine #4 by Many Peaces

MAGAZINE REDEFINING GENDER NARRATIVES Page 9 WELCOMING AS COLLABORATIVE CREATION Page 11 SPACES FOR ELICITIVE CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION Page 18

MANY PEACES

THE MANY REVOLUTIONARY MOMENTS

VOLUME 4 2016 - 07

EDITORIAL Distinguished readers, Our 4th volume is all about revolutionary moments. In times of events such as the ongoing refugee crisis globally, Brexit, and Donald Trump’s electoral campaign, such moments seem to be particularly present. Revolutionary moments however, can be found in many shapes and forms. It seems that in some cases certain moments are coined as revolutionary ones by the media and therefore become part of the power politics in the Global North. This volume captures not only key examples found in the mainstream media and dialogue, but also social movements and global efforts for peace as well as individual transformations which happen between people and groups and furthermore within individual beings. Revolutionary moments to us, expand beyond conventional peace studies definitions of what a revolution is and aims to also include ‘micro-level’ transformations and change among and within individuals as not disconnected from broader revolutions or peace efforts. This conceptualization embraces a transrational understanding of peace and draws on the idea that individual peace is not disconnected or separate from global peace. Revolutionary moments are experienced within us as we change, transform, connect and influence the world around us as individuals with both unique and intersecting identities. If revolutionary moments are marked by change and transformation then it seems our very own editing team is going through one at present. For this very edition we already dealt with the restructuring of our core team and for the next volumes we would like to follow a different path. In order to emphasize these revolutionary moments in our own structure of the magazine we are now using these opening words to draw the attention to your potential engagements as a reader with the Many Peaces Magazine. As a revolutionary moment embraces a realization that nothing is perfect and everything is possible, we have reached a critical point in which we want to leave the hitherto existing structures behind and adapt by taking in as many inputs from the alumni network as possible. For the next volume, we would like to open the floor for alumni, students, faculty and peace facilitators to contribute to the magazine. We would very much like to see you engaged in any way you think is possible and feel passionate about. If this resonates with you- please reach out to us. For our following volume 5 the magazine’s focus will be on peace and gender with a specific focus on the intersections of femininity/womanhood and peace and we hope to create a space in which we can explore this topic together. If a revolutionary moment shakes up the status quo and opens new spaces to do things differently we very much need you as editors, networkers, fundraisers and storytellers to contribute to that transformation as such. The vision for our new Many Peaces Magazine team structure is that all people involved facilitate a certain section of the magazine with a team of coordinators in the center who moderate the content, layout and overall logistics. In case you feel drawn to work on the intersections of peace and gender or simply want to share your ideas and passions please contact us via magazine@manypeaces.org to contribute as an editor, proofreader, article contributor or get involved with fundraising and magazine promotion! Thank you for supporting the Many Peaces Magazine, we hope you enjoy Volume 4 and that you will join us in continuing this project, in the spirit of elicitive peace work, for Volume 5. The Editorial Team Stefan Freytag, Isabelle Guibert, Paul Lauer, Mayme Lefurgey, Manon Roeleveld

Editorial - 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS GREETING NOTE

CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION AROUND THE WORLD

6 © DEEP

DEEP NETWORK

REDEFINING NARRATIVES

Creating a Web of Peace Scholars and Practitioners, by Jelena Mair, Sanne de Swart, and Alberto Gomes Working with Gender-Based Cultural Stereotyping, by Shibani Pandya

ELICITIVE PEACE WORKERS

HOME 11

Welcoming as Collaborative Creation, by Julia Metzger-Traber

MANY PEACES INTERVIEWS

REVOLUTIONARY MOMENTS?

A Conversation with Kilian Kleinschmidt, by Manon Roeleveld

THE INNSBRUCK SCHOOL OF PEACE STUDIES

15 © IPA, Kilian Kleinschmidt

PEACE ELICIT #1

NEW MASTERS OF PEACE

Spaces for Elicitive Conflict Transformation and Lived Transrational Peaces, by Jannik Gresbrand

APPENDIX

18 © Paul Lauer

4 - Many Peaces Magazine

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS THE EDITORIAL TEAM IMPRINT

28 30 31

GREETING NOTE Dear peace colleagues and friends, When I received the invitation to write this greeting note about ‘revolutionary moments’, I became excited, joyful and expectant. What a powerful idea it is to not only think what these moments are, but furthermore how they happen, how they unfold and to dig deeper into their meaning for peace studies. From such a theme, one could expect a magazine filled with ‘big moments’ in history that tell tales of big events, spectacular peaces and great violence. Yet, that is not the case in this Many Peaces Magazine, which has been founded on the spirit of the multiplicity of many different small, imperfect and transrational peaces that invite a transpersonal, emotional, bodily and spiritual engagement with life - of which revolutions, transformations and change are part and parcel. It is then not surprising that this new issue is full of that seed which breeds fertility and small gestures of love and cooperation even in the harshest of circumstances. As Julia Metzger-Traber recounts in her article, there has been an increasing number of refugees arriving to Europe in the past years. The ‘welcoming culture’ that she describes is a strong sign by European societies to open their ‘homes’ to newcomers. Besides, Julia goes further and asks about ‘rerooting’ and ‘uprooting’, pointing to the transpersonal and relational grain of this political movement. Julia takes us through a journey of small revolutionary moments, ‘revolutionary’ because in the midst of the ‘big events’ of violence and conflict that surround refugees and migrants, we can decide to open our hearts and look beyond the surface, dig deeper into the epicenter of conflicts and unearth the layers of relationships. Shibani Pandya takes us in another elicitive conflict transformation journey, one that also cuts through ‘grand narratives’ of rape and gender-based-violence (GBV) to label cultures in India and Singapore as violent and instead listens attentively to aspects of deep culture that might legitimize violent acts, attitudes and behaviors. She does this through unpacking stories and myths present in folklore and other tales. It is a process in which she takes seriously the background, beliefs and concerns of the people in order to work with them through the conflictive energy present in the room. This requires listening with giraffe ears and heart, becoming a facilitator who goes beyond the merely cognitive to also engage compassionately with others.

These are important points that Jannik Gresbrand beautifully recounts in the initiative to create ‘Peace Elicits’, as a place of encounter for elicitive facilitators and researchers to refine their skills. Body-work (that takes one into the transpersonal), collective approaches to learning (that help us live the con-scientia) and regularity of meetings (that keep the fire going in the midst of daily routines) are the principles that have sparked the creation of this group, which we wish the best to flourish, strengthen and transform. Similar to the network DEEP, of which Jelena Mair tells us in her article, peace workers around the world are getting together to foster empathy, bridge divides and facilitate policy innovation. With an explicit intergenerational approach, DEEP also reminds us of the possibilities that we have to engage from the personal to the collective, to help to contribute as catalyzers of change seeking a larger impact. These ‘revolutionary moments’ that this issue puts forward seem then to be characterized by instants in which we decide to take a risky step, when ‘getting out of our comfort zone’ is chosen as a lifestyle, to dare to create something that touches others holistically and so, inevitably, we are also transformed by them. Every day we receive constant invitations that call on us to change, to take a leap of faith, and Kilian Kleinschmidt reminds us that ‘revolutionary moments’ begin by accepting that nothing is perfect and that yet we dare to think ahead, innovate, invent and have visions of how things could be differently. Just like peace, ‘revolutionary moments’ are not just ‘out there’ and reserved for those with whom we work, they are also revolutionary for ourselves. All protagonists of this Magazine, from facilitators to researchers, let us see through the cracks that even their own hearts might break in their work. I would like to believe that this is the real revolution, the shaking up of our own self, when we engage in a conscious exercise of transformation. Transformation as authentic movement requires letting go, trusting the process and believing that the universe is holding us together. This Magazine gives me the hope that this type of revolution is possible. Thank you! Josefina Echavarría Alvarez

JOSEFINA ECHAVARRÍA ALVAREZ is a Peace Researcher from Medellin, Colombia. She is Heart Faculty member of the MA Program and Research and Publications Coordinator at the UNESCO Chair in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Her research foci are (in)security, migration and elicitive conflict mapping. She is a lecturer and facilitator on diverse peace topics. She lives in Innsbruck with her husband and daughter. Contact: josefina.echavarria@uibk.ac.at

Greeting Note - 5

DEEP NETWORK CREATING A WORLD WIDE WEB OF PEACE SCHOLARS AND PRACTITIONERS IN THE FIELD BY JELENA MAIR, SANNE DE SWART, AND ALBERTO GOMES

n early 2014, several peace workers with connections to the Peace Studies Master programs at Universitat Jaume I in Spain, University of Innsbruck in Austria, and Centre for Dialogue, La Trobe University in Australia, began a collaboration that blossomed into the formation of what is now known as the DEEP Network. One of the primary initiators of the project, Professor Alberto Gomes, coined the acronym DEEP, which stands for Dialogue, Empathic Engagement & Peacebuilding. Alberto Gomes is an emeritus professor of anthropology at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, University of Malaya (Malaysia), University of Helsinki (Finland), Universitat Jaume I (Spain) and at the University of Innsbruck. His anthropological work and publications are focused on the Indigenous peoples of Malaysia, the Orang Asli, from which he learnt to value peace, nonviolence, conflict transformation, empathy, equality, and ecological sustainability. 6 - Many Peaces Magazine

The network has grown rapidly to include people from all parts of the world and is today a vibrant global community of peace workers, researchers and policy makers committed to creating a sustainable and peaceful world. Members of DEEP, who refer to themselves as “Deepsters,” work within several communities across the globe. DEEP brings together young people wanting a better future for humanity with experienced older people who seek to change the world. It is a young network in terms of existence. DEEP believes that there are rich lessons to be learned from indigenous and marginalized communities in dealing with the myriad global problems eg. ecological degradation, violent conflict, racism, inequality or alienation. We believe that peace is the norm in human life and the violence taking place in several parts of the world, an aberration. We also believe that conflict is a natural aspect of human interactions as people do not always see eye to eye and for this reason, we are committed to transforming potentially negative conflicts before they spiral into an ‘eye for an eye’ type of violence. Most of all, we strive to build a nonviolent and ecologically sustainable world where people everywhere are able to live a good life ‘buen vivir’ (good living) in peace. All in all, the mission of the DEEP Network projects is to promote diversity and intercultural understanding, bridge divides, foster empathy, empower marginalized voices and communities,

transform conflict before it escalates into protracted violence, and facilitate policy innovation.

The DEEP Network has established nodes, otherwise known as local action groups, in cities around the world. It currently has nodes in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Barcelona (Spain), France, Germany, Kabul (Afghanistan), Melbourne (Australia), Mexico City (Mexico), Multan (Pakistan), Nagoya (Japan), Nairobi (Kenya), San Francisco (USA), Seoul (South Korea), Switzerland, Tangier

(Morocco), and Yogyakarta (Indonesia). The network coordinators are currently negotiating with several scholar-activists in countries not covered yet to set up new nodes. Working collaboratively, the DEEP Network organizes intercultural dialogue, elicitive conflict transformation, and peacebuilding projects within their own and in partnership with marginalized communities. It undertakes research that enhances understanding of conflict and peace practices and leads to innovative policies and programs. Further, it conducts training and education geared towards capacity building for individuals, organizations and communities in dialogue, conflict transformation, and peace work. It also liaises with other institutes to continually add depth and breadth to our understanding and activism. Finally, it builds global initiatives for change. The various nodes are involved in activities and projects that vary according to the needs of the respective countries. Thus, for example, DEEP Mexico facilitates Peace Education workshops on themes such as non-violent communication and reconciliation, similar to its sister Node DEEP Arab Nations, which organizes Children’s Peace and Arts Projects in various countries across the Arab Nations. As for DEEP Switzerland, it is currently fundraising for its Eco-Peacebuilding Project in Kyrgyzstan. As one of its core members (Aimeerim Tursalieva) is originally from Kyrgyzstan and has a broad amount of experience with conflicts for natural resources, working with both the local communities as well as the mining companies. DEEP Switzerland wants to invest in the non-violent cooperation between the local population and the mining companies to foster a socio-peaceful and environmentally sustainable future for the region. DEEP France works in the area of Calais, creating space for encounters while collaborating with different organizations on the question of dialogue, empathy and mutual understanding with migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees around Calais. DEEP Germany organizes theatre performances, dinners and football matches with groups of refugees as part of its Fostering Empathic Engagement and Intercultural Dialogue in Hamburg. It also conducts “Educational Project Days for the German School in Madrid” focused on the topic of “Peacebuilding

DEEP Logo Marc Granell Nebot designed the DEEP logo. DEEP draws its inspiration from nature and from people who are close to nature. The symbol of DEEP is the tree of life. As Marc Nebot explains: “The tree of life is a symbol of life renewing itself, transforming itself. Peacefully. It is a symbol of dynamic connection with our surroundings a circle of vitality. Yet the tree in itself is not perfect. It is as beautiful in its imperfect aspects as the imperfect peaces are. It grows from inside the earth and stands tall, like nature´s poetry dancing to the winds. Its branches and nodes expand, each on its own rhythm, always in relation to the others, always deeply interconnected. Beyond the mere image of a tree, it is an abstract symbol that invites reflection. With its branches and roots connected in a circle, it offers a subtle reference to the tree of life. In the under part of the circle, in yellow, the lines are closer and follow a more uniform direction, making reference to the roots, just like the basis of a tree must be strong. As our tree grows and reaches out, it gains blue tones, and the lines flow more freely, in the shape of branches and nodes, towards the sky. We can interpret it as a mosaic. A pangaea made of different territories that make a whole, no matter the proportions and shape. It is at the same time a tree and a map. It is a life map with multiple destinations and directions, a map of connections that reflect the DEEP Network” Activities and Projects

Conflict Transformation Around the World - 7

and Sustainable Development”. DEEP Melbourne organizes Peace Drinks, a regular informal networking event for peace workers, activists and academics and anyone else interested in issues related to Peace. The aim is to learn about what others do in and around Melbourne and how we can connect, share ideas, collaborate and best support each other. Additionally to the various nodes around the world, the DEEP Network also consists of independent members and aﬃliates, who either are located in a country with not yet an established node, or

We are an inclusive and collaborative network. We welcome new members who share our vision, aspirations and values. are experts in a specific field and assist the network and its members with their expertise. One such member is Rebecca Tremblay (La Trobe University), she founded the Puppeteaching Project in Canada in 2014 and has been on tour in various places across the americas. The idea behind is to perform educational puppet shows for kids about important topics that affect their lives, while also helping to build their self-esteem. What makes puppets so special is their ability to break down barriers and reach children in a way that adults cannot. To find out more visit: puppeteaching.wix.com/info. Through its various members and their respective work across the globe as well as its grassroots approach, the DEEP Network offers unique opportunities for collaborative projects and research

Thanks to the non-profit association „spectACT - Verein für politisches und soziales Theater“ for supporting this Volume.

in the field of peacebuilding, alternative development and conflict transformation. Two collaborative projects in the pipeline are the Tales of Diversity: a project aimed to collecting stories and myths related to peace and nonviolence from various cultures to be shared in print for young children and general audiences, in storytelling events or as radio and theatre plays. And the Kabul Peace School, of DEEP Kabul and the Melbourne Free University (MFU), building an online peace education project focused on Afghani youth, creating a radio show/podcasts site as a medium to promote peace and diversity. Funding and support We are an inclusive and collaborative network. We welcome new members who share our vision, aspirations and values and if you wish to support us or make a donation, we would love to hear from you. We need all the help we can muster in our quest for a more sustainable and peaceful world. contact: info@deepcenter.net web: deepcenter.net

JELENA MAIR, SANNE DE SWART, and ALBERTO GOMES are members of the DEEP coordinating team. An alumnus of the Innsbruck Peace Studies, Jelena (WT 14/15) is the co-director of DEEP Switzerland while Alberto (professor at the University of Innsbruck) is the director of the DEEP Network. Sanne (Castellon 2014) is the coordinator of the communications and networking committee for MDEEP. Contact: j.mair@deepcenter.net, s.deswart@deepcenter.net, a.gomes@deepcenter.net

web: www.spectACT.at contact: info@spectACT.at

REDEFINING NARRATIVES WORKING WITH GENDER-BASED CULTURAL STEREOTYPING BY SHIBANI PANDYA

These kinds of beliefs create unconscious biases that are as dangerous, if not more so, as the overt gender stereotyping contributing to gender-based violence globally. These experiences and encounters have made me even more determined to transform the negative narratives related to gender equality in my local and global communities. Stories and Myths

hat sounds wonderful, but… there is no real gender inequality in Singapore.” I make a conscious effort not to visibly wilt as the individual sitting across from me sings a now-familiar tune after my two years working with UN Women, Singapore Committee. This and the statement, “of course I believe in equality, but I’m just not a feminist”, have been two of the most puzzling phrases I have encountered through my work.

Having my grandmother lull me to sleep with Hindu myths and stories as I was growing up made me acutely aware of how myths and stories can contribute to a way of being and of understanding the world. Through my Innsbruck peace journey I was able to briefly explore the different ways that the Hindu myths I grew up with contributed to the ongoing rape culture in India. I decided to take this one step further through my work with UN Women, trying to use their brand name and reach to raise awareness about the ways in which we are impacted by the narratives all around us. When I first approached my team with the idea, they were extremely excited. We decided to start with the most popular stories in Singapore – fairy tales. As someone who believed so deeply in the project, even I was surprised at how passionate people became when talking about the gendered messages embedded within fairy tales and children’s stories. Our workshop formats were simple: we went through a few popular fairy tales, encouraging people to think through the various Conflict Transformation Around the World - 9

gendered messages within the story arcs. We then talked about some modern interpretations of fairy tales, facilitating a discussion about their effectiveness while addressing any problematic areas. Finally, we gave the participants tools to rewrite a fairy tale of their choice and share it with the event attendees. The results were incredible. We were touched and inspired by the creativity and inclusivity of the participants. We quickly moved on to facilitating public and private workshops for schools, corporations and other organisations related to fairy tales, Chinese myths, Malay folklore, Hindu mythology and other cultural tales. We were always amazed and energised with the range of creative and inspiring stories the discussions encouraged. We then expanded our idea of redefining narratives beyond folklore to include popular culture, films, books, plays, advertising and other fields in which we identified a gendered imbalance. We

We then expanded our idea of redefining narratives beyond folklore to include popular culture, films, books, plays, advertising and other fields in which we identified a gendered imbalance. were soon encouraging vibrant discussions and workshops about women in science fiction and fantasy, women in the armed forces, women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and several other areas. Unpacking the F Word With the several heated global debates about the relevance of the word feminism and our own discovery that many Singaporeans and members of our own oﬃce team did not want to identify as feminists - a talk about what it means to be a feminist was long overdue. At one school talk I was regaled with questions about what it really means to identify as a feminist for over an hour. We

Thanks to the non-profit association „Tanzraum-Innsbruck“ for supporting this Volume.

10 - Many Peaces Magazine

quickly realised that people were curious and passionate and looking for platforms and avenues to discuss these issues. A few months ago, at a screening of the recently released Suffragette, we encouraged attendees to think about the various ways feminism has impacted their lives and continues to impact their

For International Women’s Day we finally decided to have a discussion about the ‘F’ Word. lives today. For International Women’s Day we finally decided to have a discussion about the ‘F’ Word, inviting a group of facilitators from the various organisations working with gender in Singapore to lead the dialogue. The response was overwhelming. We had men and women writing in to us expressing their excitement and desire to participate. It was incredibly fulfilling and encouraging to know that we had touched a chord deep within people and that we were sparking important dialogues and discussions across the region. After the discussion and encouragement from participants, we decided to revamp our school talks and create new workshops for both girls and boys focusing on gender stereotypes, gender narratives and the relevance of feminism in the global community today. While we have moved forward and lit a small spark, there is still so much that needs to be done in order to create a culture of inclusion, equality and harmony within both Singapore and the global community.

SHIBANI PANDYA was born and brought up in Mumbai, India and she is currently following her dream for gender equality by challenging the norms and stereotypes that encourage violence against women in Singapore and Asia through her work at UN Women.

web: www.yoga-innsbruck.com/5-rhythms-innsbruck.html contact: tanzraumibk.fraugraiff@gmail.com

HOME WELCOMING AS COLLABORATIVE CREATION: THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF A TRANSPERSONAL CLOWN BY JULIA METZGER-TRABER *All photos were taken by project participants Demachmet (14-years-old) and Berkay (15-years-old).

wasn’t terribly disappointed to be heading home early when nobody showed up on Thursday, as Wednesday had nearly sucked me dry. I gave every ounce of myself while facilitating. That is the case every week. My brain is exhausted by the week of coordination leading up to our meetings, between the two different schools and administrations I am working with, the four Willkommensklassen (the welcome classes) teachers and their four different schedules, the reporting, the documenting, the budgeting... and that’s without even planning the pedagogical and artistic content.

When I enter the room (hopefully successfully booked and full of willing and ready participants), my body is pushed to its limits as I transmutate into a transpersonal clown. I try to communicate with every cell of my body. I hope that if I extend my arms high enough, expand my eyes wide enough, open my pores big enough and stretch my aura far enough in enough different directions simultaneously, that even Ali and Noor will be able to understand me, though they just arrived from Iraq last week, and Demachmet will connect and be able to focus for once, and Mohammad will feel safe and Yusef will feel challenged and inspired. I try to get them excited with the energy of my voice, feed them with its power, try to lift their hearts with the strength of my own. I try to give them structure and freedom to create from their own imaginations; try to see beyond their shields and masks with my extrasensorial perception, and find the little light that wants to shine and dance and sing. Yet, this is of course a Sisyphean task, and at the end of the day I collapse, empty. So, that Thursday I was ready to go home, lie down and stare blankly or weep for a couple of hours, as I’ve become accustomed to do after work. But, when I ran into Mohammad and Baker leaving the football field and getting ready to go home, I stopped to talk, was happy to see them. They are best friends. Baker, a proud and playful Palestinian 15-year-old from Damascus, here with 30 members of his family, a double refugee, and Mohammad a sturdy, mischievous Elicitive Peace Workers - 11

and quiet 16-year-old with a face like a fox, from Afghanistan, who’s here all on his own. We walked to the metro station together, Baker was going to be taking the train across the city to a suburb where he lives with his family. Mohammad only needed to go one stop to the home for unaccompanied youth where he lives. While we walked and talked, I suddenly saw an opportunity, an opening in the unexpected cancellation of the class, and I asked Mohammad if I could accompany him home to see where he lived. It is my plan to visit each of their homes over the next few weeks. He gladly agreed, and so we got off the train together and walked the few blocks to his apartment building.

The news, the streets, my thoughts and my work have been increasingly occupied by the questions of uprooting, rerooting, borders, integration and differentiation that this “refugee crisis” poses. According to UNHCR, almost 80,000 people arrived seeking asylum in Berlin in 2015, at least 4,000 of them have been unaccompanied minors. These numbers are at the peak of four years of steady increases in new arrivals. I have been in Berlin since the spring of 2011, also known as the Arab spring, and the beginning of what is now the war in Syria and the resulting refugee crisis. The news, the streets, my thoughts and my work have been increasingly occupied by the questions of uprooting, rerooting, borders, integration and differentiation that this “refugee crisis” poses. These questions need to be reckoned with and the way they are engaged will transform the shape of societies. Since September 2015, Germany has been making unprecedented gestures toward the hospitality of refugees, primarily those from Syria, so the face and energy of the country and its capital has been changing rapidly and everyone (excitedly, fearfully or furiously) is talking about welcoming. The word Willkommenskultur (welcome culture) has practically been elevated to the status of a mantra, or a curse. So, as a resident, an immigrant and an elicitive peace worker, the questions I am begged to ask are: what is

The word Willkommenskultur has practically been elevated to the status of a mantra, or a curse.

the transformative potential of this Willkommenskultur? Who is to welcome whom? What “home” are the refugees to be welcomed to? And how does one welcome another anyways? After a short walk from the metro stop, Mohammad welcomed me into his home, a shared flat with three other boys his age, and onto his prayer rug where we drank tea, listened to Persian music, and looked at photos of his village in the mountains. There he told me his story. After fleeing the Taliban in 2012 with his family and the entire population of his small farming village, he lived in Iran for two years. There, with thousands of other Afghan refugees, he © Julia Metzger-Traber

12 - Many Peaces Magazine

was not allowed to attend school, and his parents were working system. The greatest emphasis of these classes is on language acfor slave wages. At 13 years old, he decided this was no way to quisition as a gateway into the German society. There are now live. So one night he took the deposit from his apartment, and ran more than 300 such Willkommensklassen in Berlin, having tripled away, over the mountains, to Turkey. since 2012. Every week new students are arriving from situations I spent two hours with Mohammad, listening, and asking and they have fled – homes they have had to abandon for one reason sharing, offering him my full presence. He sucked on sugar cubes or another. before filling his mouth with tea, explaining that that was how The challenge for the teachers of these classes is immense. They tea was sweetened in Afghanistan. I found out that he plays the have students of all genders and religious faiths, from ages 12-17 flute and has been curious about learning theater but too shy to years old, from Roma and Sinti communities, wars in Syria, Iraq, dare. So, I’ll bring in a flute next week and we’ll find a way for Afghanistan, from Kosovo, Bosnia, Romania, and in my experihim to play in the performance. ence also Spain, Portugal, the Today is the first time I’ve ever Dominican Republic, Thailand been able to talk to him alone. and Poland. Many are living In the workshop he oscillates here without family, or in huge between smiling shyly and putrefugee homes with their famiting on a tough guy mask while lies, surrounded by hundreds of he listens to German gangster others. They are learning new … Who am I? rap. Now, I got to see an entireletters, words, sounds, movely new sides of him. In fact, it ments, dress, norms. The teachis precisely this multiplicitousers I have been lucky enough I could have not been inspired ness that I am trying to engage to work with, are teaching with Inspiration is the luck of the lonely soles and elicit through my projects, great love and commitment, but but usually I just get to dip my the Willkommensklassen are not The poem is a throw of a dice toes into it during the workshop designed to meet these students on a board of darkness that may or may not shine hours. Every single one of the in their multiplicitousness. and the words fall like feathers on the sand 30 some odd kids I am working They are being trained to adapt with has their own set of stories, and survive. So, how can my and experiences that thwart the little afterschool art programs I play no role in the poem attempts of easy narratives. go beyond this narrow view of I only obey its rhythm: If we understand people to welcoming? be multiplicitous, transforming Working creatively and colthe movements of sensations, one modifies the other selves, then the way we think laboratively, through moveintuition that brings a meaning about and enact home and welment, voice and rhythm enables unconsciousness in the echo of the words coming shift. So, my question one to reach beyond linguistic becomes, how do I create and layers of engagement and enan image of myself which has transferred facilitate projects that welcome counter such paradoxes. Holdfrom ‘my own self ’ to another multiplicitous and transforming ing the space and training the my relying on myself subjects? In the mainstream distools for this is my lofty aim course, the problem of the refuwith these projects. I am trying and my longing for the spring… gee crisis is called one of integrato train the muscles of collabotion. However, according to the ration, listening and harmony as MAHMOUD DARWISH theory of the five peace families, well as independent expression. transrational peaces are necesI am doing this by bringing in sarily about integration and difall of the tools and media I have ferentiation, as harmony withaccess to: drumming, dancing, out expression and recognition theater, mindfulness, video, of difference can be dangerous, singing, collage and sculpture. suffocating, even oppressive and The final events will be mulviolent. How can I, as an artist ti-media performances accomfacilitator, play a role in challenging this dominant interpretation panied by a sculptural collage of sorts. It will be a 4-dimensional of Willkommenskultur by engaging the more-than-rational layers tapestry, a colorful whole woven of many truths, of many homes. of being and by helping to expand welcoming from a process of As I often do, I came into this project harboring an active tenintegration and practical skills-building, to a transformative pro- sion within myself between the impulse to offer structure, a clear cess of collaborative and imaginative society creation? artistic concept and aim on the one hand, and the impulse to leap Currently, the two central, and overlapping, projects that I am into the unknown of the work on the other, leaving room to be running (“In Mir Zuhause” and “HOME”) are working with youth surprised and follow the nature of the project and interests of the attending “Willkommensklassen” at public high schools around participants as they emerge. Both are challenging in their own Berlin. These classes (sometimes called learning groups) are for ways, and the dancing negotiation between the two never ceases. youth arriving from non-German speaking contexts in order to The lines are blurry: when does freedom enable and when does it quickly and intensively learn German and catch up on basic edu- inhibit? The same goes for structure. cational requirements and then enter into the mainstream school In the first weeks, I worked a lot with image theater, inspired Elicitive Peace Workers - 13

by theater for living. The images worked alright, I could even animate them sometimes, but the channels for reflection and verbal expression were missing, the tools necessary to go further into that work. I’m a dancer, so I know words are not only severely inadequate, but also sometimes stones in the path to one’s truth. Yet, for collaboration, the verbal sharing of thoughts and experiences is crucial. I long to figure out how to let their insides out, their voices be heard. Sometimes I feel at a loss. I have 20 kids in a room who speak five different languages, and have at least 100 different stories that are asking to be told, so how do I meet them where they are at? How do I invite them and follow them, be invited by them, welcomed into alleyways of their internal labyrinths I would never see at first glance? A few weeks ago, after a meditation, we were all seated on the floor, cutting pieces of paper and gluing collages that reflected our inner images of home. I decided to put on some music on to accompany the process. While looking for something to play, Le Trio Joubran came up, a Palestinian trio of brothers who create music to Mahmoud Darwish’s poetry. I pressed play and immediately every Arabic-speaking participant looked up. Noor squealed and pointed, “Arabisch! Arabisch!”, Ali smiled and looked around proudly, Baker shouted down from the loft, and Mohammad, who does not yet speak a single word of German, but speaks novels with his eyes, lit up, looked at me and said with great seriousness, “Darwish”. Barely one line had been recited and he recognized the poet. It was a flash of insight into his depths, his past, his passion. I saw a light turn on and followed it. Mohammad’s favorite Darwish poem, The Dice Player, will now be the backbone of the performance. Suddenly he was a co-creator. As much as I agonize over the curriculum, trying to carve a path to their inner labyrinths, connection does not always happen in the moments I intend it to. It is often in the moments when I let go of the agenda that inspiration strikes. Welcoming is probably similar, it requires intentional, structured spaces, planning and education, but equally, the openness to listen, allow for difference and expression, serendipity and transformation, to be welcomed oneself. Welcoming is not linear or unilateral – we enter one another. If we welcome one another, as curious visitors and generous hosts, maybe we can transform each other and collaboratively create a home that does not yet exist. At least that is what I’ll be trying these next months, but… who am I to say to you what I say to you?

Thanks to „Haus der Begegnung“ for supporting this Volume. In cooperation with the Unesco Chair for Peace Studies they proudly present the following training: Konflikte überwinden und sich dabei weiterentwickeln – Lehrgang für ganzheitliche Konflikttransformation 9th of December 2016 - 24th of June 2017. The training will be in german. web: www.hausderbegegnung.com contact: hdb.kurse@dibk.at

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Welcoming is not linear or unilateral – we enter one another. If we welcome one another, as curious visitors and generous hosts, maybe we can transform each other and collaboratively create a home that does not yet exist.

JULIA METZGER-TRABER (S14, W15, S15) is a US American/German/Jewish performance and video artist, process facilitator and cultural theorist. Not bound to a single genre, medium or discipline, she allows form to follow from the demands of questions, drawing from her diverse background in improvisation, contemporary dance, somatics, Butoh, physical theater, social work and philosophy. Currently, she is running and facilitating movement, performance and public installation projects addressing racism, home and migration with youth and families across Berlin. Contact: julia.traber@gmail.com

REVOLUTIONARY MOMENTS? A CONVERSATION WITH KILIAN KLEINSCHMIDT, AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORKER, AID WORKER AND DIPLOMAT. INTERVIEW BY MANON ROELEVELD

Many Peaces Magazine Editor Manon Roeleveld has worked with IPA since November 2015 and took the opportunity to talk with Kilian Kleinschmidt about his revolutionary moments. Are you a revolutionary?

Kilian Kleinschmidt became known as the “Mayor of Za‘atari“ when he managed the refugee camp of Za‘atari in Northern Jordan from 2013-2014 on behalf of UNHCR. Za‘atari has become a symbol for new and innovative approaches in refugee and humanitarian management. Kilian is challenging the Humanitarian Aid Sector through his startup -the Innovation and Planning Agency (IPA). IPA, founded in 2014, aims at identifying and matching innovative solutions, resources and technologies with the needs of disadvantaged and displaced people. It reshapes humanitarian aid and development approaches by building sustainable and inclusive systems through global connectivity in its project, Switxboard (http://www.switxboard. net). Until recently he advised the Austrian Ministry of Interior and currently advises the German Ministry of Development on refugee issues.

KILIAN KLEINSCHMIDT: Somehow the revolutionaries and rebels I have met in my life were all corrupted by their own revolution. So actually, I am still looking for a model which really is revolutionary. When I was younger I kept looking for a good rebel and revolutionary who did not corrupt him/ herself. That has been kind of frustrating because a revolution usually goes hand in hand with some form of new institution building. Building up a new institution or some sort of new system usually triggers power and authority struggles which in the end, corrupt both the people and the original idea. In a certain way, I have experienced that having so many people believing in change, gives me Many Peaces Interviews - 15

a certain power. I feel that this can be very dangerous because that power can corrupt or turn against me. So my key question has been: “how can one become a good revolutionary without corrupting oneself?” What are the preconditions to become a revolutionary? One has to be very curious. There are a few people in the world who are truly curious. The world has been developing because people were explorers and they were discovering and taking risks and were never satisfied. They would always feel the need to go beyond. These days most people interestingly are not interested. They want to have control over a certain space or certain knowledge but they are not curious to look beyond these spaces. What is peace work for you? It is the art of people realizing there is a bit of truth in everything. The starting point in the building up of peace or a peace project is the presence of people who realize that everybody makes mistakes. There cannot be one reality, nor one truth. Many people are convinced that with their opinion they have that one truth and one reality. Just think about when you are arguing at home, there are always two opinions clashing and the moment where you actually begin to accept that there is also truth in what the other is saying, that is the first step towards peace. It requires a lot of maturity and making this work is a very hard job. Peace work is everywhere. What is the relation between peace work and revolution /revolutionary moments? The problem with a revolution is usually that it is something quite aggressive. It is not a smooth transformation or transiti-

on… Revolutions ask for rapid change. So revolution can be very diﬃcult to combine with peace. It is really radically changing something from one day to the next and that means that a number of people, opinions and values are left out and others become powerful. Do you think that a revolution is needed for peace in a way? Well sometimes...the status quo is something which can be very frustrating as well. A slow transition sometimes leads nowhere. For instance in the United Nations, we talk about transformation, improvement, eﬃciency

So my key question has been: how can one become a good revolutionary without corrupting oneself? and things like that. Still, nothing really happens in so many places and so you probably need some radical change to wake and shake everything up. What has been the most revolutionary shift in your career as a peace worker? When I realized that I was working for a system which I had hoped to be able to contribute to and to change, but in fact this could not and did not really happen. It was only one and a half years ago when I quit the United Nations. That was a very revolutionary moment for me as I stepped away from social and financial security and safety. I threw myself into uncertainty. It was a consequence of realizing that this was not me anymore. So I had given twenty something

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years of my life to then come to the point of realization that it was no longer fulfilling. Yet, I have no regrets taking this decision. Looking back to the past year(s), which moments do you recall and would you now describe to be important turning points in the refugee situation? The turning point clearly evolved during the events around the station in Budapest and the real turning point, at least in Europe, was this moment in which 71 people suffocated and were found dead in a truck here in Austria. These were moments in which it suddenly became very clear that something had to be done to receive these people in a faster and safer way. The refugees showed us that something was going very wrong and that this cannot continue. This is why I am often saying: We should be thankful for the millions of people who came to Europe because they have been shaking us up. It has shown us that globalization belongs to all of us and now the poor come to the rich as they realized what we got and can offer. Has this led to the change in mindset or the consciousness of the people in Europe? Suddenly people are discussing and debating globalization in a different way, they are discussing poor and rich, they are discussing development aid, and people suddenly listen to issues about humanitarian aid. People understand or try to understand, differences between migrants and refugees. These are dramatic changes because poor people from afar no longer came to Lampedusa or somewhere in Greece only. They suddenly came very close to home and breached our comfort zone. This is not like the previous movements we have had in Europe such as the two million Russians of German origin coming to Germany, guest worker schemes, the

Hungarian crisis, the Bosnian war and so on. These were all people who were similar to the Europeans. Suddenly we face groups of people with a very different perspective of the world who seem far off from the ‘Western Christianity dominated culture’. We became accessible because of globalization, information technology and rapid connectivity.

tively. So it happens through raising awareness and knowledge of all of us within politics, and in the end by simply doing it. More and more people in Europe are proactive and self organized when it comes to refugee related issues. Change by doing. Best practice, proof of concept, that is how it works the best.

point for change and evolution. A revolution might have to follow when it really comes to the breaking point and when there is blockage throughout. Nothing is perfect and everything is possible. Begin to tell yourself a future story and dream the impossible, this will be a moment that invention and evolution begin.

Which revolutionary moment(s) are you hoping/waiting for?

What are the preconditions for revolutionary moments?

How does social change occur?

First of all, that our ideas of change actually become mainstream and that what is mainstream now becomes exceptional. This means that decentralized, small, effective and fast capacities resolve issues all over the world without having to go through huge institutions. That is more and more what I see as the quote unquote organization of the future, which is: “that there is no organization.” There are lots of capacities, lots of people who can do something or who know something which lead to both small and big suppliers of ideas, technologies, and knowhow. Even to the extent of certain forms of disaster responses, do we really need big organizations to distribute cans and food and things? Or does it, in urgent situations, simply need a fast cash transfer so that people can actually take care of themselves?

The acceptance that nothing is perfect and to define and agree on the problem. Most people are very content with what they have. Content in the sense that they are not loo-

What do you think is needed for that change to happen? Where are the obstacles right now? I think it is the mindset of those who have that power right now within those big centralized institutions. They will of course not easily accept that the structures they hold onto are something of the past but in a way, I observe that even the multinational and corporate structures build up small units all over the place. In the same way, we need to create and decentralize multinational sorts of capacity in order to deliver more effec-

Peace work is the art of people realizing there is a bit of truth in everything. king for change. I have always been somebody who has said that nothing is perfect and everything can be improved. It made me look for something different and new all the time. It is a little bit like the IKEA principle. They have produced the shelf, BILLY, five or ten million times and yet they are still improving and changing it. There is never a final version. I think this is the starting

Quite interestingly, we have had social systems developing because the capitalists were getting worried that their workers (expendables) and their profits would disappear. Social structures, institutions and systems are pretty much linked to the worry of the rich, that the poor are really too poor to deliver. Consequently, the first industrial revolution produced hospitals, social housing, public transport and things like that. So a lot of what we are enjoying these days are products of that worry but that is not the true social change. The real social change is happening when we all, again, realize that the system in which we are living and functioning, is far from perfect. Humanity needs to share what it has got in order to survive. Our aim for Individualism and personal identity does not have to end there as it can lead to us contributing to social change. People need to dare to think ahead, innovate, invent and connect. To connect and share the knowledge we got in this world is our hope to survive.

MANON ROELEVELD (WT’12/13, ST’13, WT’13/14) was born in the Netherlands and currently lives in Vienna, Austria. She has worked at the International Peace Institute, has volunteered with Don Bosco in the refugeecamp Traiskirchen and with PROSA, organizing workshops with and for refugees. She now works with the Innovation and Planning agency (IPA) which aims at connecting the millions of poor and disadvantaged (strong focus on refugees) with relevant and under-utilized resources and modern technologies of the 21st century. Contact: manonroeleveld@gmail.com

Many Peaces Interviews - 17

PEACE ELICIT #1 SPACES FOR ELICITIVE CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION AND LIVED TRANSRATIONAL PEACES TEXT BY JANNIK GRESBRAND // PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL LAUER

t was summer 2015 inside the Nicaraguan Jungle on Isla de Ometepe. I was sitting at the base of a volcano where the spiritual, earth-based healing community Inanitah is located; gentle people, gentle nature, calmness, peace. This was the birthplace for Peace Elicits & The Culture of Many Peaces. 18 - Many Peaces Magazine

To talk about Peace Elicits means to talk about the personal story that led me all the way to Nicaragua. It is this personal context that embeds the initiation of this project and makes it transparent and graspable. It is a story about struggle and a clear moment of decision for transformation. Before I arrived at Inanitah I found myself in a deep personal crisis. I was stranded in Central America and faced those elementary questions of life: Where is my place? What is the meaning of my life? What are the actions for me to take here on earth? In short: What is my calling? In school, in university and through the jobs I previously had, I was taught that achievements and success are the ‘values’ that matter. Those ‘values’, when absorbed and repeated thoroughly as we can see quite obviously in our capitalistic world, become part of a predominantly cognitive, one-dimensional picture of the self. At Inanitah I experienced a social space in which I could let go of this one-dimensional mask. A space in which I could express and live the many dimensions of human nature, as an emotional, spiritual, physical and collective being. Spirituality, body-work and group-work were daily practices in this community. By giving those needs space to be expressed I slowly began to reconnect to myself and to find a way out of my struggles. It was only at the end of my stay in Nicaragua that I realised that I had already begun to live the answer of my initial question in regards to my calling.

The Moment of Decision to Create Peace Elicits By living my human nature’s various aspects, I gradually felt more and more in harmony with myself. I understood that connecting to myself and to the people in my life in this authentic and holistic manner is what my heart and my soul are really longing for. With only a couple of weeks left before my return to Europe, it all came down to this single moment with myself. This moment of clarity in which time seems to be put on hold in order to listen to the world’s, the cosmos’ or whoever’s calling: “Am I willing to create those collective spaces for authentic encounters by myself and in cooperation with my colleagues and friends?”. My decision was clear even before this question arose. After having returned home I shared my vision of creating those spaces, I call them Peace Elicits, with some good friends and colleagues from the MA Program in Peace. Since we, the alumni of the UNESCO Chair’s Peace Studies, are familiar with body and group-oriented methods and with values like safe space for authentic encounters, transformative and group-processes, we share a certain understanding – a certain culture – of mutual engagement that is of great benefit when starting such a project. Four months later we met for a brainstorm-weekend and soon started to conceptualise, to plan and to organise. Today we have a beautiful young project.

“Peace is the quality of how we relate.” With Peace Elicits we create those dedicated spaces for authentic encounter and continue to live and foster our precious Culture of Many Peaces. A culture that, unlike the mind-based values of our modern societies, is coined by togetherness, authenticity, personal and collective transformation and unfolding. With Peace Elicits we want to create possibilities to evoke the qualities of those beyond-cognitive-aspects of human nature and thus help to create a more holistic way of connecting to the personal self as well as to the collective. We believe that the quality of how we relate is key for conflict transformation on a personal and up to a societal level. This, of course, is also the quality for the perception of our many subjectively-sensed peaces.

Peace Elicits’ Mission & Structure Being inspired by the Transrational Peace Philosophy, Peace Elicits build upon three pillars: 1) Body-work. Since it is our body that hosts our entire being so to speak, it is a necessary instrument for experiencing a more holistic perception of the self. With the focus on body-oriented methods of elicitive conflict transformation we provide a foundation for the body to express and process. © Paul Lauer

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 19

2) Collective. Via socialisation many of us have learned conflictive self-images. Since socialisation is always relational and furthermore a lifelong process, we can learn more holistic and harmonious relations with ourselves and with the collective simply by creating social environments that support this learning. Within the Culture of Many Peaces we form this collective to continuously create those safe social spaces.

3) Regularity. On a daily basis, through our jobs, in universities and in modern society in general, many of us encounter those cognitive-focused and one-dimensional ways of engaging with ourselves and with fellow human beings. In order to learn and to strengthen more holistic and more peaceful perceptions of the self, continuous and regular encounters in an authentic manner support this process immensely. With these three pillars we create little breaks from the daily mindrush. Out of the initial brainstorm-team two branches formed. Structure-wise we have a branch for coordination – named the Peace-Elicits-Coordination-Team (PECO) – which coordinates, administers and conceptualises. Thus, a team that does all the important mind-work. The second branch is the organising one, filled by one or more changing individuals, forming the PeaceElicits-Organising-Teams (OTs). Each OT is planning, organising,

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All Peace Elicits can be different in terms of methods, teams and locations. Yet, they are thought to be in the same vein, of building upon the three pillars and of following a certain wave of enabling transformation and unfolding. implementing and facilitating the respective upcoming Peace Elicits. The idea is to have many different OTs from many different places and backgrounds. There was a German OT recently; the next could be a Scandinavian OT or an international one – bringing in their topics, their methods, their favoured facilitators and so on. Ideally, there are even several OTs preparing several Peace Elicits at the same time. By passing on the ‘organising-hat’ so to speak, we are able to split traveling costs, responsibilities and workloads. Everyone who is part of an OT can experiment with newly acquired methods or with their own facilitation skills. Especially when talking about Elicitive Peace Workers, we see Peace Elicits as an ideal ground for continuous training of methods and skills, self-awareness, self-reflection and self-eﬃcacy. All Peace Elicits can be different in terms of methods, teams and locations. Yet, they are thought to be in the same vein, of building upon the three pillars and of following a certain wave of enabling transformation and unfolding. In order to also allow people from outside the ‘Many Peaces Bubble’ to join the Peace Elicits & The Culture of Many Peaces, the PECO set up a clever system of keeping a certain percentage of participants who are able to carry and pass on the Many Peaces Culture. Right now, the PECO is working on a homepage, it is finalising our philosophy in concept, and it is assisting the OTs in their preparations and is arranging a foundation of a registered NGO.

Collectively Creating a Movement The weekend of April the 1st 2016 marked a heart-touching start of the Peace Elicits with a small group of fellow alumni. It was our first gathering and it was intended to take part within a small and trusted surrounding. Fifteen Elicitive Peace Workers and Scholars from six countries met for a full weekend in a warm and charming house named Ca’Stella in Southern Austria. The Peace Elicit’s topic was “Yin-Yang” and the dance with our feminine and masculine qualities. After having begun our collective journey with gentle methods for tuning in on Friday, Saturday was the main working part. With an intense and beautiful elicitive motion workshop, facilitated by Rosalie Kubny, we allowed physical and emotional realities to surface, to be expressed and to be transformed. Taking this quality as one of becoming more authentic in the way we express and show ourselves, this is the quality we started and continued to engage with over the entire weekend. As an important and intimate method we introduced the so called Transparency-Circle in order to allow cognitive integration. This circle’s main focus is to show up in an authentic way, to share and to make oneself transparent. It is for holding space mutually in the act of unfolding a truer, deeper, and more beautiful self that is inherent in each and every one of us.

For the overall structure of the weekend we aligned the methods and sessions following Gabrielle Roth’s model of the five rhythms in order to support the group-process we lived and worked through. On Sunday we closed our union with gentle sessions and methods. For us as the OT, as well as for many of us that have attended the first Peace Elicit, we were absolutely astounded by the intensity and depth of this short journey. Timewise it was just a weekend; experience-wise it was a world full of elicitive conflict transformation and lived transrational peaces. Many Peaces elicited by Many People Hence, I believe I can say that the first Peace Elicit was a very successful first run; it was a pilot-project for what is to come. Our aim is to grow big, to become a movement of many different Peace Elicits led by many different OTs so that the Culture of Many Peaces and its dedicated spaces for transformation and unfolding can continue to expand. If you feel like joining and then even organising a Peace Elicit, if you want to get involved in general or you are just curious, write us an email or call us.

contact: peaceelicits@gmail.com phone: +49(0)174 - 455 84 82 facebook: Peace Elicits & The Culture of Many Peaces JANNIK GRESBRAND (ST‘13, WT‘13/14, ST‘14) is based in Berlin and currently writing his MA Thesis about fostering and cultivating a Culture of Many Peaces. In this line he initiated and coordinates the international project Peace Elicits & The Culture of Many Peaces. Before this involvement he worked in the field of Development Cooperation and lived in Europe, Central America, Southern Africa and South East Asia. Since 2016 he is a practitioner of BioDynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release. Contact: jannik.gresbrand@gmail.com

The first Peace Elicit took place at Ca’Stella – a place facilitated by alumnus Paul Lauer. web: castella.weitundbreit.at contact: castella@weitundbreit.at

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 21

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies Established in 2001 the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck was strongly inspired by the UNESCO’s famous Manifesto 2000, which proposed to turn the new millennium into a new beginning, an opportunity to change, all together, the culture of war and violence into a culture of peace and non-violence. The six corner stones of the Manifesto 2000 are: - Respect the life and dignity of each human being - Practise active non-violence - Share time and material resources - Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity - Responsible consumer behaviour - New forms of solidarity.

QADIJAH ADZMIR (ST ’14, WT’14/15, ST’15), born in Malaysia, has been living in France and Austria since 2012 studying aeronautics and Peace Studies. Her thesis supervisor was Wolfgang Dietrich from whom she received tremendous support. She is currently living in Innsbruck. With a background in aircraft engineering, she is searching for new opportunities to implement her passions in both engineering and peace studies. Contact: qadijahadzmir@gmail.com

HEALING ANGER THROUGH DREAMS: What are its possibilities?

nger is present in our life. Dreams are present while we are sleeping. Interestingly, anger can be present in our dreams. How are these two elements connected to one another and what is their potential in healing processes? In this thesis, I present existing theories and unheard experiences of anger and dreams. My personal history that includes anger and my direct experiences with dreams led me to look deeper into dreams and anger for my research. I present different theories and findings on anger, dreams, consciousness, emotions, and feelings. I used active listening as my approach in order for the participants to share their stories of anger and dreams. As the research reached a final point, I found that there are ways to utilize dreams to heal anger, depending on the openness of the individual towards their dreams and the connection that they establish among dreams, anger, and the self. ***

Writing this thesis has led me to experience new dimensions in life, both physical and spiritual. During the writing process, I volunteered for the Innsbruck Nature Film Festival, in the Kufstein Red Cross, the International Children’s Games, I had three parttime jobs at one time, moved to four different flats within less than a year, had several bad flus during the winter season (facing these alone), and counted only one single digit in my bank account for months. Despite that, during these moments I encountered caring, loving, and smart people.. I fell in love with meditation and practiced it every Thursday at 6 a.m. I played rugby every Tuesday evening. Without realizing it, I experienced genuine human connections. When I was asked about my thesis, people started sharing their experiences with dreams, with anger. They opened up, and so did I.

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NEW MASTERS OF PEACE THERESA GOTTSCHALL (WT’ 13/14, ST’ 14, WT’ 14/15) is a recent graduate of the MA program for Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. Her thesis was supervised by Dr. Norbert Koppensteiner. After finishing a Yoga Teacher Training Course in March 2016 in India, she is currently attending a training course in dance and expression pedagogy. Additionally, she plans to take part in the next basic TaKeTiNa rhythm teacher training that commences in September 2016. Contact: theresa.gottschall@yahoo.de

LENA-MARIA DRUMMER (ST’13, WT’14, ST’14) is from Germany. She lived and worked in the NGO sector in Egypt. Her aim is to bridge differences and to overcome misunderstandings using elicitive conflict transformation tools, such as theater. She focuses particularly on the relationship between Europe and the MENA region, as well as Muslims and non-Muslims in Germany and Austria. She dedicates her research to Islam and conflict, explores inner struggles related to Muslim identities and tries to understand their implications on conflicts within the broader society. Contact: lena.m.drummer@gmail.com

SELF-UNFOLDING IN ISLAM

RHYTHM – THE ENGINE OF LIFE

Being Muslim in the Dichotomy of Ideal and Reality

his research is based on my particular interest in conflicts related to religious identity. It explores inner struggles of Muslims living in Germany and analyzes which social roles are hindering the process of self-unfolding. I apply methods of the “Theatre for Living” in order to give socially constructed and religiously founded ideals and roles a shape and a voice. Hence, this research allows for deeper insights into very intimate self-experiences of Muslims. It shows that Muslims are not only struggling with internalized voices of moral judgment that inhibit a person, but also with clichés that partially exist in non-Muslim and Muslim societies. The empirical analysis reveals subtle, subconscious processes and indicates how personal experiences reflect broader social conflicts. I introduce a transrational approach to Islam, which points towards the potential of conflict transformation within the framework of Islam. That is to integrate spiritual aspects of religion with the tradition of reason. ***

The presented thesis mirrors part of my own journey as a young Muslim woman. I build the research interest on my experiences gained in Egypt and Germany, weave in personal struggles that are linked to my religious identity and finally visualize my own constructed ideals and role images, such as the idea of a pious woman who remains silent about societal taboos. The process of writing this research and analyzing the research questions resembles a very personal process of self-unfolding, of liberation and of finding a voice to speak about the unspeakable.

Exploring the potential of rhythm in healing processes with an emphasis on TaKeTiNa

riting a master thesis in the frame of the Innsbruck program meant much more than doing strictly scientific research. I have taken this task as a possibility to share aspects of my life story, which I usually try to conceal and never before imagined these to be mentioned in my master thesis. By doing so, I hope to show the reader my personal motivation behind writing about rhythm and healing. In my research, I explore the significance of rhythm in relation to healing processes, grounded in the belief that rhythm is a crucial aspect in music and life itself. Importantly, I assume that my own experiences as a researcher are a valuable source of knowledge. By focusing on TaKeTiNa, Holotropic Breathwork, and 5Rhythms Dance - methods that I was introduced to within the frame of the Innsbruck school - I aim to show how rhythm can be used to enhance healing processes. In this context, I emphasize TaKeTiNa, assuming that this method is a valuable tool for elicitive conflict transformation. ***

My writing process was characterized by many ups and downs. On the one hand, there were moments when I seriously questioned my decision to write about healing, which was accompanied with a lot of self-doubts. On the other hand, I did not want to miss this great opportunity to dedicate my research to a topic that is so close to my heart. As you read these lines, I can happily say that my writing process has come to an end. In retrospect, I am grateful for having had the chance to explore the significance of rhythm in healing processes, which also enabled me to reflect on the question of what healing truly means to me. The conclusions I draw from this are, especially on a personal level, of immense value to me and weigh much more than the diﬃculties I faced during my writing journey.

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 23

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies The program took the Manifesto 2000 as an argument to gather faculty and students from all around the world to fill these points permanently with new life, to explore our planetary understanding of peace and conflict transformation. From there we concluded that there are as many peaces in the world as there are human perceptions and that the challenge for an academic program is to analyse the relation between these myriads of interpretations, evaluate their predominantly harmonious flow and find ways of transforming the sometimes competing interests. Thereof resulted a Call for Many Peaces, formulating the specific character of this program. Gradually we developed a systematic understanding of different forms of peace. According to our findings the main “families” of peace interpretations are - energetic peaces - moral peaces - modern peaces - postmodern peaces - transrational peaces

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JANA HORNBERGER (ST ‘13, WT’ 13/14, ST’ 14) is living in Germany where she is involved in different projects and is currently figuring out where her professional path will lead here now. Being a passionate peace worker, she is tempted to go back to the field to work with conflict transformation, dealing with the past and community processes in Central America. Also being a passionate scholar, she is considering deepening her research skills by doing a Phd. Contact: jana_hornberger@yahoo.de

DEN BLICK WAGEN

Internationale Friedensarbeit in Guatemala im Kaleidoskop der vielen Frieden

y thesis seeks to explore the motivation of Germans working within the field of peace and conflict in Guatemala. The country experienced one of the most ensanguined civil wars in the history of the American continent (1960-1996). The acts of violence and mass murder committed against the indigenous population have been classified as acts of genocide. Throughout 190 pages I explored whether or not the fact that Germans working for peace in Guatemala, is connected with their own national and personal history. From a transrational perspective, I explored if the aftermath of the Holocaust is still vibrating within the persona of the peace workers; the literature calls this phenomenon “the transgenerational transmission of (Holocaust) Trauma”. ***

How can I describe my personal experience of writing? Let me use the image of the kaleidoscope. By seeing through it you see patterns, small shining almost surreal-seeming images that move, transform and melt into something new. This is how I understand peace from a holistic perspective and this is also how I felt while writing. In the beginning I could not see the clear picture and that made me impatient. I had to let go of the image that I wanted to see, I had to trust. At one point I just wrote and step by step, patterns, images and routes appeared and transformed. I transformed and grew with every single page that was written until the full picture was finally there.

NEW MASTERS OF PEACE PUTRI KITNAS INESIA ( WT‘12/13, ST’13, WT’13/14) is currently living and teaching at an elementary school in Bokondini, Papua. She was working with a children-focused INGO in the conflict-prone area Papua Highlands, for several years before joining the MA Program. Her thesis supervisor is Dr. Johney Xavier who is currently based in Switzerland. Contact: putri.kitnas@gmail.com

ANNA-PIA RAUCH (ST’12, WT’12/13, ST’13) lives in Austria and has a diverse family and educational background in art education, ceramics, (earth) architecture and movement oriented body therapy. She is the mother of a two-year-old child, works as an art teacher and facilitates workshops with children and adults to get in touch with their primal capacity to connect to the surrounding elements and their selves. Her thesis supervisor was Wolfgang Dietrich. Contact: anna.pia@gmx.at

GLOCALIZATION IN EDUCATION TO STRENGTHEN CHILDREN’S IDENTITY

BECOMING A MOTHER

Case Study: Pakima Hani Hano Approach in Balim Valley

hrough my thesis research, I found that globalization has created a cultural lag and brought up new behaviors among the Balim people in Papua which oppose the traditional values and stimulate conflicts. The social conflict that occur is a manifestation of the inability to adapt to changing expectations and the deprivation of ontological security. Although indigenous knowledge is relevant for the children’s identity and education, it has slowly been perceived as obsolete. Formal schools are responsible for this erosion by solely instilling western-based knowledge and provide so little room for Balim’s recognition. In order to bridge this gap, I use an approach that is coined by Roland Robertson, known as glocalization. Glocalization implies using education as a vehicle for indigenous knowledge dissemination by integrating it in the national curriculum that promotes global knowledge. I used the Pakima Hani Hano approach that has been implemented in several schools in Jayawijaya Regent as a case study. ***

This research journey has altered my personal perspective on dealing with globalization and living with the indigenous communities. I realized that it is not an either or when it comes to the global or local approach because it is necessary to expose pupils to both knowledge systems in order to empower them to make their own decisions, to transform societal conflict in their surroundings. As a teacher, I am aware that the threat of globalization could be limited by using the existing indigenous knowledge to build up resilience instead of resistance.

Energetic aspects of crisis, transformation and mothering

his research suggests a shift in paradigm not only in the debate on the value of raising and caring for children, but also in its intuitive approach towards transformative writing which makes self-reflection and vulnerability its core. Through Elicitive Conflict Mapping and the “hero’s journey” I present pregnancy, birth and mothering as a calling into a rite of passage which, through crisis, allows transformation and creative unfolding. The intuitive approach in my thesis has opened up a door for me, to not only physically but also mentally take the place of a mother. Since this is a state which is reached more than once, I now refer to a feminist mother as a ‘becoming’ or ‘unfolding’. This process is an ongoing healing process from the internalized patterns of domination. In this sense I think of mothering as an informal education that leads me into a greater awareness of the necessity to educate myself in self-determination. ***

My thesis is about the struggle and search for balance between the vision that I have for my life and the responsibility that I choose to carry as a mother. From that point, and along that personal struggle, I perceive mothering as a potential for personal unfolding and learning that I wish to be recognized as work, education and peacework.

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 25

NEW MASTE The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies

JENNIE HELENE SANDSTAD (ST‘13, WT‘13/14, ST‘14) is a recent graduate of the MA Program for Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. Her thesis was supervised by Norbert Koppensteiner. Sandstad is a board member of ‘Borte Bra, Men Hjemme’, a Norwegian network and support-group for peace workers, and is currently working with social inclusion through the Red Cross. Contact: jenniesandstad@gmail.com

According to the four leading principles of the program, scientificity, inter-culturality, inter-disciplinarity and orientation on practical experience we try to transgress the limits of conventional modern and postmodern schools of peace studies, which are abundant all around the world. In addition to a first class academic education of the network in Peace Studies the Innsbruck program offers a special field training component designed to integrate academic excellence with the skills required in real conflict situations. Students have to be prepared for the adventure of a very holistic – physical, emotional and intellectual exploration of themselves, their society and in more general terms of the whole world. Transrational peaces, as defined in this program, twist the division between subject and object; they go beyond the conventional limits of reason; they are not only rational but also relational; they start the search for peace with the deconstruction of the observer’s identity; they apply all the methods of conventional peace studies and go much further. Thereof derives a unique curriculum and the world’s most challenging academic training program for peace workers. Applicants shall know that we do not only say that, we mean it and we do it!

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HEALING THE HEALERS THROUGH BREATHING MEDITATION

The connection between the elicitive peace worker and breathing meditation as a transrational method for peace work

orking with humanitarian crises or relief work, peace workers are increasingly and continually exposed to suffering. Neither the employers nor the employees may have suﬃcient understanding of the wounds this can create. Using my own traumatic episodes as the core of the thesis writing, I ask the question of how breathing meditation, as a transrational method, can be a tool for peace work. The concept of the conscious peace worker is an imperative character in my thesis. By talking to friends, family, peers and colleagues, I have come to realize that breathing meditation, as a transrational method for peace work, is applicable far beyond the figure of the peace worker. ***

The months of engaging deeply with trauma and healing was affecting me on every level. The conversations I had with previous peace workers and the stories from the field tunneled deep under my skin, and I felt a strong responsibility to finish the work (it took me two years!). Being an academic, a practitioner and a peace worker requires a delicate balance. Fortunately, I experienced that these dedications did not exclude one another, as my research method, the experiential understanding, was facilitating both my research and my own process, allowing me to integrate and embody the experiences through my work.

ERS OF PEACE HANNE TJERSLAND (ST 14, WT 14/15, ST 15) currently lives in Innsbruck, but she is born and has lived most of her life in Norway. She has studied to be a drama/theatre, Spanish and yoga teacher and is interested in how holistic practices, like dancing, drama/theatre and yoga, can help unfold wholeness and inner peaces. Her thesis is supervised by Norbert Koppensteiner. Contact: hanne_ht88@hotmail.com

Masters of Peace: Volume 12

HEALING SPACES BETWEEN FICTIONS AND REALITIES

Adham Hamed

Drama/Theatre as a Way to Integrate and Re-Tell One’s Stories - A Transrational Approach to Peaces -

n this thesis I have looked into how the holistic, embodied, cognitive, playful and artistic world of drama/theatre can facilitate the processes of re-embracing oneself as a dynamic and whole being: healing. I have looked at these healing processes by exploring how the stories people tell about their own lives influence the ways they relate to themselves and their surroundings and how they can therefore also learn to tell their stories slightly differently for more healing ways to unfold. I have chosen drama/theatre as my way of doing this healing re-storytelling because it is a practice that deeply speaks to my heart. Through this, I have realized how healing starts from safe spaces from where people can dare to embrace more and more of what they are and with this also make the decisions to continuously change themselves along with the flow of life. It is this I understand as healing: the courageous ability to continuously unfold one’s ever-changing here and now potential. ***

My research emerged out of a deep inner need to heal something inside, which started from my personal story. For a long time I have repressed huge parts of what I am and with this thesis I have searched for alternative and more healing ways to relate to my ever-changing, incomplete and perfectly imperfect being. My journey has brought me into dark inner corners, it has fuelled my anger and it has touched deep hidden pain and fear. However, through it I have re-discovered an aliveness I had forgotten I contained. All in all, my journey of writing has been a process to once again encounter, live and honor my life in its wholeness.

SPEAKING THE UNSPEAKABLE

Sounds of the Middle East Conflict

dham Hamed explores how a metaphoric understanding of the Middle East as an open space full of resonating sound bodies can be applied to the Middle East Conflict. Through inquiring into the experienced truths of large-scale political violence, the author suggests that music carries a potential for speaking ‘unspeakable’ truths. He explores hidden layers by applying the transrational approach to peace studies and proposes a non-territorial understanding of conflict. Hamed argues that security and justice discourses make up the dominant primary themes in this context. The Jerusalem Youth Chorus and the Egyptian band Eskenderella are examined as case studies. This book uncovers where their truths meet within and beyond the restrictions of formalized language. The author concludes that in moments of experienced resonance there is potential for change in the dynamics of rigid conflicts. Contents • The Transrational Model • Elicitive Conflict Mapping • Music in Conflict Transformation • Arab Uprisings and the Middle East Conflict

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 27

For the next volume, we would like to open the floor for alumni, students, faculty and peace facilitators to contribute to the magazine. We would very much like to see you engaged in any way you think is possible and feel passionate about. If this resonates with you â&#x20AC;&#x201C; please reach out to us. If a revolutionary moment shakes up the status quo and opens new spaces to do things differently we very much need you as editors, networkers, fundraisers and storytellers to contribute to that transformation as such. The vision for our new Many Peaces Magazine team structure is that all people involved facilitate a certain section of the magazine with a team of coordinators in the center who moderate the content, layout and overall logistics. In case you feel drawn to work on the intersections of peace and gender or simply want to share your ideas and passions please contact us via magazine@manypeaces.org to contribute as an editor, proofreader, article contributor or get involved with fundraising and magazine promotion!

ates Paulyfoauctilit d la ograapnh y phot

What do YOU wanna do? 28 - Many Peaces Magazine

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

Manon takes car of the overalle lo gistics

... peace and gender femininity womanhood ... Topic for Volume 5:

Mayme coord inates the editorial process

Appendix - 29

THE EDITORIAL TEAM Finance & Editorial

Editorial ISABELLE GUIBERT (ST‘12, WT‘13, ST‘13) is a traveller and a university lecturer in Innsbruck. She teaches languages and social subjects related to peace(s) and elicitiveness. As a workshop facilitator, she uses several methods of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Her research fields: trauma, amnesia, memory and transformation in relation to Argentina’s last dictatorship and France’s colonial past. She also holds an MA in English studies. Contact: isaguib@hotmail.com

STEFAN FREYTAG (ST’11, WT’12, ST’12) works at the Haus der Begegnung in Innsbruck organizing and hosting events in adult education. He is as well facilitating workshops about conflict engagement, political education and diversity in schools. He studied political science in Innsbruck and is currently writing his master thesis in Peace Studies about essential space in facilitation. He was born in Tirol in 1982. Contact: Bergele@gmx.at

Design & Photography

Editorial

PAUL LAUER (WT‘12, ST‘12, WT‘13, UPEACE‘13) is based in Vienna and works as a junior researcher at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig. He is a lecturer at the Institute of Environmental System Science in Graz and facilitates seminars on team building and conflict transformation. His research interests are focused on intrapersonal conflicts linked to social ecology. Contact: paul.lauer@modul7.at

MAYME LEFURGEY (UPEACE‘10-’11, ST‘12) is a recent graduate of the MA Program for Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. Her thesis was supervised by Daniela Ingruber. Currently, Mayme is a Ph.D. student at Western University in London, Canada. She is also an International Engagement Mentor with the international organization Omprakash and a Program Associate with Make Every Woman Count. Mayme has previously completed an MA in Gender and Peacebuilding at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Contact: malefurgey@gmail.com

Editorial MANON ROELEVELD (WT’12/13, ST’13, WT’13/14) was born in the Netherlands and currently lives in Vienna, Austria. She has worked at the International Peace Institute, has volunteered with Don Bosco in the refugeecamp Traiskirchen and with PROSA, organizing workshops with and for refugees. She now works with the Innovation and Planning agency (IPA) which aims at connecting the millions of poor and disadvantaged (strong focus on refugees) with relevant and under-utilized resources and modern technologies of the 21st century. Contact: manonroeleveld@gmail.com

Reviewing Editor

Reviewing Editor VLAD TOMA has just recently graduated from the MA Program for Peace in Innbruck. His passion lies in exploring the experience of being alive and in non-duality. Vlad holds weekly meetings in Toronto to create a space wherein such exploration can occur. He is currently doing research on technological means to explore mindfulness and forms of engagement beyond language and thought.

30 - Many Peaces Magazine

Many Peaces Magazine - Volume 4 - 2016 - 07 Published by AA RESPECT Grillhofweg 100, 6080 Vill, Austria Editorial: Stefan Freytag, Isabelle Guibert, Paul Lauer, Mayme Lefurgey, Manon Roeleveld

The Many Peaces Magazine is made possible by the financial support of cooperation partners, sponsors and donors. If you would like to support our project, please contact us: magazine@manypeaces.org

With the kind support of:

Tanzraum Innsbruck

Imprint: PUBLISHER: AA Respect, Grillhofweg 100, 6080 Vill, Austria EDITORIAL TEAM: Stefan Freytag, Isabelle Guibert, Paul Lauer, Mayme Lefurgey and Manon Roeleveld LAYOUT: Paul Lauer PICTURE EDITING: Paul Lauer COPY EDITING: Vlad Toma and Shibani Pandya COVERPICTURE: Paul Lauer LOGO DESIGN: Paul Lauer (Cover) and Sophie Friedel (Innsbruck Academic Festival for Many Peaces).

Appendix - 31

VOLUME 4 2016 - 07

“WE THEN EXPANDED OUR IDEA OF REDEFINING NARRATIVES BEYOND FOLKLORE TO INCLUDE POPULAR CULTURE, FILMS, BOOKS, PLAYS, ADVERTISING AND OTHER FIELDS IN WHICH WE IDENTIFIED A GENDERED IMBALANCE.” Shibani Pandya

Page 10

“THE WORD WILLKOMMENSKULTUR HAS PRACTICALLY BEEN ELEVATED TO THE STATUS OF A MANTRA, OR A CURSE.” Julia Metzger-Traber

Page 12

“PEACE WORK IS THE ART OF PEOPLE REALIZING THERE IS A BIT OF TRUTH IN EVERYTHING.” Kilian Kleinschmidt

Page 17

“ALL PEACE ELICITS CAN BE DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF METHODS, TEAMS AND LOCATIONS. YET, THEY ARE THOUGHT TO BE IN THE SAME VEIN, OF BUILDING UPON THE THREE PILLARS AND OF FOLLOWING A CERTAIN WAVE OF ENABLING TRANSFORMATION AND UNFOLDING.” Jannik Gresbrand

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