Research in Flanders Thematic Paper
Research in Times of Crisis
For this thematic paper we talked to: Chokri Ben Chikha, researcher and theatre maker Action Zoo Humaine, Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) and Royal Conservatory / School of Arts (University College Ghent) Lucia De Haene, co-director of the Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations (CCVS) and assistant professor Education, Culture and Society, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven Arnim Langer, director of the Centre for Research on Peace and Development (CRPD), KU Leuven
Thematic papers
The goal of the thematic papers is to present Flemish scientific research internationally. They
Geraldine Reymenants, at the time of the interview: member of staff at the Flemish Department of Foreign Affairs, currently: General Representative of the Government of Flanders in Southern Africa
focus on fundamental and applied research. The thematic papers are published by Research in Flanders, a project run by Flanders Knowledge Area. The project Research in Flanders is funded by the
Patrick Van de Voorde, Clinical Head Emergency Medicine - Consultant Paediatric Intensive Care, Ghent University Hospital
Flemish Government, Department of Foreign Affairs. Flanders Knowledge Area supports, through different projects, the internationalization of higher education in Flanders, Belgium.
Kim Van der Borght, professor of International Economic Law, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
www.researchinflanders.be www.flandersknowledgearea.be -2-
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in times of crisis The world can be a hard place to live in, but researchers at Flemish universities and university colleges strive to make it a better place. Their research aims to build better societies in times of crisis. Wars, armed conflicts, natural disasters, bad governance and other catastrophes have a major impact on the people involved as well as on the development of a healthy community and country. Years after the conflict has passed, the consequences are still there; the violence has left its mark on a physical, emotional, personal, and community level. The examples are plenty: Israel-Palestine, Northern Ireland, South Africa under Apartheid, the Iraq War, the earthquake in Haiti or the famines in Ethiopia and Sudan. ‘How do you improve the lives of traumatized people in areas of conflict?’, asks Kim Van der Borght, professor of International Economic Law at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. ‘And, how do you build a sustainable system within those difficult conditions? In the end, that is what all our research boils down to’.
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Scientific Network ‘Researchers aim to contribute to the development of sustainable resilience of a country’ -4-
‘Many Flemish researchers work in the field of trauma therapy and the building of peace in (post) conflict areas’, says Geraldine Reymenants of the Flemish Department of Foreign Affairs. ‘To leverage this research, and address the needs of communities and people who have been traumatized, we are looking into the feasibility of a Trauma and Transformation network’. Its main focus: How can Flemish scientific expertise contribute to trauma therapy and peace building during and in the aftermath of war, armed conflict, or a natural catastrophe? The network will combine Flemish multidisciplinary expertise on the topic and will enable academic researchers, fieldworkers, victims, and policy makers to work together on solutions. ‘The strength of such a network is its multidisciplinary nature’, agrees Kim Van der Borght, professor of International Economic Law at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. ‘You get confronted with aspects of conflict management which you would never have known about if you just stayed in your own field of expertise’. This leads towards a better understanding of what is happening in conflict situations. It is, for example, psychologically difficult for children to constantly see their parents in humiliating situations.
And, although psychology is not Van der Borght’s field of expertise, it is important to take into account as he does research in Palestinian communities. ‘Insights from different researchers and areas of expertise can help you approach your own research questions and hypotheses with an open mindset’, says Arnim Langer, director of the Centre for Research on Peace and Development (CRPD). ‘Post trauma reconstruction touches so many aspects of people’s lives’, says Lucia De Haene, co-director of the Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations (CCVS). ‘The challenge is not only psychological functioning, or establishing educational trajectories, like we do at CCVS. You really need a view which envelops every aspect of care and intervention in post-conflict situations’. Still, mostly, academic researchers stay on the side-lines, even though their expertise could have been invaluable when working on a sustainable and righteous solution during a conflict or disaster. Reymenants: ‘The aim of the network is to make Flemish expertise available in a flexible, direct, and fast manner. We aim to help in conflict management, prevent violence, and provide swift support in specific catastrophes’. -5-
The difficulty of working in conflict areas The members of the network could contribute to the development of sustainable resilience of a country and by doing so, they can help to reduce the risk of future violence and trauma. ‘Making a deliberate choice to work in conflict areas is not easy’, says Kim Van der Borght. ‘The area where I work - Palestine - is occupied territory. The different parties involved are not always very helpful. The many internal conflicts make it much more difficult to work with, as opposed to a place where nobody tries to obstruct you and everybody wants to press on’. ‘Working in conflict areas is a challenge’, admits Arnim Langer. ‘Depending on the nature of the conflict and violence which has occurred, there is often a lot of distrust, which makes it hard to talk about certain issues. People protect themselves by constructing a metaphorical wall. In these circumstances, extra effort is needed in ensuring a safe environment before people feel at ease enough to open up to a researcher’. In addition, there is a cultural distance and a specific difference in how various cultures handle trauma and psychological care.
Humanitarian aid always involves a meeting between culturally diverse partners. Langer: ‘Working together with a local partner is crucial, because the partner knows the context better and has access to places and people we as foreign researchers might find difficult to reach’.
My resea a better
So the challenges are many, and for now the Trauma and Transformation network focuses on a needs-based approach in three specific research streams: • Governance in transition • Psychosocial and educational approaches • Medical support and arranging healthcare In the next sections of this thematic paper the three research streams will be discussed.
Julie Krans is a researcher and lecturer of Clinical Psychology at KU Leuven. My research investigates our understanding of autobiographic memory processes during posttraumatic stress disorders, social fears and depression. A key role is played by processes that enhance the access to negative or traumatic memories. My research builds a better world because it helps to discover the memory processes which influence the development or prolonged existence of psychological complaints after a negative or traumatic experience. It contributes by forging and testing new ways to change these processes, which can lead to an alleviation of psychological problems.
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arch builds world because‌ Marlies Tierens is a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Applied Psychology at Thomas More University College.
Jef Peeters is professor emeritus of Social Philosophy and Ethics at Leuven University College and co-ordinator of the knowledge network Social Work in Transition.
My research investigates the psychological response of young victims and eyewitnesses after road traffic incidents. The research takes a deeper look into the importance of subjective approaches to the accident, into avoidant coping and into the social support during the development of posttraumatic stress reactions. In addition, the research looks at how posttraumatic stress reactions with parents can have an impact on the way they envision the symptoms of their own children.
My research investigates social work during transition and focuses on two questions: (1) what is the place and added value of social work during a transition to a sustainable society and (2) what transformation does the social work itself need to go through to accomplish this? My research builds a better world because social work is well placed to connect a social and an ecological approach in working together towards a liveable and righteous society. Social work builds a framework that combines the rebuilding of resilience with social change within a community.
My research builds a better world because it draws attention to better ways for offering care to young witnesses and victims of traumatic experiences like a road traffic incident, a type of accident that is quickly trivialized if it isn’t very serious. -7-
My research builds a better world because‌ Christel Stalpaert is a professor at the Department of Art, Music and Theatre Sciences and director of the research centre S:PAM (Studies in Performing Arts & Media) at Ghent University
Stefaan Smis is professor at the Centre for International Law at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. My research investigates international law, international protection of human rights and countries in transformation. I supervise PhD researchers from countries such as DR Congo, Burundi, Ethiopia and Palestine.
My research investigates non-lingual forms of trauma counselling, such as silent retreat in dance rituals and animism. These forms are currently being regarded as less efficient in the western mindset. Our research group researches the transformative power of puppetry art in relation to the traumatic Apartheid era in South Africa.
My research builds a better world because next to spreading theoretical knowledge as a professor, it is my duty to be active in the field. I am involved with various NGOs and co-founded the organization VORMEN, which gives training in human rights education in Flanders. I lead an inter-university project in Bukavu (DR Congo) which founded a knowledge centre that conducts research and specialized training on human rights and rule of law during armed conflicts. By building and spreading a better knowledge base in these fields of expertise, I hope to make a contribution to the stability of the region.
My research builds a better world because it transcends the current limited views about trauma engrained in the western mindset. By taking nonlingual forms of trauma counselling into account, and by having respect for culture-specific forms of trauma counselling, NGOs can potentially achieve better results.
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Governance in transition ‘How can we create a realistic framework with which the people or government can actually work?’ -9-
Reducing the risk of new violence and trauma in societies coming out of violence is easier said than done. Most of today’s 25 ongoing violent conflicts are taking place within self-contained countries, which is a big difference compared with 50 years ago when most wars were international conflicts between different countries. ‘Civil war or internal conflict makes it extremely difficult to establish sustainable peace, because sustainable peace is more than the mere absence of violence’, explains Arnim Langer, director of the Centre for Research on Peace and Development (CRPD) at KU Leuven. Internal sustainable peace involves, amongst other things, the creation of internal political stability, the establishment of a functioning democracy, effective state institutions, respect for human rights, and the establishment of a good educational system. The population should also enjoy a sufficient level of socio-economic security. Langer gives an example: ‘The Democratic Republic of the Congo is clearly stuck in a conflict trap: a negative cycle of violence, corruption, large numbers of refugees and internally displaced people, the absence of the rule of law, economic and social decline and widespread distrust between its people. On top of that, these problems and challenges have to be dealt with at the same time. It is not surprising that this situation is a breeding ground for new conflicts and conflict relapses, and is not a
viable foundation on which to build sustainable peace.’ The issue gets more complicated because the situation in each conflict area is very specific; which is why research is essential before implementing new systems. Kim Van der Borght, professor of International Economic Law at Vrije Universiteit Brussel: ‘It is not that hard to find the international best practices, but we can’t just do a so-called legal transplant and implement these practices, because you need to take the historical traditions, culture, and background of the specific country into account each and every time’. How can we create a realistic framework with which the people or government can actually work? That is an important question to which scientific research desires to provide the answer.
Intellectual property rights as an example One of the research projects of Kim Van der Borght advises the Palestinian government in matters of law; for example the law of - 10 -
Intellectual Property Rights. ‘Palestine has been ruled by Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Ottoman Empire. Every ruler has made his own set of laws, many of which are still in effect. Therefore, Palestine has a very complex rule of law and if you want to implement something new, you have to be sure that it is coherent with all the existing rules’, says Van der Borght. ‘We could advise Palestinian Authority that Palestine needs to increase its exports because that is an international best practice, but it doesn’t control its borders - Israel does’. The research on Palestine focuses on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). ‘To accomplish more economic traction and stronger institutions, Palestine needs more and bigger international investors.
To accomplish this the country needs a strong system of IPR; otherwise, investors will be wary and anxious that their ideas and brand will be stolen if they invest in the country’.
For now, Palestine doesn’t comply with the international laws of IPR. The solution seems a simple one: agree with the international laws of IPR and the big international investors will gather at your doorstep. ‘Not complying with IPR, however, does have a couple of advantages’, clarifies Van der Borght. ‘One advantage is that Palestine can produce generic medicines out of expensive branded medicines’. Not complying with IPR enables Palestinian companies to produce cheap variants of expensive medicines, a practice that supports the health care system enormously. On the other hand, they will discourage international investors. The research of Van der Borght aims to formulate possible solutions for the problem of IPR.
‘Sustainable peace is more than the mere absence of violence’ More information Centre for Research on Peace and Development (CRPD): crpd.eu - 11 -
People and community ‘Narratives can change how people think about their future’
© Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations
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A growing number of studies focuses on the psychosocial effects of collective violence. Next to the traditional individualized approach, the focus of this research widens to the effect of violence on families, communities and even entire societies. ‘We need to rethink our western view of individual therapeutic counselling’, says Lucia De Haene, co-director of the Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations (CCVS). ‘In post-conflict areas, this individual approach is inadequate and often culturally unusual. We have to broaden our view to a community-oriented approach’. Organized violence, such as collective sexual abuse, dissolves the most primal human interactions and bonds within a community. It isn’t a coincidence that rape is used as a weapon of war, because by damaging the honour of the women, the honour of the entire community gets damaged. That, in turn, undermines group loyalty and jeopardizes the future perspectives of the community. ‘It is on the level of community bonding, group loyalty and future perspectives that the psychosocial counselling has to take place’, emphasizes De Haene, ‘without losing sight of the individual person’.
Peace education to stabilize a country At the CCVS and the Centre for Research on Peace and Development (CRPD), researchers are working on peace education as a means to stabilize a country, and to make sustainable peace possible. Education can heal post-traumatic situations in a multitude of ways. It can rebuild the future perspectives of children and families, it can help in processing traumatic experiences, and it can rebuild entire communities by strengthening the ties and cohesion that may have been lost during the conflict. ‘A sustainable solution to a postconflict situation is only possible if the younger generation truly believes in peace. It is one of the reasons why humanitarian organizations put such a high value on emergency education’, adds De Haene. ‘In the Syrian refugee camps, emergency education is used on a large scale’. The power of stories Stories also help to rebuild a society, therefore it is important to know what impact narratives about recent war and violence can have on young people. Which stories will help in processing a trauma, and which could lead to new tensions? - 13 -
‘Together with researchers at the University of Bukavu in Eastern Congo, we are investigating how educational content and practices address - or don’t address matters like conflict, ethnicity and reconciliation’, says Arnim Langer of the Centre for Research on Peace and Development (CRPD). ‘It is an interdisciplinary project together with colleagues from anthropology and pedagogy. By combining their strength with ours, we aim to discover what kinds of narratives concerning conflict and peace are being promulgated by teachers in Congo, and what their impact is on pupils’ attitudes and views’. Narratives can change how people think about their future, and the future of their society as a whole. If used correctly, stories can build trust between different groups, which is an essential part of sustainable peace.
More information Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations (CCVS): centreforchildren.be Centre for Research on Peace and Development (CRPD): crpd.eu
The dynamics of building a better society The University of the Western Cape (South Africa), together with VLIR-UOS1, University of Antwerp, Ghent University, KU Leuven and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, recently concluded a ten-year cooperation programme called The Dynamics of Building a Better Society. During the Apartheid era in South Africa, the University of Western Cape (UWC) was labelled a ‘coloured school’, and received no benefits from the government’s educational system. In 1994, at the end of Apartheid, it was on its knees and bankrupt. In 2014 it is one of the top ten universities of the African continent, with over 4,000 first-year students. Flemish researchers, together with their South African counterparts, challenged the difficult questions on how to build better societies. In doing so, the participants of the project published countless publications and books, finished Masters and PhDs, became heads of departments, professors, or deans, and created five centres of excellence in the process. The programme provided fuel to the UWC and has built an enormous amount of academic capacity.
Brian O’Connell, Vice-Chancellor of the UWC: ‘One of the challenges at the end of Apartheid was that everybody thought they would all instantaneously receive the same level of prosperity. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. It is in the hands of communities and institutions to raise the level of prosperity of the people and that is a slow and difficult process. However, for us at UWC this process has been supercharged by the input of the Flemish researchers’. ‘The VLIR-UOS programme, and the knowledge of the Flemish researchers, gave a charge to the proverbial dead car battery of UWC. They brought us up to speed’, concludes Brian O’Connell. ‘We would have got to the place where we are standing now on our own, but we would have done it much, much more slowly. And for that, we have to thank the collaboration and partnership that was set up between the South African and Flemish researchers’. As Derek Hanekom, the Minister of Science and Technology of South Africa until mid-2014, stated at the closing event of the ten-year programme: ‘A good partnership between universities is important, because knowledge transfer is a social process you can’t learn from papers’. Video & more information Dynamics of building a better society - VLIR-UOS: bit.ly/1qqpQYf
1 VLIR-UOS supports partnerships between universities and university colleges in Flanders (Belgium) and the South looking for innovative responses to global and local challenges
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Healthcare ‘Flanders is doing ground-breaking research in the domain of developmental trauma disorder’ - 15 -
After a conflict or disaster, a country will be confronted with all sorts of health problems that are directly or indirectly related to the trauma. On top of that, common health problems like traffic injuries or diabetes, will be less easy to treat when the health care system is in chaos. ‘A recovering or unstable healthcare system might not have the capacity or means to deal with these problems’, says Dr. Patrick Van de Voorde, Clinical Head of Emergency Medicine and Consultant in Paediatric Intensive Care at Ghent University Hospital. A stable and well-constructed healthcare system, on the other hand, is able to cope with new problems without being directly dependent on acute emergency aid and will make a country more resilient against future traumas. The Flemish research into medical and healthcare organization, Van de Voorde explains, is strongest in the following three domains: 1. Maternal Health. ‘The multidisciplinary Belgian International Centre for Reproductive Health (ICRH) at Ghent University conducts leading research and provides training on reproductive health. They also look into other issues, such as the role of the mother in developing countries,
because mothers play a crucial role in the rebuilding of communities and social bonds after a conflict or disaster’. 2. Developmental trauma disorder. In Flanders - as well as in the rest of the world - a lot of attention goes to the topic of post-traumatic stress. What is the impact of posttraumatic stress, and how do people cope with it? Recently, a new term has begun to emerge in this field of study: developmental trauma disorder. Van de Voorde: ‘This term anticipates the impact of chronic problems like long wars or long famines. Chronic exposure to the problem provokes a very different image, in comparison to the acute events that cause post-traumatic stress. Developmental trauma disorder helps to understand that the problem can spread over different generations. Flanders is doing ground-breaking research in this domain’. 3. Fast response during disasters. Belgium is quickly gaining a solid knowledge base in acute humanitarian aid and emergency medicine. B-Fast, the Belgian First Aid and Support Team, increasingly maps its own actions, and collects data during its missions as well. But research in emergency or disaster medicine is difficult to - 16 -
conduct. It is hard to get proof of the added value of emergency medicine, because researchers often don’t have sufficient data to have a point of comparison. Van de Voorde: ‘We try nevertheless, because a lot of countries don’t need more tools, they need more expertise’. Researchers or doctors give that expertise through collaborative research, educational interventions, by working together and by diligently collecting data. More information International Centre for Reproductive Health (ICRH): icrh.org
‘A stable healthcare system is able to cope with new problems without being directly dependent on acute emergency aid’
Advanced Master in Disaster Medicine Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of several universities worldwide organizing the interuniversity Advanced Master in Disaster Medicine. This study succeeds in bringing widespread knowledge about medical interventions during disasters together in an educational programme. More information www.vub.ac.be/en/study/disaster-medicine www.dismedmaster.com - 17 -
The human zoo a scientific play with stereotypes I’m standing in the building where the coloured people of South Africa held their parliament during Apartheid. With its green couches and higher platform at the end, it has the setup of a courtroom. A better place for the performance of The Truth Commission will be hard to find.
‘There are different stereotype formats, such as factual, subjective, intersubjective, and performative’, explains Ben Chikha, ‘and they all present different truths and views. Once you know how they are constructed, you can play with them and place people on wrong or right tracks. That is exactly what we do in this play’.
even give birth to a child whose Flemish godfather and godmother were elected in a contest.
However, the play goes beyond a confrontation with the concept of Human Zoos, and draws on this particular historical event to talk about topics such as discrimination, immigration and stereotyping. The Truth Commission is a continuous The Truth Commission is an is- The human zoos balance on the thin line between it-reality-or-fiction play written ‘In Flanders, we still have to learn reality and fiction, backed by by researcher and theatre maker how to cope with our colonial past, academic research. The actors are Chokri Ben Chikha of the Royal and I wanted to boost the cultural put together with the audience Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) and debate’, says the researcher- in the courtroom, and the drama Royal Conservatory / School of theatre maker. Inspired by the unfolds around the spectators. It is Arts (University College Ghent), concept of South Africa’s Truth a drama about stereotypes: about who finished his PhD research on and Reconciliation Commission the Moroccan man, the African stereotypes in theatre. after Apartheid, Ben Chikha and lady, the Senegalese victim, and his companions staged their own uptight white people. Ben Chikha: ‘I wanted to combine truth commission. science and the arts. Research The audience looks at the play stays hidden mostly within the The topic of the commission is unfolding in front of him, but academic world and I wanted to The Human Zoos that were put up because Ben Chikha has thoroughly bring it out and into the open’. in Ghent during the 1913 world studied the way stereotypes work, During his PhD research, Ben expo. During this event, replicas of in the end it is the audience that Chikha has taken a deeper look a Senegalese and a Filipino village gets played. into the strategies involved in were built and - like a zoo - filled constructing stereotypes. He used with ethnic people. The exhibition that knowledge to write The Truth visitors could watch the Senegalese More information Commission. and Filipinos live, play, die and www.actionzoohumain.be - 18 -
Author: Toon Verlinden
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The thematic papers are published by Research in Flanders, a project run by Flanders Knowledge Area.
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The project Research in Flanders is funded by the Flemish Government, Department of Foreign Affairs. our knowledge makes the difference
Flanders Knowledge Area supports, through different projects, the internationalization of higher education in Flanders, Belgium.
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Editions 1. 2. 3. 4. - 19 -
Materials Science Urban Planning Industrial Design Research in Times of Crisis
Š Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations