Academic Conference8-9 July 2002, the Netherlands

Empowering Humanity- Work in Progress

The conference Empowering Humanity marks the 50th anniversary of the International Humanist and Ethical Union. The conference aims to discuss some of the major issues addressed in the university's research programme 'Humanism, Meanings of Life, Care and Citizenship'; such as:

• how can academic research be combined with a political, moral and existential programme?
• what does 'humanist inspiration' imply in such research?
• how can humanist studies as an academic discipline be combined with humanist practices?

  These and similar questions will be addressed by the conference's keynote speakers, dr. Ann Phoenix (Open University, London) and prof. Harry Kunneman (University for Humanist Studies). They will also be discussed during the four workshops.

Workshops

Workshop I: Humanism in local contexts: theories and practicesChair: Dr Peter Derkx, University for Humanist Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Papers:

1. "Humanity in Theory and Inhumanity in Practice: The Ambivalence of Catherine the Great’s Rule in EighteenthCentury Russia". Dr EvaMaria Stolberg (Lecturer in Russian History, Institute of East European & Russian History, University of Bonn).
2. "Anxiously Remembering the Sea of Faith: Knowledge, Censorship and Britain’s Problems with Rationalist Modernity". Dr David S. Nash (Senior Lecturer in History, Oxford Brookes University UK).
3. "A Humanist Response to the Environmental Crisis". Dr Tatiana Kochetkova (Postdoctorate Researcher, University for Humanist Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands).
4. "The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU): Insights into the International Spectrum of Humanism". Drs Bert Gasenbeek (Researcher, University for Humanist Studies & Drs Hans van Deukeren, Historian, Humanist Archive, Utrecht, The Netherlands).
5. "Humanism in PostSoviet Russia: Some Aspects of Theory, History and Actuality". Dr. Mikhail Konashev (Researcher, St. Petersburg Branch, Institute of the History of Natural Sciences and Technology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Russia).
6. "The Quest for a Cosmopolitical Ethics: The Problem of the Identification of Ideological Humanism with Originally European Enlightenment Thinking". Dr. Henk Manschot (Professor of Ethics, University for Humanist Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands).

Workshop II: ‘Humanistics as a new discipline’.Chair: dr. Adri Smaling, University for Humanist Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Papers:

1. "Empowering humanity means empowering the readiness for understanding". Prof. Georgiy Bogin (University of Tver, Russia).
2. "About love and power and about being human first". Ine Buskens (MA University of Stellenbosch, South Africa).
3. "Humanism is a naturalism". Dr. Bill Cooke (Manukau Institute of Technology, New Zealand).
4. "The new naturalists". Austin Dacey (PhD Director Center for Inquiry Institute, Amherst, New York, USA).
5. "Hermeneutics of imitation". Dr. Joachim Duyndam (University for Humanist Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands).
6. "The idea of an inclusive science". Prof. Ilja Maso (University for Humanist Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands).
7. "Dialogue, normative rationality and humanist studies". Coyan Tromp, (MA University of Utrecht, The Netherlands).
8. "The approach of humanistic teaching and humanistic research". Prof. Galina Saganenko (Sociological Institute, University of St. Petersburg, Russia).

Workshop III: Equality and DiversityChair: dr. Annemie Halsema, University for Humanist Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Papers:

1. "The Glass Labyrinth. Subtle Mechanisms of Exclusion and the Role of Academic Research". Dr. Rita Sever (School of Education, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel).
2. "Multiculturalism in Diasporic Societies: A Challenge to Literary and Humanistic Studies". Dr. Sharon Orig (Literature Department, University of Asia and the Pacific, Pasig City, The Phillipines).
3. "Humanism and Multicultural Citizenship". Dr. Patrick Loobuyck (Philosophy, University Gent, Gent, Belgium).
4. Title unknown. Prof. A. Phoenix (Psychology, Open University London).
5. "Human Rights". Dr. R. Buitenweg (Law, University for Humanist Studies).

Workshop IV: Quality of life and wellbeingChair: dr. Joep Dohmen, University for Humanist Studies, The Netherlands.

Papers:

1. "Practices of friendship, views of life, anxiety". Marieke Borren (University for Humanist Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands).
2. "On the quality of my life for me". Jan Bransen (University of Utrecht, The Netherlands)
3. "Art of living and quality in life". Miek den Daas (University for Humanist Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands).
4. "Selffulfillment". Joep Dohmen (University for Humanist Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands).
5. "Good life at old age". Sjaak van der Geest (Medical Antropology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands).
6. "'Little engine make may day' The influence of Information and communication technologies of the quality of life, shown from an experiment of the Daily Routine Enactment (Stimuleringsmaatregel dagindeling)". Carola Kruijswijk (University of Twente, Philosophy and Social Sciences, The Netherlands).
7. "The 'good' life for demented nursing home residents?". Maartje Schermer (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands).

Programme

Monday July 809.30 - 10.00 Registration10.00 - 10.15 Opening address by the director of the research institute of the Universityfor Humanist Studies, Douwe van Houten.10.15 - 11.00 Keynote speech by Ann Phoenix, Open University, UK11.00 - 11.15 Coffee-break11.15 - 12.00 Discussion in 4 parallel groups12.00 - 12.30 Plenary discussion12.30 - 13.30 Lunch break13.30 - 16.00 Paper presentations16.30 - 17.00 Provisional Summary

Tuesday July 909.30 - 10.00 "Humanistics as a new academic discipline" by Harry Kunneman10.00 - 11.00 Discussion in 4 parallel groups11.00 - 11.15 Coffee-break11.15 - 11.45 Plenary feed-back and discussion12.00 - 13.00 Paper presentations13.00 - 14.00 Lunchbreak14.00 - 15.00 Final group discussions and recommendations15.00 - 15.15 Teabreak15.15 - 16.00 Plenary discussion16.00 - 17.00 Feed back ‘observators’17.00 - 17.30 Closing meeting17.30 Drinks and buffet