Saturday, December 20, 2014

Entre être et avoir, quel message pour Noël ?

DR PAMELA CHRABIEH

PUBLIE DANS L'ORIENT-LE-JOUR, 20 Décembre 2014
Noël « s'en vient » – j'utilise ici une expression acquise il y a quelques années au Québec. Entre Dubaï et Beyrouth, rabais, offres et foires abondent. La course vers l'idéal de l'avoir se fait ressentir avec une intensité hors pair. Du téléphone portable dernier cri à la Maserati GranCabrio, il semble loin le temps où les enfants recevaient comme cadeaux des fruits et quelques jouets artisanaux, où les messages fondamentaux de la fête religieuse étaient la charité, l'espoir, la paix et l'humanisme.

Noël, pour beaucoup, est synonyme actuellement d'une aubaine pour les commerçants, lesquels réalisent une grande partie de leurs bénéfices de l'année sur cette période. Le mois de décembre est synonyme de mois qui vend, donc qui engendre un maximum de profits, d'abondance de corps objets-capitaux soumis à un impératif de faire-valoir, ainsi que de produits devenus les « nouveaux besoins pour tous ».

À Beyrouth, il n'est en effet plus question de viande avariée, de coupures d'électricité, d'embouteillages monstres, d'infrastructures endommagées, de soldats kidnappés, de Daech et Cie, de corruption étatique, de crise environnementale et économique, de chômage, d'émigration et d'inégalités. En d'autres termes, il n'est plus question de besoins primaires, de l'estime, de la réalisation et de la convivialité. Ce qui compte est la nécessité de masquer le manque-à-être individuel et collectif, les privations, castrations et désirs insatisfaits, en se procurant des produits dont le caractère dit indispensable est fortement discutable.

Consommer des biens n'a rien de mal, ne rend pas idiot ni mauvais. Toutefois, l'aspect critiquable de la consommation est sa capacité à voiler le véritable malaise dont souffrent tant d'individus et de communautés, et à s'octroyer l'ensemble des ressources qui peuvent donner accès à un véritable épanouissement, un bonheur durable.

La logique de l'avoir n'a pas à être supplantée par celle de l'être, comme le préconisent les gourous de la contre-culture à la société de consommation. Mais un équilibre entre l'être et l'avoir est à rechercher. En ce sens, l'humain serait capable de ne pas se vider de son humanité, de gérer les traumatismes et frustrations, de surmonter les souffrances inévitables de la vie, de se respecter et respecter le monde qui l'entoure, de devenir libre, d'incarner les principes prêchés, d'aimer, mais aussi de se préparer à mourir les yeux ouverts.

Dr Pamela Chrabieh
American University in Dubaï

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

AUD Professor Contributes to Interfaith Dialogue: Dr. Chrabieh prominent voice on religious and political tolerance in the Middle East




The AUD School of Arts and Sciences was prominently showcased recently during the Christians Academic Forum for Citizenship in the Arab World (CAFCAW) academic conference as one of its notable faculty members, Dr. Pamela Chrabieh - Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, gave a presentation on ‘Major Current Challenges in the Middle East’.

The goal of the conference is to bring together Middle Eastern scholars, peacebuilding and interfaith organizations, and political and media figures, to assess the current situation of Christians in the Middle East and Interfaith Dialogue, as well as propose alternative worldviews, narratives and projects facing the culture of violence. To initiate a regional dialogue among academicians from diverse backgrounds and identities and launch a common platform of thought renewal and applied research.

As a founding member of CAFCAW and member of its executive committee, Dr. Chrabieh presented an overview of major current challenges facing most Middle Eastern countries and Middle Easterners, including the lack of balanced politics-religions relations, of pluralistic social-political systems and human/natural resources’ management; youth unemployment and emigration; obstacles to the effective realization of human rights/women’s rights; extremisms and the culture of violence.

The academic event followed three previous conferences in 2014 (Amman, Istanbul) where Middle Eastern Christian and Muslim scholars, religious leaders, media figures and politicians gathered to tackle and debate issues related to religions-politics’ relations, Interfaith Dialogue, Christians’ roles and situations and theology/fiqh[1] of public life.

Sunday, December 07, 2014

Major Current Challenges in the Middle East

'Major current challenges in the Middle East' is the title of Dr. Pamela Chrabieh's academic presentation during the CAFCAW Conference (December 6, 2014; Tamar Rotana Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon).
 
 
About this event:
 
This academic event followed 3 previous ones in 2014 (Amman and Istanbul). It gathered Middle Eastern Christian and Muslim scholars, religious leaders, media figures and politicians to tackle and debate issues related to religions-politics’ relations, Interfaith Dialogue, Christians’ roles and situations and theology/fiqh of public life. During this event, CAFCAW also launched its document ‘Christians of the Middle East and Public Life’.
 
Event's goals:
 
- To bring together Middle Eastern scholars, peacebuilding and interfaith organizations, and political and media figures, to assess the current situation of Christians in the Middle East and Interfaith Dialogue, and propose alternative worldviews, narratives and projects facing the culture of violence.
-  To initiate a regional dialogue among academicians from diverse backgrounds and identities and launch a common platform of thought renewal and applied research.
 
About Dr. Chrabieh's presentation:
 
As a founding member of CAFCAW and member of its executive committee, Dr. Chrabieh presented an overview of major current challenges facing most Middle Eastern countries and Middle Easterners, including the lack of balanced politics-religions relations, of pluralistic social-political systems and human/natural resources’ management; youth unemployment and emigration; obstacles to the effective realization of human rights/women’s rights; extremisms and the culture of violence.

For more information: http://www.cafcaw.org/
 






 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Deconstructing Stereotypes : Alternative Youth Narratives about the Middle East


SOURCE:

http://www.aud.edu/news_events/en/view/687/current_upcoming/deconstructing-stereotypes-



The School of Arts and Sciences at AUD held workshops for students in the Cultures of the Middle East course, part of the Middle Eastern Studies Certificate, where they had to deconstruct stereotypes about the region.

The students had to contribute to the construction of alternative narratives, using diverse methods of research, media sources and creative expressions. The workshop helped the students describe the complex realities of this large region while keeping a skeptical perspective to distinguish between fantasy and reality. The course highlighted this awareness of how points of views are shaped and become critical to develop a more complex and nuanced understanding of the Middle East.

The study of the Middle East is increasing incrementally as conflicts keep the region in the headlines. However, most international media channels, the entertainment industry, and many digital/social media hubs rarely go beyond those headlines to look at the complex cultures, religions, histories, social-economic-political systems and viewpoints of the respective countries and populations under debate. Old and new stereotypes picturing the Middle East as unfriendly, dangerous, violent, bloodthirsty, backward, or exotic, mysterious, another ‘Not Like Us’, have become part of individual and collective psyches, and have allowed theories such as Huntington’s ‘Clash of Civilizations’ with ethnocentrism and extreme binarism/polarization (‘us vs. them’) to flourish,” expresses Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies.

According to many students, the Middle East should not be defined as “a fertile environment for extremist movements”, with dictatorship and injustice as the two main features, but a “powerhouse” full of diverse energies, negative and positive, where people struggle and manage to survive just like others elsewhere, with common human fears and aspirations, and contribute to the evolution of humanity with their unique styles born of intricate mixtures of rich histories and paradoxes of deep-rooted traditions and continuously changing cultures.

The AUD Middle Eastern Studies Certificate is designed to give students an appreciation and understanding of the region in which they are currently studying and in which many will be pursuing professional careers. It is an opportunity for these students to enhance their knowledge of the cultural, historical, and political factors that have shaped the Middle East through time and to a large extent, explain the profile and texture of the current Middle Eastern landscape.

Students’ narratives were depicted on art boards, which can be summarized as follows: The Middle East does not have clear-cut boundaries, even if basic maps include Southwestern Asian countries and part of North Africa. People in the Middle East do not all live as nomads (in fact, very few live as nomads) and nomadism has both advantages and disadvantages, just like any postmodern lifestyle in the city. The Middle East is more than desert, camels and oil; it is quite urbanized and has some of the oldest cities in the world; it encompasses rich and diverse heritages and natural/human resources. The geography is diverse and includes everything from fertile river deltas and forests to mountain ranges and plateaus, snow in the winter and beaches in summer. Arabic is not the only language (there are at least 20 languages such as Persian, Turkish, Kurdish, Berber… and dozens of dialects) and the Arab identity is part of many other Middle Eastern ethnic/national identities. Islam is the predominant religion in the Middle East but the majority of the world’s Muslims are not Middle Eastern and live outside the Middle East, and other religions are also part of Middle Eastern histories and present-day cultures. The Middle East is not just one big bomb waiting to go off - violence is not inevitable in the Middle East and spaces of peace do exist, whether based on interfaith dialogue or other forms of dialogue. People in the Middle East are not uneducated and unworldly. Women’s status is not synonymous with oppression – there are different contexts, laws, applications, situations and experiences. Conflicts are part of many Middle Eastern lives, but stability, economic/cultural growth and advancement are also found in this region.
 

  

Monday, November 10, 2014

Peace Education in Lebanon: Case Study in the University Context (MEST FORUM, American University in Dubai)

 
The MEST faculty is glad to announce the launching of the MEST Forum, a monthly series of intellectual/scholarly activity to be held every last Tuesday of each month during the fall and the spring semesters.

Peace Education in Lebanon: Case Study in the University Context
Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies

Even if initiatives and practices of dialogue and living together have never ceased to exist in Lebanon, both physical and psychological/cultural aspects of war still prevail, fueled by a continuous struggle between hypomnesia and hypermnesia, and the inexistence of a common national war memory thus common history and identity. In this context, the new generations are inheriting the experience of war as still living memory, and are molding/converting this remembrance into some form of fixed historical and existential knowledge, allowing cycles of violence to be perpetuated. Peace Education plays an important role in breaking these cycles, by cultivating the knowledge and practices of a culture of peace.

Dr. Chrabieh's presentation will introduce the current Lebanese context in relation to war and war memory, as well as Peace Education initiatives in Lebanon and the main characteristics of a pedagogical approach shedeveloped and applied in her classrooms at St Josef University of Beirut, Notre Dame University and Holy Spirit University-USEK from 2007 till 2014.

Thursday, November 06, 2014

More than Ebola or ISIS (Da3ech), the Past would become “the Lash with which Yesterday flogs Tomorrow”!


Dr. Pamela Chrabieh (2014) – Dubai
500 students’ narratives of war and visions of peace were collected during storytelling sessions and art workshops from 2007 till 2014 in my classrooms at Holy Spirit University (USEK), St Josef University and Notre Dame University in Lebanon. This qualitative research with young people born in the 1990s, from different religious/sectarian, political  and social-economic affiliations, revealed the following: 
30% of students portrayed peace as the elimination, deportation or destruction of the ‘other’, perceived as an enemy. During one of the art workshops, a student drew a map of Lebanon in which he indicated with an arrow and a caption “Palestinians and Syrians back to their country” while other ones indicated “Israel to the sea”. According to this student, peace could not be achieved in the presence of these foreign elements, but only with their elimination or deportation. Another student argued: “Two people with their own different beliefs and perspectives concerning life, and life goals, can never unify and become one in a same country, especially if one people dominate the other by the use of force (i.e. Muslims and Christians)”.  A student drew all of the major political leaders and warlords looking down on Lebanon from the clouds with halos above their head. When asked to explain his caricature, the student said he thought Lebanon could only have peace when all of them would be dead.
25% of students think peace will be implemented when sectarianism is abolished, or even religions. A student drew a coffin in which a cross, a moon crescent and a Star of David were lying. The caption “R.I.P” was engraved on the coffin. “Rest in Peace” has a double meaning; also signifying people can also finally live in peace through the “death” of religion. Another student drew two separate identical boxes. In one of the boxes, she drew a Qur’an and a Bible. In the other box, she drew the Lebanese constitution. The student explained she thought both boxes were a gift from God, but that they needed to remain separate no matter what for peace to be achieved.
45% of students had positive attitudes toward others. Positive war memories were being shared in the classroom, especially stories of interreligious/inter-sectarian dialogue and conviviality. A Druze student recounted the story of her family who was able to pass through various checkpoints with the help of their childhood Christian friends to access a hospital during the Israeli invasion of Beirut in 1982. A student argued that peace comes with “the acceptance of the fact that I am a rock among many other rocks, here to stay, but nonetheless working in harmony with other rocks to allow the structure to stand”. One of the students drew a musical key with the caption “we are all part of the symphony!”. Another student used a famous juice ad slogan. He drew a carton can of juice, and then added all the different denominations which form Lebanon as if they were the main ingredients, with the slogan “There is a little bit of Lebanon in all fruits!”.
40% of the 500 students were not able to tell stories of the past. Many of these students’ parents were not affiliated to political parties, or they were ex-militia who never raised the war subject at home. Still, some were seeking ways to cope with the memory of past violence in order not to repeat it. According to one student: “If parents do not talk about the past, it does not mean that they did not communicate to their children a chronic fear, even if the original threat does not exist anymore. This fear leads to a culture of silence and makes people unable to handle any new conflict”. Many of these students living in a culture of silence at home were interested in digging into the past, trying to extract acknowledgement of wrongdoings and recognition of their identities. Others chose to rally with determined collective narratives – political parties’, sectarian narratives -, believing that they are the victims of ‘the other side’, that their actions are morally imperative toward the other side, that their dispositions are ‘moderate’ and they are willing to ‘sacrifice’ themselves for the sake of the nation, unlike ‘the other side’.
There were also students who preferred to follow the ‘blank page’ approach, believing the prospects of ending conflict were bleak, blaming the media, the political leaders, foreign powers and other elements for Lebanon’s misfortune and the improbability of an end to conflict. A student wrote “To be Lebanese, in my opinion, is to be in a constant state of wait. Lebanon is a project, nothing more, nothing less.” A Lebanese-born American student noted: “Do I believe my generation will be the one to finally live in peace? No, I do not. They all say the right things, advocate a homogeneous society, and speak of togetherness, but when it comes down to concrete actions, I believe most would side with their religion and-or political party in a time of conflict”. As part of an exercise where students were asked to define what it means to be Lebanese, a student wrote “To live here with my family with my minimum basic rights.” This disturbing thought reflects the student’s hopelessness through their acceptance of a life in sub-optimal conditions, as well as an inherent sense of pessimism in their ability to change Lebanon’s situation, and a lack of belief in their own agency.
Young people born years after the initial traumatizing events become part of the traumatic process. New generations inherit trauma from the previous generations. 60% of students told stories about how their parents and neighbors experienced physical war in the 1970s and 1980s. One of the students recounted a childhood memory: “My father taught me the basics of shooting guns when I was a child. He never clearly explained why he thought it was important for me to be trained, until the events of May 7, 2008 (when inter-sectarian clashes in Beirut occurred). He told me then ‘Do you see why I taught you how to fight?’”. A large part of this generation inherited the experience of violence as still living memory, molding and converting this remembrance into some form of fixed collective memory or historical knowledge.
It is in this crucial interval that the cycles of revenge can be perpetuated or interrupted. The moment of transmission is important to dwell on, because it is a moment of genuine hope and possibility, but also, a moment of real danger, with the past posing a threat to present and future stability.
More than Ebola or ISIS (Da3ech), the past would become “the lash with which yesterday flogs tomorrow”!
Photo: More than Ebola or ISIS (Da3ech), the Past would become “the Lash with which Yesterday flogs Tomorrow”! By Dr. Pamela Chrabieh on Red Lips High Heels' blog.</p>
<p>(...) " Young people born years after the initial traumatizing events become part of the traumatic process. New generations inherit trauma from the previous generations. 60% of students told stories about how their parents and neighbors experienced physical war in the 1970s and 1980s. One of the students recounted a childhood memory: “My father taught me the basics of shooting guns when I was a child. He never clearly explained why he thought it was important for me to be trained, until the events of May 7, 2008 (when inter-sectarian clashes in Beirut occurred). He told me then ‘Do you see why I taught you how to fight?’”. A large part of this generation inherited the experience of violence as still living memory, molding and converting this remembrance into some form of fixed collective memory or historical knowledge.</p>
<p>It is in this crucial interval that the cycles of revenge can be perpetuated or interrupted. The moment of transmission is important to dwell on, because it is a moment of genuine hope and possibility, but also, a moment of real danger, with the past posing a threat to present and future stability". </p>
<p>READ THE ARTICLE: http://www.redlipshighheels.com/more-than-ebola-or-isis-da3ech-the-past-would-become-the-lash-with-which-yesterday-flogs-tomorrow/
————————————————————————————————————————
This short article presents a summary of the results of this qualitative research. Other details were displayed in Oxford (2010) and in Balamand (2014). For more information, contact Dr. Pamela Chrabieh.
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Tuesday, November 04, 2014

Peace Education

The following article was published by the American University in Dubai (Faculty of Arts and Sciences):

Peace Education

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh

In An Agenda for Peace (1992), the former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali introduces to the concept of post-conflict peacebuilding as “an action to identify and support structures which will tend to strengthen and solidify peace in order to avoid a relapse into conflict”.[1] In other words: 1) Sources of violence are diverse – political, ideological, economic, social, ecological, historical and psychological. 2) War is not reduced to combats, alliances and treaties. 3) The absence of military battles does not in itself ensure local, regional and international peace, nor simple peacekeeping initiatives.

In Peace Education: How We Come to Love and Hate War (2011), Nel Noddings explores the psychological factors that support war, such as nationalism, hatred, religious extremism and the search of existential meaning[2]. In Le Virus de la violence (The Virus of Violence, 1998), the late Lebanese psychiatrist Adnan Houballah identifies two interrelated aspects of war: physical (perpetrated by groups of active fighters and armies) and psychological (war-related traumas and their outcomes within civilian populations, including post-traumatic stress disorders – behavioral and affective -, different mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia, latent tensions and inability to relate to others)[3]. In that perspective, peace cannot be achieved unless these sources are dealt with, and both aspects of war are handled. To that end, the fulfillment of a peacebuilding process is required,   including better political governance and economic systems, human rights, social justice and responsibility, intercultural and interfaith dialogues, ecological awareness, and peace education.

Peace education encompasses a diversity of pedagogical approaches within formal curricula in schools and universities and non-formal popular education projects implemented by local, regional and international organizations[4]. It aims to cultivate the knowledge and practices of a culture of peace. In the classroom, teachers can do little to reduce the economic and political causes of wars, but they can do much to moderate the psychological factors that promote violence by engaging students in a journey of understanding the forces that manipulate them; by introducing them to relevant psychological and pedagogical principles such as the contact experience, conciliation through personal story telling, reckoning with traumatic memories, body-word[5]; by understanding the socio-emotional aspects of reconciliation and discovering alternatives to violence; by fostering mutual respect and building bridges across differences.

Wars start in the human mind and peace education plays an important role in individual and collective mindset changes, from classrooms to communities, from grassroots peace activists, peace-movement organizations and international non-governmental organizations engaged in peace education to societies and local governments[6]. It contributes to the deconstruction of the so-called invincible aura surrounding wars, and to its transformation into a dim light bulb.

A cursory look at contemporary South Western Asian (i.e. Middle Eastern) history might seem to indicate, at first, that war is part of Middle Eastern genetic codes and cultures, and that peace cannot be. However, claiming that Middle Easterners are died-in-the-wool warriors with violence running in their veins is simply and sadly an awful stereotype created by anthropological legends, geopolitical gurus/experts and media propaganda. Peace is a past and present reality/experience/praxis in the region. It is part of the local DNA. It is, as described in many of the spiritual traditions[7], including the monotheistic religions that emerged from the South Western Asian mindset, the realization of humanity’s nature and an ordinary possibility.

However, for this possibility to become the general rule, the norm, there is an urgent need for actively and continuously implementing effective policies of peace education at all levels, geared towards promoting social cohesion beyond mere coexistence, as well as reconciliation and wisdom cultivation. Peace education is being applied in the region but it needs to expand. There are many conditions to pursue this expansion, such as support from private institutions and public authorities, sustained interaction between students and their teachers, and certainly, common initiatives between the different social entities: families, neighborhoods, religious and cultural communities, political parties and the media.
 

[1] An Agenda for Peace. Preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-keeping. Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to the statement adopted by the Summit Meeting of the Security Council on 31 January 1992.
[2] Peace Education: How We Come to Love and Hate War. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
[3] Le Virus de la violence. Paris, Albin Michel, 1998.
[4] Candice C. Carter. Conflict Resolution and Peace Education: Transformations across Disciplines. Palgrave MacMillan, 2012.
[5] Gavriel Salomon, Baruch Nevo (Eds.). Peace Education: The Concept, Principles, and Practices Around the World. Psychology Press, 2012.
[6] Ian Harris. Peace Education from the Grassroots. Information Age Publishing, 2013.
[7] Edward J. Brantmeier, Jing Lin, John P. Miller (Eds.). Spirituality, Religion, and Peace Education. Information Age Publishing, 2010.
 
 

Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Peace is an ordinary possibility

When one encounters a feeling of being stuck, it takes often a while to ask oneself: "What can I do?" Even more time to ask together, as one nation: ‘What can WE do?’

But once one and many acknowledge the magnitude of stuckness and start asking questions, when one and many allow grief to do its overwhelming justice without committing intellectual/spiritual/psychological suicide,  then things are already put in the motion of change.

The Greeks called this way of nature Enantiodromiaenantios = opposite, dromos = running course.  When something is fully admitted and recognized, it begins to turn into its opposite.

In the Lebanese case and most South Western Asian countries caught in the fires of war, once violence in all its forms, from domestic violence to A la Da3ech violence, is recognized by the local populations - recognition means here that the so-called invincible aura surrounding violence is no more -, then peace can be.

Auras disappear, or at least, could become dim lightbulbs.

I admit that a cursory look at contemporary Lebanese and South Western Asian history might seem to confirm that war is part of many individuals’ genetic code and-or part of their culture. Murderers, humans living in this region may sometimes be, but they are not all the died-in-the-wool warriors of anthropological legends and geopolitical gurus/experts.

Peace is also a past and present local reality/experience/praxis. It is part of the local DNA. It is not exceptional, nor impossible. It is, as described in many of the spiritual traditions, including the monotheistic religions that emerged from the South Western Asian mindset, the realization of humanity’s nature.

Peace is, simply put, an ordinary possibility… 

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh - AUD profile

SOURCE: http://www.aud.edu/About_AUD/directory.asp



DR. PAMELA CHRABIEH
Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies
Ph.D., Theology-Sciences of Religions, University of Montreal, Canada
M.A., Theology, Religions and Cultures, University of Montreal, Canada
Higher Diploma (DES) , Plastic Arts-Religious Arts and Icons’ Restoration, ALBA-University of Balamand, Lebanon

Dr. Chrabieh completed her doctoral dissertation in 2005 at the University of Montreal on sectarianism, interfaith dialogue and religions-politics relations in Lebanon, followed by two post-doctoral researches from 2005 till 2008 on war memory, youth and peacebuilding, financed by the University of Montreal and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
She taught undergraduate and graduate courses/seminars in English, Arabic and French, from 2004 till 2014, in Canada (University of Montreal) and Lebanon (St Josef University, Holy Spirit University and Notre Dame University). She joined AUD in Fall 2014.
Dr. Chrabieh has also been an academic researcher since 2001, conducting individual researches and participating in local, regional and international collective researches - including Canada, Lebanon, France and Denmark. She was Associate-Researcher and Director of International Relations at the Canada Research Chair – Islam, Pluralism and Globalization (University of Montreal) from 2007 till 2012, and currently acts as Senior-Expert at the same chair.

Research interests

 War memory and peacebuilding, interfaith/Intercultural relations, diversity management, politics-religions relations in the Middle East, theology of dialogue, youth and new media, women’s rights in Western Asia, migration studies, religious arts in the Middle East, etc.
Artist-painter since 1995, Dr. Chrabieh’s artwork has been mainly exhibited in Canada and Lebanon. Activist for peacebuilding and human rights/women’s rights since 1995, she has been a member of several local and international organizations. She founded in 2012 an online platform for Middle Eastern authors named ‘Red Lips High Heels’ (blog and Facebook page), intellectually engaged for peace and human rights/women’s rights.
Selected as one of the 100 most influential women in Lebanon (Women Leaders Directory 2013, Smart Center and Women in Front, Beirut), and ‘Most Exceptional Teaching Fellow’ in 2008 (University of Montreal), Dr. Chrabieh won several national and regional prizes in Canada (Forces Avenir Université de Montréal, Forces Avenir Québec, Prix Lieutenant-Gouverneur du Québec).
Dr. Chrabieh is the author of several academic papers, online articles and of the following books and book chapters.
 Books
  • المرأة في غرب آسيا، رحلة إلى الماضي. دار المشرق، 'دراسات في الأديان'، بيروت، ٢٠١٣
    Womanhood in Western Asia, A Journey to the Past (Beirut: Dar el-Machreq, 2013).
  • Quelle gestion des diversités au Liban ? Du confessionnalisme au pluralisme médiateur (Sarrebruck, Allemagne : Editions Universitaires Européennes, 2010).
  • Pamela Chrabieh Badine, Salim Daccache s.j. (ed.), La gestion de la diversité religieuse (Liban-Québec). Perspectives comparatives dans les secteurs juridique, politique et éducatif (Beyrouth : Publications de la Faculté des Sciences Religieuses, Institut d’études islamo-chrétiennes, Université Saint-Joseph, 2010).
  • La gestion de la diversité au Liban. Visions de jeunes du secondaire (Beyrouth : Dar el-Machreq, collection ‘Interaction islamo-chrétienne ’- Institut d’études islamo-chrétiennes de l’Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, 2009).
  • Voix-es de paix au Liban. Contribution de jeunes de 25-40 ans à la reconstruction nationale (Beyrouth : Dar el-Machreq, collection ‘Interaction islamo-chrétienne’- Institut d’études islamo-chrétiennes de l’Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, 2008).
  • A la rencontre de l’Islam. Itinéraire d’une spiritualité composite et engagée (Montréal : Médiaspaul, Collection ‘Spiritualités en dialogue’, 2006).
  • Icônes du Liban, au carrefour du dialogue des cultures (Montréal : Carte Blanche, 2003).

Book Chapters
  • ‘Youth, New Media and Peace in the Middle East’, with Charlotte Karagheuzian, in Anthropology of the Middle East and North Africa, Sherine Hafez & Susan Slyomovics (ed.), Indiana University Press, 2013.
  • ‘Youth and Peace: Alternative Voices in Lebanon’, The Metamorphosis of War. Plaw, Avery (Ed.) Rodopi, Amsterdam/New York, NY, 2012, XVIII, p.149-165.
  • ‘Civil and Human Rights in the Muslim World’, Modern Muslim Societies, Florian Pohl (ed.), New York (United States), Marshall Cavendish, 2010, p.168-187 (Chapter 8).
  • ‘Contributions of young Lebanese Canadians to Peacebuilding in Lebanon’, Politics, Culture and the Lebanese Diaspora, Paul Tabar and Jennifer Skulte-Ouaiss (ed.), United Kingdom, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010, p.176-192.
  • ‘Mémoires de guerre et blogosphère libanaise’, Mémoires de guerres au Liban (1975-1990), Franck Mermier et Christophe Varin (dir.), Arles, IFPO/Sindbad/Actes Sud, 2010, p.165-183.
  • ‘Dialogues islamo-chrétiens au Liban’/ Islamic-Christian Dialogues in Lebanon’, Trait d’union Islam-Christianisme/ Hyphen Islam-Christianity, ed. By Nada Raphael, Electrochocks Productions - Editions (Montreal, Canada) and Arab Printing Press (Lebanon), 2009, p. 646-655.
  • ‘Peut-on penser la fin de l’extrémisme islamique au Liban ?’, La religion à l’extrême, Martin Geoffroy et Jean-Guy Vaillancourt (dir.), Montréal, Médiaspaul, 2009, p.197-228.
  • ‘Is it still relevant to talk about Religion, Democracy and Human Rights in Lebanon?’, The World’s Religions after September 11, ed. By Arvind Sharma (4 volumes, 996 p.), Santa Barbara (California, USA), Praeger Publishers, volume 1, chapter 8, 2008.
  • ‘Breaking the Vicious Circle! Contributions of the 25-35 Lebanese Age Group’, Breaking the Cycle. Civil Wars in Lebanon, ed. By Youssef Choueiri, Center for Lebanese Studies (Oxford University) - Stacey International (London, United Kingdom), 2007, p.69-88.
  • 'Le 11 septembre 2001 ou l’inauguration de l’ère du choc des identités?’, La mondialisation du phénomène religieux, Michel Gardaz, Martin Geoffroy, Jean-Guy Vaillancourt (dir.), Montréal, Médiaspaul, 2007, p.91-105.
  • ‘L’engagement pour la réconciliation et la paix : actualisations de la pensée de Gibran Khalil Gibran’, Gibran K. Gibran, Pionnier de la Renaissance à venir (10 avril 1931- 10 avril 2006), Kaslik (Liban), Publications de l’Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik, Faculté des Lettres, 11, 2006, p.89-94.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

AUD Welcomes New Faculty Members For The Fall 2014 Semester

News Source: http://aud.edu/index.asp


(August 2014)


AUD welcomed new fulltime and part-time faculty members with a complete day of presentations and activities designed to introduce the newcomers to the university’s leadership, culture, programs, services, procedures, and policies as well as to familiarize them with life at AUD and in Dubai. “We are pleased to welcome such a talented and diverse group of individuals on board. All of us here at AUD really look forward to an academic year characterized by collaboration among all faculty and staff in fulfilling AUD’s mission,” said Mrs. Angele El Khoury, Director of Human Resources.

Dr. Lance de Masi, President of AUD, spoke to the new faculty members about AUD; its mission, objectives and their role in achieving them, as well as offered the ‘ten ‘presidential’ suggestions for their success at the university. He added, “To get to the essence of AUD, one must take seriously the most important claim we make in addressing our students: ‘Your success is our success’”. Moreover, Dr. Jihad Nader, Provost/Chief Academic Officer introduced the new faculty to the programs and key academic policies at AUD.

The day also included presentations from different AUD Administrative Offices including Admissions, Registrar, Finance, Institutional Effectiveness, Student Services, IT Services, External Relations, Marketing Communications, and Library Services – introducing AUD’s organizational structure to the new faculty members and familiarizing them with the university’s various functions. In addition, the Human Resources Office scheduled various breaks during the day allowing for socializing opportunities by the new faculty members where they mingled and networked with their colleagues and the AUD community.

This year’s new faculty recruits boast diversity, with members coming from more than a dozen different backgrounds and nationalities. Professors joining this year come from all corners of the world including the United States, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, England, and Japan.

The new faculty members include Dr. Layan El Hajj, Assistant Professor of Mathematics; Dr. Micah Robbins, Assistant Professor of English; Dr. Nadia Radwan, Assistant Professor of Art History; Dr. Marguerite Connor, Assistant Professor of English; Dr. Jonathan York, Assistant Professor of History; 
Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies; Prof. Loulou Malaeb, Assistant Professor of Humanities; Dr. Magdy El-Shamma, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies; Dr. Karen Mc Kinney, Assistant Professor of English; Dr. Omar Sabbagh, Assistant Professor of English; Dr. Tabitha Kenlon, Assistant Professor of English; Dr. Ann Marie Simmonds, Assistant Professor of English; Prof. Giscard El Khoury, Instructor in English; Prof. Takeshi Maruyama, Assistant Professor of Architecture; Prof. Michael Rice, Associate Professor of Studio Art; Prof. Flounder Lee, Assistant Professor of Studio Art; Dr. Annarita Cornaro, Assistant Professor of Architecture; Dr. Subramaniam Ponnaiyan , Assistant Professor of Decision Sciences; Dr. Odekhiren Amaize , Professor of Marketing Communications; Dr. Akram Al Matarneh, Assistant Professor of Business Administration; Dr. Nasreddine Saadouli, Associate Professor of Management; Prof. Nathaniel Light, Assistant Professor of Finance; Prof. Sumaya Kubeisy, Assistant Professor of Digital Production and Storytelling; Prof. Yasmine Bahrani, Assistant Professor of Communication and Information Studies - (Journalism); Dr. Vinod Pangracious, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering; Dr. Mona Nabhani, Visiting Associate Professor of Education.
The mission of the Office of Human Resources at AUD is to foster a positive work environment and to act as a resource for the university’s staff and faculty. The office acts to support AUD staff and faculty in their service to the university through a commitment to attract, orient, retain, motivate, and develop members of the university’s population to their fullest potential. The HR team provides services to impact and promote equity and impartial human relations.


Saturday, September 13, 2014

Red Lips High Heels: Un espace en ligne dédié aux droits de la femme

By Florence KANAAN 
(WE Initiative - PAMELA CHRABIEH, SUCCESS STORY OF A WOMAN)

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh


Qui dit Red Lips High Heels, dit droits de la femme et dit Pamela Chrabieh. Mais qui est cette femme au regard assuré, vif et tendre, qui lutte et débâtât pour défendre et protéger le droit de l’être humain et de la femme et spécialement au Liban? 
1- Qui est Pamela Chrabieh?
Libanaise et canadienne, épouse et mère, docteure en sciences des religions, professeur d’université, chercheuse, auteure, activiste et artiste, croyant fermement  au génie des êtres humains au-delà des empêchements, doutes et difficultés, au-delà de la culture de la violence
2-  Qu’est-ce que Red Lips High Heels?
Red Lips High Heels est une plateforme en ligne (blog et page Facebook) pour des auteurs-es et activistes luttant pour la paix et les droits humains/droits des femmes, en particulier au Liban, ainsi qu’au Moyen-Orient ou l’Asie du Sud-Ouest. Depuis que je l’ai créée en 2012, elle compte plus de 80 personnes engagées de manière régulière ou sporadique, de diverses appartenances ethniques, nationales, religieuses, confessionnelles, socio-économiques, générationnelles etc., écrivant en Arabe, Français, Anglais et parfois aussi, en Espagnol. La pluralité des approches féministes y est au rendez-vous, ainsi que la pluridisciplinarité académique, la poésie et l’écriture grand public (creative writing). La liberté d’expression, le respect mutuel et le dialogue constituent les règles d’or de la plateforme, et ses objectifs peuvent être résumés en ce qui suit : la contribution à la production d’un savoir contextuel,  pluriel et engagé, et à sa dissémination auprès d’un large public, au-delà des tours d’ivoire académiques ; la conscientisation (awareness) face au clash des ignorances et la contribution au changement des mentalités – beaucoup plus importante, à mon avis, qu’un changement de lois ; la déconstruction de stéréotypes, tabous et idéologies ‘normalisés’ au sein de nos sociétés et la reconstruction progressive de voix alternatives.
3- Pourquoi avoir choisi le nom “Red Lips High Heels” pour le blog?
Red Lips et High Heels ne devraient pas être compris d’une manière littérale mais symbolique : les lèvres rouges (longtemps perçues dans notre région comme appartenant au monde de l’interdit, du tabou) communicatrices de l’acceptation personnelle, de la transformation, du dynamisme et du courage. Des lèvres qui vibrent du passage du silence à la parole créatrice, de la mémoire meurtrie à la mémoire constructrice, de la survie à la vie. Porter des talons hauts (High Heels) d’une manière métaphorique et en maîtriser l’art/la technique réfère à l’autonomie et la capacitation, au-delà des obstacles dont le système patriarcal et la culture de la violence. Il s’agit aussi de rechercher l’équilibre entre l’interne et l’externe – les relations entre les appartenances qui constituent une partie du ‘moi’ et celles qui adviennent avec les ‘autres’ -, une meilleure gestion de la diversité des identités, basée sur le respect, le dialogue et ayant pour objectif la convivialité ou le vivre ensemble.
3- Comment réagit le public libanais, surtout la femme libanaise vis-à-vis de ce blog?
Suite au lancement de la plateforme, les réactions furent partagées, surtout de la part des organisations féministes établies dans le pays – hormis Women in Front par exemple qui milite pour les droits politiques des femmes libanaises  et qui m’invita à maintes reprises à participer à ses réunions et à présenter des conférences -, ainsi que du public anti-féministe lequel est constitué de femmes et d’hommes. Le passage du pensable (la ‘norme’ sociétale) à l’impensable/l’impensé (ce qui fut ou est marginalisé) crée nécessairement des remous. Toutefois, les réactions positives furent nombreuses : de la part d’un public averti (femmes et hommes), mais aussi qui ne l’était pas et découvrait pour la première fois ce genre de discours, visions et pratiques (femmes au foyer, femmes de carrière, des libanaises vivant au Liban et en diaspora, étudiantes au secondaire et à l’université, et des femmes de diverses nationalités interpellées par les causes des droits humains/droits des femmes et de la paix au niveau mondial); de la part de certains médias traditionnels (chaînes télévisées locales, européennes et nord-américaines, presse écrite et électronique)…
4- Quel a été l’impact de ce blog en réalité sur le terrain libanais?
Le blog compte actuellement des centaines de lecteurs-lectrices réguliers-ères et des milliers de lecteurs-lectrices irréguliers. La page Facebook compte plus de 17000 personnes (un nombre qui fut atteint progressivement, donc qui diffère d’une campagne ponctuelle ou d’un effet mode), avec une majorité de femmes libanaises (public cible en premier lieu, mais pas le seul) de toutes générations, confessions, statuts sociaux et tendances politiques. Certaines d’entre elles lisent, d’autres commentent et –ou partagent leurs histoires, et je reçois souvent des demandes d’aide – femmes battues, tentatives de suicide, etc. – que je redirige vers des organisations spécialisées dans l’assistance immédiate comme Kafa pour les cas de violence domestique. Des étudiantes d’université furent inspirées par la plateforme et le mouvement qui fut créé par la suite : certaines ont présenté des exposés dans leurs écoles et universités ; d’autres ont publié des articles et livres, ou ont produit des documentaires. Je reçois souvent des messages d’encouragement et de remerciements de la part de femmes vivant dans des conditions difficiles. L’impact est réel, au-delà du virtuel. 
5- Comment évaluez-vous le statut de la femme libanaise ?
A première vue, l’on peut affirmer qu’une partie des libanaises jouissent d’une marge de liberté introuvable dans certains pays avoisinants, et l’on peut se réjouir de certains acquis et avancées : la Constitution libanaise engage le Liban à appliquer la Déclaration Universelle des Droits de l’Homme et les traités relatifs aux droits humains. Cette constitution proclame entre autres, l’égalité politique des libanais : égalité de l’admissibilité aux fonctions politiques, au droit de vote et d’éligibilité. Le Liban a ratifié la Convention sur l’élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination à l’égard des femmes en 1997 (avec réserves). Quelques progrès furent réalisés dans le domaine de l’éducation des femmes, en particulier l’éducation supérieure. Selon le Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement, les femmes représentent la moitié de la population universitaire libanaise.  Le crime d’honneur qui était légitimé au Liban jusqu’en 1999, est considéré comme crime pénal depuis 2011 (l’article 562 du Code pénal fut aboli : il permettait à l’auteur d’un crime dit d’honneur de bénéficier d’une circonstance atténuante et d’une peine réduite lorsque le crime avait été perpétré à l’encontre d’une personne prise en flagrant délit d’adultère ou de rapports sexuels illégitimes). La société civile inclue des individus, des groupes et des associations militant pour les droits des femmes depuis des décennies, et dont les initiatives ne peuvent qu’être louées.
Toutefois, selon le rapport mondial sur l’écart entre les genres publié en 2013 par le Forum économique mondial (WEF) à Genève, le Liban occupe la 123e place sur 136 pays, en chute d’une place par rapport à 2012 et de cinq places par rapport à 2011. Au niveau de l’égalité économique (participation et opportunités économiques), le Liban occupe la 126e place, la 87e place en matière d’éducation (avec un écart complètement comblé en ce qui concerne les inscriptions pour des études secondaires et supérieures) et la 133e place au niveau de la participation à la vie politique. En effet, 3% des Parlementaires sont des femmes. Les dispositions légales discriminatoires à l’égard des femmes persistent dans la loi sur le statut personnel, dans le Code pénal ainsi que dans d’autres lois. Le taux d’activité des Libanaises ne culminait qu’à 22 % en 2011 (rapport de la Banque mondiale). Ce n’est pourtant pas par manque de diplômes mais davantage pour des raisons culturelles et logistiques que les femmes ne travaillent pas. S’occuper des tâches ménagères et des enfants reste majoritairement dévolu aux femmes. Elles sont nombreuses à arrêter de travailler quand elles fondent une famille. En effet, 68 % des Libanaises qui travaillent sont célibataires. Le bas taux de femmes actives dans le milieu du travail s’explique aussi en partie par le manque d’aide et de structures pour la garde des enfants, ainsi que par des salaires trop bas.
6- Quel rôle doit-elle principalement jouer?
Il n’existe pas un rôle spécifique pour la femme libanaise. Ses rôles peuvent être multiples, tout comme ceux des hommes d’ailleurs ; des rôles pareils, différents et complémentaires dans les secteurs privé et public, au niveau micro (la famille) et macro (la société). Il est vrai que divers obstacles limitent les choix. Pour que ceux-ci soient permis et accessibles, il est urgent d’agir à partir de la base et d’élargir les lieux de lutte déjà en place. Une révolution des mentalités devrait advenir, accompagnant le changement de lois, même si celle-ci prendrait des décennies. Pour que, justement, les femmes (la plupart) cessent d’être spectatrices, figurantes, mineures qui ne peuvent décider, exclues de la vie publique, de la politique, de l’histoire, et cessent d’être réduites à leur seule nature et condition de mère/épouse soumise ou de bel objet à admirer et baiser. Avec Red Lips High Heels, il s’agit d’affirmer par exemple que les femmes ne doivent et ne peuvent être tenues à l’écart de l’étude et de la réflexion, ni de la dissémination du savoir, de la liberté de créer et d’imposer leurs talents de créatrices.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Why we must teach/learn Peace

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh
(Lebanon, 2014)
The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.
(Nathaniel Branden)

Following the analysis of several documents tackling the issue of war in the Middle East, a student of mine asked this morning: “How can there be Peace in this bloody chaotic no man’s land?”
 This particular question settled in my mind many years ago. I answered it but also acted on the answer in the academic sphere: I started to develop a Peace Education approach that I called “Inter-Human Pedagogy” at the University of Montreal (2004-2006), then deepened and applied in my classrooms at St Josef University of Beirut, Notre Dame University and Holy Spirit University-USEK, targeting at least 3000 students over the course of several semesters since 2007.[1]
 I can share here the following outcome: contrary to what some might say – those who are convinced that violence is the way to stop violence -, Peace can be if taught and learned. 
1-      On Peace Education in Lebanon:
Peace education brings together multiple traditions of pedagogy, theories of education, and international initiatives for the advancement of human development through learning. It is fundamentally dynamic, interdisciplinary, and multicultural and grows out of the work of educators such as John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Paulo Freire, Johan Galtung, Elise and Kenneth Boulding, and many others.
Peace Education in Lebanon is mainly promoted by non-governmental organizations, mostly interreligious groups – such as Adyan, Arab Group for Muslim-Christian Dialogue, Forum for Development, Dialogue and Culture (FDCD), Initiative of Change, Umam, IPRA, Mouvement social, Offre-Joie, etc.-, as well as artists, intellectuals and online activists. Many initiatives by civil society have contributed to promoting tolerance and Peace since the late 1990s, especially in the last nine years. Grassroots student dialogue clubs have flourished in a number of secondary schools. They conduct off-campus programs and learning projects, weekend workshops, artistic events, summer camps, and participation in virtual social platforms. All share common goals: increasing tolerance, deconstructing stereotypes, reducing prejudices, changing visions of self and other, building interreligious/inter-sectarian bridges, reinforcing a sense of collective identity, contributing to conflict resolution…  International organizations are also involved in the Peacebuilding process. In particular, since the end of the 1990s, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Lebanon and the Arab Region Office of the Global Youth Network Association (GYAN) based in Beirut, have actively promoted measures for positive youth action.
A survey of the national curricula shows that throughout the 20th century, authorities have viewed education as a potentially unifying force.[i] The official curricula launched after 1943 consistently articulate a desire to bring together the various confessional factions for a cohesive nation through civic education, but apparently with little success. According to Frayha[ii], the social studies curricula and textbooks have lacked an important theme in educating students about their society, that is about pluralism. In Rethinking Education for Social Cohesion (edited by Maha Shuayb),[iii] the authors of several chapters state that Lebanon placed considerable emphasis on developing a school education system geared towards promoting social cohesion and that the Taif Agreement (1989) proposed education as a major means for promoting social cohesion. Consequently, the main objective of the curriculum was to promote citizenship education and social cohesion. The agreement called for schooling that will socialize children into national unity within the framework of Lebanon’s Arab identity. The subsequent Plan for Educational Reform emphasized national integration through instruction of mandatory standardized history and civics in all schools. However, the sectarian communities opposed the plan. Consequently, a New Framework for Education in Lebanon was conceived with two broad aims: the development of individuals able to deal with others in a spirit of responsible, cooperative citizens who can build a cohesive Lebanese society, and who are willing to put the common good ahead of personal interests. The new curriculum was issued in 1997, but the new national history curriculum and textbook have not yet been approved, mainly because of the controversy surrounding the recent history. In Shuayb’s analyses, this curriculum was developed from an authoritarian approach neglecting humanitarian ideologies in citizenship education as it overemphasizes the role of the citizen rather than the development of the personality.
Schools now determine what history they teach and the concepts are often contradictory. My students often expressed their frustration knowing that what they were taught was unilateral and/or not accurate. There is fear among many historians and educators that because no consensus about a common version of the recent history has been reached and taught in schools, the new generations are doomed to repeat the past, with most of them learning history from their parents, sectarian political parties and media.
Educating to Peace in the university context is considered to be a rare phenomenon. Little attention has been paid so far to the integration of Peace programs in universities. They are considered to be low priorities, along with the rest of social studies and the Humanities. Many avoid giving too much attention and resources to Peace studies, Social Sciences and Humanities for fear that some of the programs may become politicized. More emphasis is placed on subjects seen to be tangible and having practical value for competition in the local, regional, and global marketplaces. The crowded curriculum leaves little room for new concepts to be addressed. There is a need for experts and trained teachers/professors to develop contextual Peace education knowledge and to adapt it in classrooms – both in schools and universities.
Some exceptions are noted however: St Josef University offers a Master’s degree in Muslim-Christian Relations. Other universities such as Balamand founded Centers for Dialogue. Al-Makassed – a single faith-based organization which owns a university with an Institute of Islamic Studies – offers courses in Christianity taught by Christian believers. It also organizes punctual gatherings between Christian and Muslim villages. Imam Sadr Foundation works on reconciliation through academic institutions (conferences, workshops) and through development projects to improve the living conditions of the underprivileged.
Nevertheless, Peace Education in universities faces many challenges: 1) there are prevailing misconceptions about the aims and nature of Peace education – noting here that in my ‘Theology of Dialogue’ classrooms, many students perceived dialogue and Peace to be ‘idealistic’ concepts and attitudes, and that Christians should focus on surviving and defending their faith and existence using other means, including ‘just violence’ 2) there is a diversity of definitions of Peace education in the country, and a diversity of implemented approaches – some focus on interfaith dialogue, others on the religions-politics separation; some promote intellectual elitist circles of dialogue, others general public gatherings, spiritual encounters, and dialogue of life…
2-      My approach:
 I define Peace as a complex process of multiple dynamics involving Peacemaking, Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding and certainly, creating Peace in our own hearts, often the last place many people ever find it. Studying Peace/ learning Peace and doing Peace therefore is as much about getting the bombs out of our minds as it is about getting them out of the jihadi groups and authoritarian regimes. It is about replacing these bombs with the messages of Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Ibn Arabi, Gibran Khalil Gibran, Mother Theresa, and of many other pacifists with a nonviolence philosophy to live by, even if risky. It is about deconstructing stereotypes, wounded memories and healing traumas. It is about building a ‘living together’, beyond mere coexistence – a living together that certainly starts in schools and universities. Peter Kropotkin, the Russian pacifist, advised the young: “Think about the kind of world you want to live and work in. What do you need to build that world? Demand that your teachers teach you that!”
 Peace is taught in my classrooms not as a philosophy of tree hugging, nor as Jainism portrays nonviolence – the abrupt and strictest possible ascetic life -, but as a way of thinking informed with knowledge of love – the love of humanity – and a way of doing that is not shy about activating confrontation when necessary (active resistance). A positive realistic approach to Peace, targeting both psychological and physical forms of war/violence and developing creative alternatives to passive or aggressive responses at different levels: within any individual, between individuals, within families, communities, neighbourhoods, cities, provinces, nations… 
Peace practitioners and teachers cannot be expected to tackle all of these levels simultaneously and at all times, but certainly students are taught to be aware of the fact that Peace at one level cannot be sustained without Peace at another – for example, within the Civil Society and between heads of political parties – and that a ‘bottom-up’ adapted approach is much needed in a context such as the Lebanese one, where more concrete and effective results are to be gained. In that sense, students learn to discover the types of Peace actors – especially the local actors or ‘insiders’, even if actions undertaken by regional and international actors are often necessary – and the levels at which they should/could intervene – grassroots leadership. They also learn to discover a variety of sources of conflicts such as insecurity, poverty and social/economic inequalities, intra and inter-sectarian clashes, sectarianism, corruption, the continuity of wartime elite and the culture of impunity that protects them, opposing foreign policy orientations, foreign intervention and proxy battle-ground, etc. Nevertheless, the priority in classroom activities remains the psycho-social dimension of the conflicts, since it is an ideal dimension to assess the relevance of bottom-up approaches.[2] 
3-      Advantages:
Below is a summary of the results of a survey I conducted with 500 students assessing my approach: 
70% learned to function in a dialogical environment, where a spirit of understanding and togetherness, and a better mutual listening, allowed them to gain self-confidence and new skills to interact with different people. 
According to 25% of students, changes occurred mainly in attitudes, values and patterns of behaviour, which not only take time to transform but are also elusive and difficult to measure – needless to say that the courses do not result in a change in every student. I often encounter students who continue to believe that their worldview is the ‘right one’ and refuse the possibility of dialogue!
The 25% of students who experienced real change kept in touch with me via online platforms, and became activists for Peace and human rights – either individually or in groups. Often, these students send me messages where they relate what they have learned in my classrooms with their current social engagement. One of them called my approach ‘a pedagogy of engagement’: ‘We did not only learn about war and Peace, but we did Peace. We engaged in acts of civic responsibility in the classrooms and following the courses’. The enthusiasm shown by these students contradicts what has frequently been said about the general disenchantment of young people in Lebanon with politics and social activism. Certainly, there are those who apply the ostrich attitude, and those who follow sectarian-political agendas while hating each other, but there are also those who are looking for the adventure of Peace. 
4-      Limits and Future Perspectives:
Peace Education is being applied on a small scale. It needs to expand in all universities, as well as in schools. There are many conditions to pursue this expansion, such as support from private institutions and public authorities, sustained interaction between students and their teachers, interdependence in carrying out common tasks, etc. In the context of both formal and non-formal education, funding for projects and their sustainability are two major challenges. Only the elite schools and universities can offer sufficiently long training and the very important follow-up. Peace education ought to be considered a public good and as such should be offered as a free service to all.
Inequalities and discrimination constitute a major challenge. They do not disappear when the classroom doors close or when they open again. Students may continue pursuing opposing agendas, especially when they have unsupportive home environments. Even when they are equipped with a new way of perceiving themselves and the ‘others’, they enter into a collision course with their social surroundings holding ‘unquestionable truths’: home, neighborhood, sectarian communities, political parties and the media.
Furthermore, in a context of continuous war – physical and psychological -, and in a general atmosphere of hostility, especially when contradictory and mutually exclusive narratives exist, mirroring each other and delegitimizing each other’s goals, history, humanity and sufferings,  Peace education approaches are hard to disseminate. The chances for success may be very slim where the traditional media, politicians, and even the national educational system convey a mood of suspicion and animosity toward the ‘other’. For Peace education to be highly effective, the objectives and content must be agreed upon on a national level. It cannot remain a socially isolated affair. A culture of Peace is needed on large scale.
Furthermore, because of the bloated, inefficient, and corrupt public education system in Lebanon, there are presently not enough teachers and professors that are equipped to use Peace education approaches in the classroom. Their generation also suffers from the effects of the war, and thus many might hold negative views of others, and have distorted views of the war. Furthermore, professors must ensure that the classroom is a safe space where students can express themselves freely without fear of reprisal, but also where students respect others. When students share their narratives with others, there is a risk other students who feel targeted might be offended, and this would create a hostile environment. The educator must be skilled enough to prevent this and other explosive situations from happening. Hence, training programs and recruitment must take place, and it is unlikely there would be enough political will and public funds to make it happen in the near future.

[1] The results of a qualitative/quantitative study I conducted in order to assess my approach were presented at Oxford (2010) and Balamand (2014) universities.
[2] For more information about my ‘Inter-Human Pedagogy’, please refer to the published proceedings of Balamand’s Conference (March 2014).

[i] Irma-Kaarina Ghosn . The quest for national unity: rhetoric and reality of School Curricula in Lebanon. In IKirylo, J. & Nauman, A. (Eds.). Curriculum Development: Perspectives from around the World. 2010. Chicago: Association for Childhood Education International.
[ii] Frayha, N. Religious Conflict and the Role of Social Studies for Citizenship Education in the Lebanese Schools between 1920 and 1983. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. 1985. California: Stanford University, pp. 349-350.
[iii] Maha Shuayb (ed.). Rethinking Education for Social Cohesion. International Case Studies. 2012. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.