Peace Education in Lebanon - The 7th Asian Conference on Education (Kobe-Japan)

Academic Virtual presentation (power point video format) about my pedagogical approach and my research in three Lebanese universities from 2007 till 2014.

The 7th Asian Conference on Education,
Art Center of Kobe, Kobe, Japan
Wednesday, October 21 - Sunday, October 25, 2015
http://iafor.org/conferences/ace2015/

This virtual presentation will also be soon published here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/AsianCon...

Conference Programme - View on issuu via a web browser:
http://issuu.com/iafor/docs/ace-acset-aceurs-2015
(p.90/100)

Summary:

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh presents a paper entitled ‘Peace Education in Lebanon: Case Study in the University Context’ with a focus on the results of a qualitative research she conducted from 2007 till 2014 in three Lebanese Universities. Dr. Chrabieh has closely studied the initiatives of many peace activists in Lebanon from 2001 till 2007 and published a book about the subject ‘Voix-es de Paix au Liban’ (Voices/Paths of Peace in Lebanon) in 2008. When she came back from Canada to Lebanon and started teaching at St Josef University in Beirut, Notre Dame University and Holy Spirit University, she expanded her research to include high school students (with another book published in 2009) and 500 university students. This latest research’s progressive results were presented at Oxford-UK, Balamand-Lebanon, Istanbul-Turkey, Dubai-UAE and Rome-Italy. In her virtual presentation, Dr. Chrabieh introduces her audience to her final results, including her students’ visions of war and peace.

“Traumatic experiences of war may never disappear from the minds of many generations of Lebanese, and new wounded memories will be added to the old ones. But my research revealed the importance of creating alternative models of education through unconventional ideas and teaching techniques when it comes to the promotion of empathy, mutual respect and dialogue, as major peacebuilding pillars. Education, as I see it, is first and foremost about learning to be and become better human beings, capable of dealing with our individual and collective war traumas, of embracing our differences and constructing a common history/identity”.

Peace Education, from Lebanon to Italy

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh participates in the Int'l Journal of Arts & Sciences Conference Series in Rome

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Assistant Professor of Middle-Eastern Studies at the School of Arts and Sciences, recently participated in the International Journal of Arts and Sciences (IJAS) Conference Series, which took place at the American University in Rome.

“The Rome Conference was an exciting get together of multidisciplinary professors and scholars with common interests spanning from research methodology to teaching and education,” comments Dr. Chrabieh.

Dr. Chrabieh presented her paper entitled “Peace Education in Lebanon”, which focused on her pedagogical approach and applications in university classrooms from 2007 till 2014 in three Lebanese universities with 3000 graduate and undergraduate students of different religious, cultural, social-economic and political backgrounds.

She also introduced her audience to the positive changes the various class activities yielded in students’ perceptions and relations based on a qualitative research she conducted with 500 students, and to the obstacles that this approach faced in a context of local and regional physical and psychological wars.

She explains, “Obstacles to Peace Education are numerous, but I strongly believe that ‘Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time’ (L. Johnson). Every initiative for peace counts and certainly contributes to the culture of peace. However, Peace Education ought to become a public good in Lebanon and a major pillar in the national curricula (formal settings - schools and universities) if we truly want to break the war cycle and achieve sustainable peace.”

Dr. Chrabieh’s session included significant papers from transformative learning in online classes and teaching citizenship in a South African post conflict context, to retention in a diverse academic workplace in the UAE and planning formulation process in developing strategic plan for secondary schools improvement.

Dr. Chrabieh also had the opportunity to visit the AUR campus and learn more about what the Faculty members define as the educational immersion in the city – ‘Rome as a classroom’. “We do have similar initiatives at the American University in Dubai, for instance in my courses in Middle Eastern Studies: Dubai with its artistic and historical facets is considered a fertile field for learning,” she notes.

“Furthermore, I am planning on organizing more activities in 2016 and 2017 that would allow students (local, expats and study abroad students) to be immersed/re-immersed in the local cultures,” concludes Dr. Chrabieh.

The Conference Series aims were: to provide opportunities for academics from a range of disciplines and countries to share their research and receive in-depth feedback through face-to-face exchanges (Social Sciences and Humanities, Business and Economics, Teaching and Education, and Technology and Science); and to introduce academics to educational premises in locations that are suitable for study abroad programs and which may meet their students’ educational needs. 

 

SOURCE:

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN DUBAI

 

Middle Eastern Studies Forum Al Adha Cultural Event

A wonderful gathering of professors, staff and students, organized by the American University in Dubai's Middle Eastern Studies Division (a unit I am proud to be part of), to celebrate Al Adha in an intercultural setting. 

We shared food, listened to music and danced. Students participated in art workshops, and I finally completed my Adha Kufi style calligraphy on canvas ;)

A special thank you for our students and colleagues who worked hard, cooked amazingly well and sparked extraordinary positive vibes.

Looking forward to the next event!

With my colleagues Dr. Basak Ozoral and Dr. Nadia Wardeh

With our Students

Final touches to my Adha Kufi Style Calligraphy on Canvas

Shifting Identities in the Arab World

Source: American University in Dubai

www.aud.edu

The 'Red Lips High Heels' movement, by Al-Monitor

The 'Red Lips High Heels' movement

Al-Monitor, March 16, 2015

 

"Don't be fooled by Pamela Chrabieh's smile. Behind this charming facade lurks a powerful brain that has permanently left Chrabieh's mark on the women's rights movement in Lebanon and beyond. This Lebanese-Canadian woman grew up in a country at war, leading her to deeply contemplate human rights and the impact of religion on society. Today, she is a professor and researcher in Dubai and an accomplished activist".

Deeply affected by the Lebanese civil war, Chrabieh became a peace activist at 18. Interested in the arts, history and religion, she studied at the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts. Chrabieh then joined her fiance in Montreal, where she completed a master's degree in theology, religions and cultures, with a minor in religious studies, and earned a PhD in theology-sciences of religions, which was followed by two post-doctoral research positions.

Chrabieh told Al-Monitor, “My main interests were and still are relations between religion and politics and sectarianism, youth, war memory and peace building, feminism, art therapy, interreligious-intercultural dialogue and even more.” 

Chrabieh has won awards for her social activism, academic excellence and research publications and has been involved in various peace, human rights and women's rights organizations. She taught for a while at the University of Montreal, while also conducting research and publishing books and articles. After blogging on the 2006 Israeli invasion of south Lebanon, Chrabieh and her husband, Nemr Nicolas Badine, moved to Lebanon to start their family. Their daughter, Jana, was born in 2007. Chrabieh then returned to teaching at Saint Joseph University, Notre Dame University and Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, while continuing her research and activism.

One of Chrabieh's accomplishments is the blog Red Lips High Heels, which she started in 2012 and brings together individuals from various ethnic, religious, cultural, socio-economic and political backgrounds. Academicians, lawyers, psychologists, artists, educators, businesswomen and housewives, students, men and women, private and public sector workers, all are welcome to publish on the blog in French, Arabic and English.

Chrabieh said, “It draws people’s attention to the mouth, and subsequently, the voice that comes out of it — a long-oppressed voice that rings loud and clear as it questions ideology and culture, patriarchal beliefs and practices, and demands the social and political rights women lack in most Southwest Asian, Middle Eastern countries.

“Individuals who are part of the Red Lips High Heels movement do not necessarily wear red lipstick and high heels,” she said. “Diversity of feminism and human rights approaches is our motto. We invite people to ‘unlearn’ their traditional knowledge about women and human relations in the Middle East.” She added that the main objectives of this blog and community are to raise awareness and empower through the deconstruction of taboos, prejudices and stereotypes.

Chrabieh further explained, “The blog and Facebook page are spaces where individuals engage in writing, reading and commenting on content from their various perspectives and commitments in order to facilitate dialogue and partnership across differences.” Men are welcome to join the community. According to Chrabieh, “Manhood is not automatically linked to patriarchy, nor womanhood to feminism, and women are not the only ones frustrated by our society’s institutionalized misogyny.”

The idea behind Red Lips High Heels is part of a broader philosophy that Chrabieh applies to her everyday life, including her teaching. She described it to Al-Monitor, stating, “I search to establish a certain unity in the diversity of identities in my classrooms, with my colleagues, in the events I organize or attend and in the books and articles I write and publish.”

Learning and teaching are Chrabieh's way of fighting for a better society. “I chose to study and teach about religions because I was raised in an environment where religion played an important role in shaping mindsets and identities,” she said. “I wanted to understand the role of religions in wars, search for their contributions to peace, deconstruct misconceptions related to religions and then share my passion for the subject with my students. I believe that the extensive study of religions using different approaches helps us have empathy and respect for other people’s views.”

Chrabieh's involvement in feminism deepened when she moved back to Lebanon in 2006 and experienced discrimination simply for being “a woman in the public sphere.” She observed, “Unfortunately, there are no laws to ensure that women are protected from gender-based discrimination in the workplace, for instance, like sexual harassment, withholding promotions, differences in titles and wages for men and women at the same level of seniority and equal responsibilities.”

Pregnancy, hiring practices, clothing and appearance, religion and family are all obstacles preventing women from developing careers. During her years teaching religious sciences and theology in Lebanon, Chrabieh herself has struggled with these issues. She explained, “A woman might not be hired for a position simply because she is a woman, and thus has no intellectual and spiritual capabilities, such as in the management of the sacred or the production and dissemination of religious knowledge, or because the employer believes that women should only take care of their family and household.”

Chrabieh acknowledged her sadness about the situation, saying, "The discrimination towards working women continues, especially when women are highly qualified and have leadership skills.” Regardless, instead of being dejected, Chrabieh always tries to remain strong and face up to the challenges. “I believe that if we want to grow, flourish and bloom, individually and as a nation, we must work through some dirt first and deal with our fears, such as the fear of failure,” she argued. “It’s like riding a bike on the streets of Beirut. It involves tumbles and bruises, but you get back up, if you are still alive, brush yourself off and keep on going.”

In 2013, the SMART Center and Women in Front organization included Chrabieh in their “Women Leaders Directory,” recognizing her feminist advocacy and honoring her as one of the 100 most influential women in Lebanon. In 2014, Chrabieh took a full-time position at the American University in Dubai to teach Middle Eastern studies. She shared that she appreciated “the flourishing cultural scene, the co-existence of hundreds of ethnic and religious identities and the innovations,” but stressed most of all, “Emirati women have achieved immense progress in a few decades, and there are many examples of women holding key positions in public and private institutions.”

Chrabieh further observed, “Discrimination is still found when it comes to the social-cultural system according to local feminist scholars, and there are ongoing debates related to the Personal Status Law, not to mention the multiple roles that women play as mother, wife and career woman. However, many women have been enabled at the political and economic levels, and women’s associations are playing a pivotal role in changing the society’s perception of women and in enhancing their participation in the building and development of society.”

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/03/lebanon-female-religion-politics-researcher-chrabieh.html#ixzz3UcByfOx8

Thank you Florence Massena!

A visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

The School of Arts and Sciences, Middle East Studies Division, recently invited its students to discover the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

“Field visits to places of worship are an important feature in the study of religion in both schools and universities," explains Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies.
She continues “the opportunity to contextualize theoretical study of a religion by seeing the faith in practice and the objects of worship is vital for students to gain an understanding of religious worldviews, so as to say cognitive benefits from experiential encounters. Furthermore, there are affective benefits from visits including the fact that the atmosphere of a place can speak to the feelings.”

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was initiated by the late president of the United Arab Emirates, H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who wanted to build a place of worship which unites the cultural diversity of the Islamic world, as well as the historical and modern values of architecture and art.
It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. Its design and construction used artisans and materials such as marble stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics from many countries, including Italy, Germany, Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, Iran, China, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Greece and United Arab Emirates.

The visit came in the context of the following courses: MEST 350 Religions of the Middle East and WLDC 301 Religions of the World

COURSE DESCRIPTION

MEST 350 | RELIGIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST 
This course examines the beliefs, practices and institutions of the three Abrahamic faiths in the Middle East: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. This course also considers the shared origins and histories of these three religions, in particular the history of their interaction and interdependence in the Middle East.

WLDC 301 | RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD
This course surveys all of the most widely recognized (practiced) global religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism) as well as other, more regionally located religions (i.e., Jainism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism). Readings from various sacred texts are explored. The course also examines what is/is not traditionally regarded as a “religion.” Also explored is the interconnection between religion and the culture(s) with which they are most closely associated.

SOURCE:

http://www.aud.edu/news_events/en/view/776/current_upcoming/a-visit-to-the-sheikh-zayed-grand-mosque-in-abu-dhabi

Judaism, Christianity and Islam - Deconstructing Stereotypes (Workshop)

With my WLDC-301 Religions of the World students at the American University in Dubai.
February 2015

Paving the way for the development of intercultural/interreligious awareness is not an overnight business. It necessitates theoretical frameworks and classroom activities to move beyond superficial understandings of issues such as race, ethnicity, gender, identity construction and religion.

Following lectures/power point presentations on Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the workshop’s goal is to help students look at these religions from a different angle, interrogate their own assumptions and ideas, challenge most common stereotypes, and produce alternative narratives.

Viewing the world (and describing it) with the opportunity of removing the mono-cultural glasses and adopt intercultural/interreligious lens.