Online Zoom Forum: The Traumatic Foundations of War and Conflict: Spiritual, Social, and Policy Perspectives.
Date: Wednesday 12 June 2024.
Time: 7pm-9pm (UK time).
Event Description:
Format: There will be five talks, each of 12 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of discussion among the speakers and the chair, followed by Q & A.
Chair:
Prof Lynn Jamieson, Researcher and Chair of Scottish CND.
Speakers:
David Somervell:
Title: Responding to Conflict - Peace & Justice links Global and Local.
Bio: David Somervell, convener of trustees, Peace & Justice, will reflect on the drivers for aggression, at an individual and a national level; and share how P&J as a charity is exploring conflict resolution, trust building and community capacity building with local organisations representing both those impacted by 14 years of austerity and those newly arrived in the city who have fled from civil wars. David is a Quaker who has also followed the Buddhist practice shared by Thich Nhat Hanh which advocates Peace in Every Step, Peace in the heart, peace in the family, peace in the community and peace in the world.
https://PeaceandJustice.org.uk
Iona Soper:
Title: Peace is a Woman’s Struggle: Legacies from Lifetimes of Conflict in Rojava, Syria
Description: In the Spring of 2023, Iona took part in a delegation of women from Scotland to the autonomous region of North East Syria to learn about the journey from the 2011 Rojava Revolution to the system of democratic confederalism they are building today. This trip took her from the damned up waters of the Tigris, to Raqqa, the former capital of the Islamic State, to Jinwar, one of only two female-only villages in the world. The region bears collective structural, ecological and emotional scars of near constant conflict and occupation, yet the people are fiercely resilient. This talk will explore how the concepts of self defence, martyrdom and the role of women in conflict are historically and culturally revered as means to achieving a true and peaceful democracy.
Bio: Iona Soper has been an active member of the peace movement in Scotland for 8 years. A former resident and campaigner at the Faslane Peace Camp, she has worked with Glasgow CND, Peace Education Scotland and Secure Scotland. She is the current assistant secretary for the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and works in Glasgow on issues of radical democracy and social movement building.
Isobel Lindsay:
Title: While Militarism Fails, Strategic Non-violence is Forgotten.
Description: We are living in a period is which militarism has been a disastrous failure from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya through to Ukraine and Gaza.
But unlike the period from 1960s to the 90s, the use of non-violent action as a strategic alternative has disappeared from both mainstream and much radical discourse.
We need to revive it.
Bio: Isobel Lindsay has been a peace movement campaigner since 1960.
She has also been involved in much political and social activism.
She is currently Vice-chair of Scottish CND, a Board Member of Common Weal, and Co-convener of the Scottish Independence Convention.
Dr Eurig Scandrett:
Title: Violence and Nonviolence in Palestinian Anti-colonial Solidarity.
Description: The current conflict in Gaza is the most extreme violence that the settler colonisation of Palestine has reached since the Nakba in 1948. Palestinians have been engaged in anti-colonial resistance for over 100 years, most of which has been nonviolent and have called for international solidarity to support their struggle. I will explore what this means for nonviolent activists in Scotland.
Bio: Eurig Scandrett is senior lecturer in public sociology at Queen Margaret University and currently chair of Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Janet Fenton:
An archive recording will be made for the EICSP archive.
NB: There will be no refund if you cancel your booking.
Cost: By Donation:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
There seems to be a new issue with Paypal and hopefully it will be resolved.
If you are having a difficulty paying by Paypal, then you can pay by bank transfer instead.
NB: you must also email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so we can send you the Zoom sign-in details.
Here are the bank transfer details:
Account Name: Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace
Bank Address: Edinburgh Royal Mile Branch
Account Number: 06131159
Sort Code: 802000
Some international transfers also ask for an IBAN number:
The IBAN number is as follows:
GB70 BOFS 8020 0006 1311 59