Nonviolent Communication and Religious Studies Keynote

Neat. Someone got the secret message encoded in The Ecological Thought (the backwards Satanic one no doubt : ) ). I'll be keynoting at a conference on nonviolence at the University of Southern Florida.

Eastern and Indigenous Perspectives on Sustainability and Conflict Resolution at the University of South Florida, Tampa, November 13-15, 2011.

The goal of this conference is to examine sustainable philosophies and practices from eastern and indigenous perspectives.   We aim to pay attention to indigenous knowledges without essentializing or valorizing them.  We are interested in the following:

• exploring cases where traditional ecological knowledge has altered the dominant paradigm of unsustainable development

• eastern religions and the encoding of ecological knowledge—in Indian Dharma traditions (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh) , Indigenous (Native American, Australian aboriginal, African) and Asian traditions (Shinto, Confucian, Taoist, Zen)     

• practices for individual/societal transformation and healthy sustainable communities  

• conflict resolution from eastern and indigenous perspectives

• examining the plight of the indigenous peoples and their habitats under the economic forces of globalization

·         contemplative pedagogy: eastern perspectives in the classroom

We believe bringing these perspectives together from the standpoint of global sustainability and peace would begin meaningful dialogue and suggest new collaborations toward global solutions.

While we encourage proposals focused on the conference’s theme, we welcome proposals from all areas and from all disciplinary perspectives. 

Abstracts are due Sept. 30 2011