Category: CPP News

To members of Concerned Philosophers for Peace and all interested:

The University of Missouri has had an interdisciplinary Peace Studies Program for more than 30 years. For much of this time it circulated a newsletter/informal journal, Peace Talk, to its supporters and interested persons. With the support of the University of Missouri administration, the Program has now inaugurated a scholarly publication, the University of Missouri Peace Studies Review, an interdisciplinary journal with refereed and invited essays and a book review section. There will be two issues a year. The second issue is in press.

The editors invite submissions from any field relevant to the study of roots of violence and routes to peace and the practice of peace-making. I have been asked to serve as book review editor and am seeking good and relevant books to review and capable reviewers. We expect to publish two or three reviews in each issue.

You are invited to subscribe to the Review and submit papers for its consideration. Information about the Review, subscribing and submitting material is available on the website

peacestudiesreview.missouri.edu

Yours in peace,
John Kultgen
Philosophy Department
University of Missouri – Columbia

This is a new book from Richard Johnson, who tells me that his book is the first Gandhi reader in 50 years with writings by and about Mahatma Gandhi and the first ever with a biography. It looks quite good, and it seems likely that I will use it as a text the next time I teach the Philosophy of Gandhi. –Barry Gan

New from Lexington Books. Order online & save 15% at www.LexingtonBooks.com

Gandhi’s Experiments with Truth: Essential Writings by and about Mahatma Gandhi. Edited by Richard L. Johnson:

“Those looking for an introduction to Gandhi, seasoned nonviolent activists, and long time students of Gandhi will all find this to be a remarkable collection. Johnson has brought together key selections from Gandhi’s writings with insightful essays by a variety of Gandhian scholars on Gandhi’s nonviolence, views on religion, methods of political, economic, and cultural change and his continuing influence and relevance for today. I cannot think of a better book that unites Gandhi’s own words with very readable essays covering a breadth of topics on Gandhi’s life and thought. Johnson’s book makes clear again Gandhi’s importance as a resource for creating a more just and peaceful world.” –Peter R. Gathje, Christian Brothers University

“In a time ravaged by large-scale violence and unending ‘terror wars,’ nothing seems more urgent than to be reminded of another possibility: the path of non-violent struggle for justice exemplified by Gandhi. This volume assembles for the first time writings both by Gandhi and about Gandhi, the latter by some of the most distinguished experts in the field. Richard Johnson deserves credit for his judicious selections and for persuasively arguing that Gandhian satyagraha is ‘the only way to stop terrorism.'” –Fred Dallmayr, University of Notre Dame

This comprehensive Gandhi reader provides an essential new reference for scholars and students of his life and thought. It is the only text available that presents Gandhi’s own writings, including excerpts from three of his books-“An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth”, “Satyagraha
in South Africa”, “Hind Swaraj” (“Indian Home Rule”)-a major pamphlet, “Constructive Programme: Its Meaning and Place ‘, and many journal articles and letters along with a biographical sketch of his life in historical context and recent essays by highly regarded scholars. The writers of these essays-hailing from the United States, Canada, Great Britain and India, with academic credentials in several different disciplines-examine his nonviolent campaigns, his development of programs to unify India, and his impact on the world in the second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first.

“Gandh’s Experiments with Truth” provides an unparalleled range of scholarly material and perspectives on this enduring philosopher, peace activist, and spiritual guide.

About the Editor

*Richard L. Johnson* professor of Germanic languages and director of peace and conflict studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Ft. Wayne.

Contents:

Gandhi’s Experiments with Truth: Private Life, *Satyagraha*, and the Constructive Programme, Richard L. Johnson

*Part I: Gandhi’s Life and Thought*

From Childhood to *Satyagrahi *by Richard L. Johnson

Return to India by Richard L. Johnson

*Part II: Selections from Writings by Gandhi*

*An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth*

*Satyagraha in South Africa*

*Hind Swaraj (Indian Home Rule)* and Related Writings

*Constructive Programme: Its Meaning and Place* and Related Writings

Short Moral and Political Writings

*Part III: Writings about Gandhi*

Part A. Gandhi’s Practice and Theory of *Satyagraha*

The Birth of Gandhian *Satyagraha*: Nonviolent Resistance and Soul Force by Michael Sonnleitner

Gandhian Freedoms and Self-Rule by Anthony J. Parel

Gandhi’s Politics by Ronald J. Terchek

“*Satyagraha*, the Only Way to Stop Terrorism” by Richard L. Johnson

Gandhi and Human Rights: In Search of True Humanity by Judith M. Brown

Gandhi’s Constructive Programme by Michael Nagler

Part B. Gandhi’s Impact on the World

Gandhi in the Mind of America by Lloyd I. Rudolph

The Availability of Gandhi: Toward a Neo-Gandhian Praxis by Makarand Paranjape

Gandhi, Contemporary Political Thinking, and Self-Other Relations by Douglas Allen

Gandhi’s Legacy by Bhikhu Parekh

Gandhi’s Contribution to Global Nonviolent Awakening by Glenn Paige

Gandhi, Nonviolence, and the Struggle against War by Richard Falk

Studies in Comparative Philosophy and Religion series
November 2005, 408 pages
ISBN 0-7391-1143-4 $28.95 paper
ISBN 0-7391-1142-6 $90.00 cloth

*Considering this book for your course? Visit
www.RowmanLittlefield.com/CollegePublishing to order an exam copy today.*

“Who Speaks for the Common Good?”

October 5-8, 2006, Manhattan College, New York City

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Shortly after September 11th, peace groups throughout the US distributed world flags with a photo of the earth and a slogan, “We’re all in this together.” That sense of the common good – that we are all bound together, living on one earth, and that our wellbeing is interconnected – is crucial to the development of a more peaceful and just world. Has this notion fallen out of favor? How do we resolve the tension between the dual strivings we each feel, to be autonomous, and yet to be connected?

In an era in which pursuing one’s self-interest is commended, who speaks for the common good? Those who honestly attempt to do so are disempowered to act on it, and those who speak for the nations rarely even pretend to do so. How do we decide what really serves the common good, and how do we work for the common good? The rhetoric of a common good is sometimes misused to ride sacrifice the interests of some people, allegedly for the good of a greater number. How can we, as people committed to creating a peaceful, just world, promote a focus on the common good, properly understood?

The Peace and Justice Studies Association will explore these questions at our 4th annual conference, to be held October 5-8th, 2006, at Manhattan College, in the Bronx, New York City. We invite proposals for paper presentations, organized panels, roundtable discussions, workshops and other creative contributions on these and related questions.

As our mission statement says, “We are dedicated to bringing together academics, K-12 teachers and grassroots activists to explore alternatives to violence and share visions and strategies for peacebuilding, social justice, and social change.” Therefore, we seek contributions that explore the idea of the common good in research, teaching and action:

In Peace Studies, how can we encourage critical exploration of the idea of the common good? How can we prepare our students to work effectively for the common good?

K-12 education for the common good. How can the education of young people foster their appreciation of, and pursuit of, the common good? What can schools of education do to promote this focus in K-12 education? What successful practices can we share?

What does scholarly research, across the disciplines, have to offer on defining the common good? What political, social and economic structures best assist human communities in prioritizing the common good? What case studies, negative and positive, can help us work through these issues?

What strategies can activists share of ways in which they’ve struggled for the common good, or led communities in defining what is in their common interest?

Please send an abstract (no more than 200 words), to Margaret Groarke, Peace Studies, Manhattan College, Bronx NY 10471 or to pjsa2006@manhattan.edu. Please clearly state the preferred format of your proposal (paper, panel, workshop, roundtable discussion, etc.), and please include a brief biographical sketch. The deadline for proposal submission is May 1, 2006. Submissions will be acknowledged by email or by postcard. Late proposals will be reviewed, and may be accepted if there is space on the program.

This is only the second time in its 42 year history that the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) has held its biennial assembly in North America. In 1981, 25 years ago, IPRA met in Orillia, Ontario. It has never chanced to meet in the USA. The University of Calgary is thus honoured to host this the 21st Biennial Conference of IPRA.

IPRA2006 in Calgary is designed not only to play host to IPRA’s scholars or educators but to involve the Calgary community in the planning, execution and sharing of the conference. Opportunities will be provided for visitors to the city to explore local issues and to meet Calgary and Alberta citizens of all backgrounds. Thus, together, international and national guests as well as local residents will join in the opportunities to consider the wide diversity of Patterns of Conflict and Paths to Peace.

http://www.ipra2006.com/

American Philosophical Association Newsletter on American Indian Philosophy (Fall issue 2006: the life, work, and legacy of Vine Deloria)

“Western civilization, unfortunately, does not link knowledge and morality but rather, it connects knowledge and power and makes them equivalent.”
— Vine Deloria, Jr.

Political theorist, philosopher, legal scholar, activist, prolific writer – Vine Deloria transcended academic categories and fundamentally shaped our understandings of Native American life and thought. The Fall issue of the APA Newsletter on American Indian Philosophy will be devoted to pieces about Deloria’s work. Submissions might include:

* scholarly articles about Deloria’s theoretical work

* examinations of Deloria’s contributions to the advancement of Native life and thought

* personal reflections on the importance of Deloria to indigenous academics and Native theories

Deadline for submissions is June 1, 2006.

Please send submissions to both AIP editors:
Lorraine Mayer MayerL@BrandonU.CA
270 18th Street, 200 Clark Hall, Brandon Manitoba R7A 6A9 Canada
Katy Gray Brown kgbrown@umn.edu
2700 16th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55407 USA

Electronic submissions are preferred. Submission guidelines can be found
online.

Appeal circulated via email, Sunday, Aug. 7.

Dear Peacelovers,

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Dandi Salt March, we, the Friends of the Gandhi Museum Pune, are launching a website called www.gandhisalt.org. SALT stands for Search for Alternative Lifestyles Together.

The Gandhisalt.org website will be a network for all Gandhians and Gandhian work in Pune city and its hinterland. It will be a forum to express ideas, post invitations to programmes, and give information on
peace matters. We invite guest articles, news, views and comments related directly or indirectly to our theme.

Do keep visiting our site regularly and give us your valuable feed-back.

In Peace and friendship

Ms.Delia Maria Knaebel Ph.D.
Web Co-ordinator, www.gandhisalt.org
For Friends of the Gandhi Museum Pune

In the decades since World War II, the United States has amassed the most sophisticated and expensive military in human history and employed its military, intelligence, diplomatic, and economic power to wage a costly arms race with the former Soviet Union, dominate the global arms trade, impose devastating sanctions and embargoes against regimes it despises, overthrow democratically-elected governments, and make unholy alliances with corrupt and repressive rulers who serve US national interests. Meanwhile, during those same years, an individual armed only with an inquiring mind, a great intellect, dogged determination, a small staff, a prolific pen, and a laughably minuscule budget has
provided millions of ordinary yet extraordinary people around the world with the ability to achieve
freedom and democracy through nonviolent action.

Gene Sharp, a major theorist and strategist of nonviolence since Gandhi, is the scholar whose name is synonymous with the politics of nonviolent action. His monographs, booklets, books and those of his colleagues at the Albert Einstein Institution have been translated into 30 languages. His writings, consultations, trainings, and underground workshops have contributed enormously to nonviolence
movements and nonviolent revolutions around the world — in The Philippines, Burma, Palestine, Serbia, Georgia, the Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan. From the 3-volume tome The Politics of Nonviolent Action to the 88-page booklet "From Dictatorship to Democracy" that explains how nonviolent resistance can be used to undermine repressive regimes, Gene and the Albert Einstein Institution have had a profound impact on the pedagogy of nonviolence as well as on events in the world’s public
squares.

Our lives have been touched, enriched and shaped by Gene Sharp and the work of the Albert Einstein Institution as they have guided, informed and gathered us in the growing nonviolent movements found on every continent. But we have just learned that the Institution faces an unsustainable financial shortfall and its board, in September, must seriously consider whether to close its doors. The staff has been cut back to two, including Gene. If the Institution is to continue, it needs a minimum of $250,000 for the coming year. Most of us had assumed that such influential work was well endowed and funded. We were wrong.

Absent government support or sufficient foundation grants, we must turn to that uniquely fitting and appropriate force that epitomizes nonviolence — people power. As surely as we believe in the power of nonviolence, we believe also that a simple, straight-forward appeal to you, to your networks and your institutions can generate the funds to sustain the work of Gene Sharp and the Albert Einstein Institution.

Please send in a check today. And circulate this appeal to others by e-mail or the postal service. With September soon upon us, the timeliness of this appeal cannot be stressed too strongly. As we have learned in our study and practice of nonviolence, we must be prepared and ready for that special moment in history. That moment is today.

In gratitude to Gene and the Albert Einstein Institution,
Elise Boulding
Carol Bragg
Dorothy F. Cotton
Richard Deats
Marjorie Swann Edwin
David Hartsough
Bernard LaFayette, Jr.
George Lakey
Mary Lord
Jim Lawson
Michael True

To: The Albert Einstein Institution
427 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02115

Enclosed is:

__ $25 ___ #50 ___ $100 ___$500 ___ $1000 Other:___________

Name(s)_______________________________________________

Address________________________________________________

City________________________________________________

State_________ _________________Zip___________

Phone (optional)_____________________

E-mail (optional)_______________________________

For online credit card donations, go to www.aeinstein.org

Your gift is tax deductible.