The Diane (Dina) Markowicz Lectures on Gender and Human Rights:
2010 Lecture:
Polygamy and Gender Justice in the 21st Century: Reflections on Basic Principles - Dr. Abdullahi An-Na'im
Date: Sunday, November 7, 2010 Time: Reception at 7:00pm, Lecture at 7:30pm Location: Goldfarb Library, Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Brandeis University,
Waltham, MA (click here for map)
Dr. Abdullahi An-Na'im
Dr. An-Na'im, the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory Law School, will speak on "Polygamy and Gender Justice in the 21st Century: Reflections on Basic Principles". Approaching the issue with a radically open mind, he will examine how polygamy compares to monogamy in social and personal terms and discuss the implications for the theory and practice of human rights.
Additional support and cosponsors: the Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life at Brandeis University; the Feminist Sexual Ethics Project at Brandeis University, which is funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation; the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Department at Brandeis University; and the West African Research Association.
Date: Sunday, March 8, 2009 Time: Reception at 6:30pm, Lecture at 7:30pm Location: International Room, Usdan Student Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA (click here for map)
Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella
Justice Abella's theories on gender equality have influenced courts and legislatures around the world. The first Jewish woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, she was previously a family court justice of the Court of Appeal. Justice Abella has chaired the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Ontario Law Reform Commission, and the Royal Commission on Equality in Employment. Her recent opinion in the landmark case of Bruker v. Markowitz (2008) recognized the rights of Jewish wives to sue for damages in circumstances where their husbands use their power under Jewish law to deny them divorce.
Co-sponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life at Brandeis University.
2008 Lecture:
The Diane (Dina) Markowicz Memorial Lecture on Gender and Human Rights - Nobel Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams
Date: Monday, April 14, 2008 Time: 7:30 pm Location: Sherman Lecture Hall, Hassenfeld Conference Center,
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Jody Williams, The Nobel Peace Prize Recipent 1997
Shirin Ebadi, The Nobel Peace Prize Recipient 2003
An Iranian lawyer and human rights activist, Dr. Shirin Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her significant and pioneering efforts in democracy and human rights, especially for the rights of women and children.
Jody Williams is the Sam and Cele Keeper Endowed Professor in Peace and Social Justice atthe Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston. She was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, leading to the creation of an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines.
In 2006 Ebadi and Williams founded the Nobel Women's Intiative to use the visibility and prestige of the Nobel prize to promote, spotlight, and amplify the work of women's rights activists, researchers, and organizations worldwide.
Dr. Ebadi has recently been subjected to increased persecution in Iran.
To read a report from the Nobel Women's Initiative, click here.
For ideas on how to show support for Dr. Ebadi, click here.
An international conference brought together theorists, policymakers and activists to discuss ways of conceptualizing and engaging with gender and culture/religion conflicts. Speakers discussed struggles in Canada, Iran, Israel, Senegal, South Africa, and the U.S.A.
Keynote Lecture : Is Pluralism an Ideal or a Compromise? Professor Martha Minow, Jeremiah Smith Jr. Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Martha Minow, Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Martha Minow writes about human rights and advocacy for members of racial and religious minorities and for women, children, and persons with disabilities.
Professor Minow is the author of many books including Between Vengeance and Forgiveness: Facing History After Genocide and Mass Violence (1998), which was awarded the American Society of International Law Certificate of Merit, 2000. She served on the Independent International Commission Kosovo and helped to launch Imagine Co-existence, a program of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, to promote peaceful development in post-conflict societies. She recently completed a 5-year partnership with the federal Department of Education and the Center for Applied Special Technology to expand access to the general curriculum for students with disabilities. She directs the Seevak Fund for Facing History at Harvard law School. Professor Minow's research interests include: Equality and inequality; human rights and transitional societies; law and social change; religion and pluralism; civil rights, privatization of governmental activities and the rule of law.
Click here to read Professor Minow's keynote address.
This conference was generously funded by gifts from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Hadassah Endowment and the Dan Fischel and Sylvia Neil Philanthropic Fund.
This conference was co-sponsored by the following:
Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Center for the Study of Women in Judaism at Bar Ilan University, The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life and the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies.
Days of Study on Women and Religious Law
These one-day intensive programs bring together scholars and the public for a day of learning about gender and religion conflicts in a particular context. The format is designed to include lecture, discussion and arts elements.
2007 – Day of Study on Women, Gender Equality and Jewish Law Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Chair of the Rackman Centre for the Advancement of Jewish Women at Bar Ilan University on discrimination against women in Israeli rabbinical family courts. Screening of Mekudeshet: Sentenced to Marriage and The Cohen's Wife, and panel discussion moderated by Lisa Fishbayn with Dr. Halperin-Kaddari and Rabbi Susan Fendrick of the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education.
