Brandeis University

Chronological Listing of Programs and Projects

2006-2007

Strengthening the Contributions of Theatre to the Coexistence Field

Coexistence International at Brandeis University collaborates with Theatre Without Borders, a network of theatre artists who support international theatre exchange. The collaboration focuses on how theatre can contribute to coexistence and peacebuilding; and conversely, how theatre artists working in conflict regions might benefit from interaction with peacebuilding practitioners, organizations and concepts. A theatre and peacebuilding anthology will be the tangible result of this three-year collaboration. Follow the link for more information on Theatre Without Borders and Coexistence International's Theatre and Peacebuilding project.

Intercultural Residency Series

The Intercultural Residency Series, a project of MusicUnitesUS, takes place at Brandeis University, linking the creative arts with academic inquiry in explorations of culture, history, and tradition. The spring 2006-07 series will feature Amazones: The Woman Master Drummers from Guinea, March 1-3, at Brandeis University. Follow the link for more information and an updated schedule of events. An evaluation of the 2005-06 series, including a 20-minute video, can be found here.

Community Radio, Democracy and Peace: A Collaboration with the Palestinian House of Friendship

Coexistence Research and International Collaborations, the outreach component for the Slifka Program at Brandeis University, partners with the Palestinian House of Friendship (PHF), a small non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening democratic practice and a culture of peace. The collaboration is producing the action/research project Community Radio, Democracy and Peace, which explores the ways in which a community radio station can be used to augment dialogue, expression and democratic values in Nablus, Palestine. Follow the link for more information. In addition, please see the "The Choreography of Conflict" by Cynthia Cohen, Director of Coexistence Research and International Collaborations. To view updates from Nablus visit "This Moment in the Middle East: A Perspective from Nablus."

The Arts of Building Peace: A Lecture Series

This lecture series explored how visual arts, theater, and cultural work contribute to coexistence and reconciliation. Presenters included Boston-area visual artist Wen-ti Tsen; award-winning playwright Catherine Filloux; Rhode Island School of Design anthropologist Lindsay French; peacebuilding scholar and practitioner Lisa Schirch; Roberta Levitow the founder of Theatre Without Borders; and Eric Hill, the Barbara Sherman ('54) and Malcolm L. Sherman Chair of Theatre Arts.

Intercultural Residency Series

The Intercultural Residency Series, a project of MusicUnitesUs, takes place at Brandeis University, linking the creative arts with academic inquiry in explorations of culture, history, and tradition. With support and collaboration from many departments and programs on campus, including the Slifka Program in Intercommunal Coexistence, the series approaches cultural exploration with interdisciplinary, intercultural perspectives. The goal of the series, taking its cue from the diverse cultures on the Brandeis campus, is to convey a deeper appreciation of the many worldviews that coexist today. In 2005–2006, the Intercultural Residency Series featured the Yuval Ron Ensemble and Sol Y Canto. To view a documentary trailer on the Yuval Ron Ensemble filmed during the residency series, please visit Progressive Pictures. For more information on the Intercultural Residency Series, visit MusicUnitesUS and The Artist's Way: A Path Toward Peace by Cynthia Cohen, Director Coexistence Research and International Collaborations, Slifka Program; Co-chair of the 2005-2006 Intercultural Residency (see page 4).

Recasting Reconciliation through Culture and the Arts: Brandeis International Fellowships

Artists and cultural workers in South Africa, Sri Lanka, Burundi, Cambodia, and New Zealand documented and reflected on their work during this one-time international fellowship program, currently in its dissemination phase. For background on the project, to learn more about the Fellows and their work, and to view the working papers and portfolios that emerged from this fellowship program, please see Recasting Reconciliation [Link to new Recasting Reconciliation Page].

Community Histories by Youth in the Middle East (CHYME)

CHYME was a project that engaged Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian professionals who work with youth in enhancing communication among young people from their three communities. CHYME used oral history and digital story-telling practices to build capacities for listening, communicating, and understanding among the participants and in turn among the youth themselves.

• Partner organizations: MASAR (Jordan), Givat Haviva (Israel), and the Palestinian House of Friendship (PHF)
• Documentation and evaluation by the Center for Youth and Communities at the Heller School at Brandeis. Please click here (PDF Format) to see the evaluation report
• Digital stories produced by Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian youth workers: visit the Cambridge Community Television in Cambridge, Massachusetts at http://www.cctvcambridge.org/media/video/chyme/index.html

Literary Responses to Mass Violence

From September 16–18, 2003, The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life at Brandeis University hosted the symposium "Literary Responses to Mass Violence." The event brought together writers and scholars from Africa, the Middle East, and the United States to reflect on the writing and testimony that has been published in the wake of the Holocaust, South African apartheid, and the genocide in Rwanda, among other recent tragedies. Readings featured poetry and fiction. For more information on the symposium and to request Literary Responses to Mass Violence, edited by Daniel Terris and Sylvia Fuks-Fried, please see http://www.brandeis.edu/ethics/resources/publications/litmassviolence.html

Brandeis Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence

In 1999, with support from the Alan B. Slifka Foundation, Brandeis University launched a three-year Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence. The program was designed to engage the Brandeis community in the theory and praxis of coexistence, and to strengthen the emerging professional field. The three-year Brandeis Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence, a pilot program, laid the groundwork for the now permanent university commitment to coexistence teaching, research, and practice funded in 2002 by Alan B. Slifka and known as the Slifka Program in Intercommunal Coexistence.

The following annual reports of the Brandeis Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence from 2000 to 2002 highlight and document the various events, scholarly activities, courses and the on-campus project that were part of the initiative and developments of the Program.

Brandeis Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence, 2000 Annual Report (PDF Format)

Brandeis Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence, 2001 Annual Report (PDF Format)

Brandeis Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence, 2002 Annual Report (PDF Format)

Using Film to Foster Coexistence: Educational and Ethical Questions

A project of the Brandeis Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence, Using Film to Foster Coexistence, was part of Moving Pictures: Framing Coexistence, an international film series exploring video technology as a resource for coexistence education. The video screenings included panel discussions with documentary-makers, faculty, students and other artists and scholars from outside the Brandeis community. Films included: Belfast My Love directed by Lawrence Pitkethly, Peace of Mind: Coexistence through the Eyes of the Palestinian and Israeli Youth by Mark Landsman, Prelude to Kosovo: War and Peace in Bosnia and Croatia by John Michalczyk, A Long Night's Journey into Day: South Africa's Search for Truth and Reconciliation by Deborah Hoffman and Frances Reid, and Rice and Honey, Sri Lanka: Children in War directed by Herzel Jacoby. For more information on this series, please see the 2001 Annual Report of the Brandeis Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence (see pages 16–19).

Global Partnerships for Education

The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life hosted the Global Partnership for Education, a ten day Institute at Brandeis directed by Jane Sapp. The institute explored intellectual, historical, and aesthetic inheritances as resources to strengthen communities and relationships. During the Institute, faculty and students worked with partners in Haifa, Grenada, and Chelsea, Massachusetts. To learn more about the Institute and the community projects it engendered, please see Global Partnerships for Education by Stephanie Gerber-Wilson. (PDF Format)

Pete Seeger and Jane Sapp in Residence: Building Community through Songs of Social Justice

This project, as part of the Brandeis Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence, was hosted by the Coexistence Leadership Team, a group of sixteen undergraduates, graduate students, staff members and faculty. The Seeger and Sapp residency included an exhibition focusing on the community of Brandeis called "Faces of Work at Brandeis;" a performance by Pete Seeger and Jane Sapp with members of the Brandeis community; conversations and rehearsals with faculty and students; and a public presentation on "Cultural Work and Coexistence." The exhibition included stories and photographs honoring fifteen Brandeis workers whose contributions to the university are vital but rarely acknowledged. The Seeger/Sapp residency brought together 700 people who were able to experience a community where distinct cultural groups express their own voices and where people connect outside of their routinized institutional networks. For more information on the Seeger/Sapp Residency or the exhibition, see the 2001 Annual Report of the Brandeis Initiative in Intercommunal Coexistence (see pages 3–7).