Enacting Global Transformation

A Collaborative Initiative of the Centre of International Studies, University of Oxford In Partnership with Theatre of Transformation Academy

WHY, Why Now, and So What: The Motivation, Purpose and Intended Impact Purpose: to bring humanity and creativity to the responses of scholars, policy makers, crisis-affected communities and the public to crises of security and governance, and stimulate new ideas for paradigm change. Why: We stand at the precipice of what could be the most perilous period in human history since the 1930s. We are called now to ‘not merely tinker with piecemeal reform of governance structures that leave the current paradigm of governance intact, but fundamentally… redefine the paradigm of power itself.’1 This collaborative initiative responds to this imperative by combining transformative theory, practice and policy with the arts. Why now: The dire global climate of violent conflict, divisive national politics, and severely strained international relations we face today requires innovative, effective responses grounded in humanity and ethics. The intended impact is to foster renewed thinking, research, policies and public reactions to global crises of war and governance, as evidenced through creative research, initiatives and collaborations to enact global transformation. This initiative does not seek piecemeal responses to individual global crises. Rather, it evokes critical rethinking of prevailing paradigms of power underlying today’s intertwined crises of war and governance, and fosters humane and creative thinking to shape new paradigms of power for politics and IR.

WHAT FOR: Origins and Objectives

This project builds on previous research projects conducted at CIS since 2009, on the responsibility to protect, culture, religion and governance. It furthers the conclusions of an interdisciplinary project on ending mass atrocities at CIS, whose final publication, co-edited with Professor Thomas G. Weiss, stated: “(t)here is need in the praxis of politics and international relations to restore art, aesthetics and creativity to a central place. The bureaucratic stagnation and lack of imagination that bog down problem solving in governments as well as intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations can and should be overcome. Creativity, imagination and innovation in problem solving would be potent tools to rejuvenate governance at all levels.” Furthermore, it noted: ‘There is much that UN officials and governments can learn from the ordinary citizens whose voices are heard… The UN – its member states and its staff – must act more consistently, creatively, courageously, and humanely.”2

The Objectives of this programme’s are: 1. To infuse global security and governance with the human spirit, and evoke more humane, creative, effective and sustainable pathways to enact global transformation, through real-life testimonies and performance art, and thus engage students, policy makers and the public in addressing global crises afresh. 2. To propose story telling, testimonies and the arts generally, and specifically, the catalytic methodology of Theatre of Transformation, to scholars, policy makers, organizations and crisis-affected communities to generate transformative research, policies and change initiatives in response to global crises. 3. To connect and nurture a transformative epistemic community of scholars, policy makers and practitioners across cultures and disciplines to further develop this methodology and foster change initiatives. 4. More broadly to connect scholars and practitioners studying or utilizing the arts in global security crises and efforts across diverse cultures and contexts, and strengthen this under-researched field. 5. To model how epistemic communities can activate the power of storytelling, testimonies and the arts to communicate, educate and enact transformative action.

HOW: The Methodology This programme proposes a transformative methodology as the fulcrum for its activities. Since December 2013, when it first emerged in Oxford, ‘Theatre of Transformation’ has developed into a catalytic methodology that engages scholars, policy makers, peace and justice practitioners and the public to address global crises critically and creatively, and to envisage innovative research, policy or civic initiatives to enact global transformation. Through enacted real-life testimonies of transformation, it takes participants through an experiential, interactive four-stage process, which can be summarized briefly as follows: (1) Witnessing Reality: Re-evaluating the situation, and engaging personally, through real-life testimonies.

1 Mani, ‘From Dystopia to OURtopia: Charting a Future for Global Governance’, International Affairs, vol. 91, No 6, 2015. 2 Mani and Weiss, Responsibility to Protect: Cultural Perspectives in the Global South, (Abingdon: Routledge 2011) p.234; pp.244-245. 1 (2) Awakening Possibility: From facing deadlock to unlocking & envisaging multiple possibilities. (3) Envisioning Change: Focusing on the optimal vision for change; mapping, designing, internal preparation (4) Enacting Transformation: Harnessing collective intelligence, forging creative alliances to impact change.

All testimonies presented are of people encountered first hand in the course of research and professional work in conflict and governance on different continents. This methodology was shaped with inputs from numerous distinguished scholars and practitioners in Oxford and around the world, and informed by decades of study and experience of crisis transformation processes within diverse societies, organizations, communities – and individuals. It integrates powerful, tested methodologies of transformation from diverse disciplines. Key events that shaped this methodology were held at Oxford hosted by CIS, together with Oxpeace, CCW and ELAC, and Oxford scholars informed this methodology since its inception. (see Annexe for details on the Methodology and this November 2016 article in Kosmos journal: http://www.kosmosjournal.org/article/theatre-of-transformation/)

WHO: A Transformative Community of theory, policy and practice This initiative connects and nurtures a community of scholars, practitioners and policy makers across diverse cultures and contexts involved in enacting global transformation through creative, innovative and humane means. It aspires to stimulate the emergence of an epistemic community that pioneers innovative ways to enact transformation through the arts.

WHAT: The Focus Areas, Activities and Research Outcomes

Focus Areas: This initiative focuses on the inter-related crises of security and governance. Its activities seek to provide new perspectives, define new paradigms, and foster humane and creative responses to: I. War & Peace: especially: (a) Violent conflicts and mass atrocities (b) Transformative justice in post-conflict and transitional countries (b) Global migration and Refugee flows II. Governance: especially: the future of (a) Democracy in the face of rising nationalism and extremism (b) The United Nations, global security architecture and multilateralism (c) Women reshaping governance. The voices, visions and wisdom of students, women and crisis-affected communities are highlighted.

Activities: A series of innovative activities is proposed, in collaboration with partners in and outside Oxford:

(1) Creative Performances and Conversations on global issues: to engage students and participants in addressing global crises anew and fostering innovative responses. (2) Academic Applications of the methodology: e.g. via a research methods seminar for DPhil students, to support DPIR students in pioneering research to respond to global crises and revitalize the discipline. (3) An Informal Gathering of Women Scholars to share reflections on current and future developments. (4) A seminar/roundtable on women and governance in partnership with Rising Women Rising World. (5) Annual meeting of the Epistemic Community: to explore and expand the role of the arts in responding to global crises and to inform the development and application of the Theatre of Transformation methodology. (6) Peace and Justice Missions to crisis-affected societies to support local partners in developing, documenting and enacting their transformative testimonies and change initiatives. (7) Collaboration with related CIS programmes, and creative contributions to relevant events at Oxford.

Research and Publications * An annual report: to present activities, and analyze impact, and stimulate debate and reflection. * An academic publication: presenting transformative perspectives on global issues, combining papers by emerging and established scholars, and prioritizing innovative research by students. In 2017, the publication a volume of essays on Transformative Justice written and co-edited by post graduate students serving as research assistants of this project is being undertaken. *A bibliography/data base: of ongoing research on the role of the arts in enacting global transformation.

Partnership with the Theatre of Transformation Academy (www.TheatreofTransformation.org) This initiative will serve as the academic community and knowledge creation hub for the Theatre of Transformation Academy, while the Academy’s programmes and activities will multiply the impact of this initiative on the ground, through its network of partners on all continents, and especially in crisis areas.

CONCLUSION: The Added Value of this Initiative In summary, this collaborative initiative and its transformative methodology encourages students, policy makers, crisis-affected populations and the general public to step on stage to explore, envisage and enact new paradigms of power to underpin meaningful global transformation in the areas of war and governance.

2 Upcoming Activites at the University of Oxford in 2017

7-8 February: Initial meetings of Oxford scholars to consider the programme proposal and provide feedback

2 May: ‘War or Peace?’ A creative interaction to enact global transformation, at Nissan Auditorium, St. Antony’s College, 12:30-2:30 pm, with: William Kelly, humanist artist, former Dean, Victoria College of Arts, Melbourne; laureate of Australian Conflict Prevention Award and Peace Abbey Prize. John Alderdice, member of the House of Lords, Co-Director of CRIC Annette Idler, Director of Research, CCW Rama Mani, Founder, Theatre of Transformation Academy and CIS Research Associate Chaired by: Kalypso Nicolaidis, Director CIS.

17 May: Women, War and a New Paradigm for Peace 12:30 to 2:30, venue tbd with, Zahira Kamal (Palestine), former Minister of Women’s Affairs, SG Fidah Party (UK), founder, Peace Direct and Oxford Research Group, Co-Founder RWRW Graziella Tapia (Argentina), Mediation expert to the UN Mediation Unit Rama Mani (/France), Founder Theatre of Transformation Academy, Co-Founder RWRW Chaired by Julia Amos, Convenor of Global Directions and War and Peace at Oxford

24 May Testimonies for Transformation in Times of Turmoil First Conference of ‘Enacting Global Transformation’ Seminar Room C, Manor Road Building, 10 am-1pm.

Collaboration with Relevant CIS Affiliated Programmes and Networks at the University of Oxford This initiative proposes activities in collaboration with programmes and centres across Oxford including:

• Changing Character of War Programme (CCW) • Oxford Network of Peace Studies (OxPeace) • Oxford Centre for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC) • War and Peace at Oxford network • Global Directions • Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict (CRIC) • Oxford Transitional Justice Research (OTJR) • South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX)

3 Proposed Project Advisors and Team

Principal Investigator: Rama Mani, Senior Research Associate, CIS Chair of Advisory Group: Kalypso Nicolaidis, Director of CIS, SEESOX

Proposed Advisory Group At University of Oxford : (Invited, to be confirmed) Annette Idler, Director of Studies, CCW Julia Amos, Convenor, Global Directions, CIS Leigh Payne, Director Latin America Centre, Inter disciplinary Area studies Richard Caplan, Professor of International Relations, DPIR Edward Mortimer, Fellow All Souls College John Alderdice, Co-Director, CRIC, Member of the House of Lords Elise Roumeas, DPIR Post-doctoral Fellow, Religion and Public Life project Hildengard Algaeir, Said Business School Daniel Franchini, Oxford Transitional Justice Research Helene Neveu, International Migration Institute and Professor of Anthropology at UCL

Members of Advisory Group from Outside Oxford Meera Sethi, former Special Envoy to India, Head of Turkey Office, International Organization for Migration. George Por, Founder, Community Intelligence and Enlivening Edge Alexander Schieffer, Professor at Da Vinci University, South ; Co-Founder, Trans4m Centre Leila Nicolas, Professor of International Relations, Lebanese University, Lebanon Juliet Perumal, Vice Dean, Research and Internationalization, University of Johannesberg Richard Ponzio, Director of Global Governance and Just Security, Stimson Centre, Washington D.C.

(invited, to be confirmed): Scilla Elworthy, Founder Oxford Research Group and PeaceDirect; Co-Founder Rising Women Rising World Achim Wennmann, Executive Coordinator, Geneva Peacebuilding Platform Jacqueline Cote, Head of External Relations, Graduate Institute, Geneva, Switzerland Thania Paffenholz, Director, IPTI, Graduate Institute Geneva Caty Clement, Co-Director MA in Global and European Security, Geneva Centre for Security Policy. Katherine Marshall, Professor of Religion and development, Berkeley Centre, Georgetown University Meenakshi Gopinath, Principal, Lady Sriram College, Delhi University, Founder, WISCOMP

Project Team

Principal Investigator and Project Convenor: Rama Mani, Research Associate, CIS, Founder, Theatre of Transformation Academy

Project Coordinator: Javier Ormeno Castro (Peru): former humanitarian coordinator, IFRC, Turkey, currently MA student at UCL.

Senior Research Associates: Meera Sethi, former Special Envoy to India, Head of Turkey Office, International Organization for Migration. Maryann Perrone (USA/Ireland): Professor at Centre Nationale de la Danse, Lyon, anthropologist and dancer. Guylaine Grenier (Canada): human rights lawyer litigating for indigenous rights, former minority politician.

Junior Research Associates: (This project provides an opportunity for young students and scholar-practitioners with leadership skills and commitment to enacting global transformation to pursue innovative research while applying the theatre of transformation methodology. The following are MA students at the Geneva Academy for Human Rights).

Abdallah Gad Abdelwahab (): democracy activist, NGO leader, expert in countering extremism. Tafadzwa Christmas (Zimbabwe): human rights lawyer specialised in litigating torture cases. Nipunika Lecamwasam (Sri Lanka): former Research Coordinator, SAARC Cultural Centre, Colombo. Eunice Ouko (Kenya): human rights officer for Refugee Law Project, Northern Uganda Khair Mahmoud (Bangladesh): law lecturer at Jagannath University, volunteer at Liberation Museum. Stephania Karasmani (Cyprus): human rights lawyer, intern to the Cyprus Mission to the UN Geneva. Mahbubeh Kuhestani (): cultural rights and women’s rights activist, educator and writer. 4 Host and Partner Organizations and International Conferences

Since January 2014, diverse programmes of Theatre of Transformation on a range of global issues have been offered in collaboration with a wide range of host organisations or by invitation at international conferences. Key representatives from these organizations and events have helped shape the methodology and evolution of TofT.

United Nations & other inter-governmental & governmental bodies: including United Nations Office in Geneva UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Joint UN Environmental Emergencies Unit UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Istanbul (UNHCR) UN Centre for Trade & Development (UNCTAD) International Organization for Migration (IOM) United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW) British Houses of Parliament, London, UK Consul of France, Istanbul, Turkey.

Academic and Policy Institutions: including University of Oxford, UK (events in partnership with CIS, OxPeace, CCW, ELAC) The Graduate Institute, Geneva, Switzerland Geneva Academy of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Switzerland Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland University of Winnipeg, Canada University of Dundee, Scotland Erasmus University College, Rotterdam, Netherlands Chatham House, London, UK Graduate Centre, City University of New York, USA Chartres Wisdom Academy, France Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon Dar al Kalima University College, Bethlehem, Palestine Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India Jindal Global University, Delhi, India Lady Sriram College, Delhi, India Open University, Bangalore, India Vishtar Academy for Peace and Justice, Bangalore, India

Cultural Institutions, and Cultural and Literary Festivals including The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada World Women Festival, Oslo, Norway Oxford Literary Festival, Oxford, UK Mahmoud Darwich Museum, Ramallah, Palestine India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India Dialogues en Humanite Festival, Lyon, France Fireflies Festival for Sustainable Development, Bangalore, India Place To B – Parallel Platform to the UN Climate Change Conference, Paris, France

International non-governmental organizations and foundations and national civil society organizations: including World Future Council, Germany Initiatives of Change, Switzerland Right Livelihood Award Foundation, Sweden/Switzerland Women’s Action Committee and Palestine Centre for Peace and Development, Palestine Women in International Security and Conflict Management, Delhi, India CORO and Women’s Federation of Mumbai slums, Mumbai, India Sadhana School, Mumbai, India Vimochana for Women’s Rights, Bangalore, India

Leadership Summits: Global Female Leaders Summit, Berlin, Germany Human Resources Summit, Istanbul, Turkey Global Leadership Network, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil World Investment Forum, Geneva, Switzerland Women’s International Networking Summit, Rome, Italy Istanbul Summit on Gender Equality, Bangkok, Thailand Femme Q Summit, Berlin, Germany; We World Luminate Summit (online), Canada Social Artistry Academy, Jean Houston Foundation, Ashland, Oregon, USA

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