The Dance Of Dynamic Peace

This book explores the potential of movement as a means of eliciting conflict transformation and unfolding peace at the intrapersonal and relational levels. It examines how peace and dance have been related in different cultures and investigates embodied ways to creatively tap the energies of conflicts, inspiring possibilities of transformation and new dynamics in relationships. Drawing on Wolfgang Dietrich’s Many Peaces theory, the book discusses how different expressions of dance have been connected to different interpretations of peace and strategies for transformation. Delving into elicitive approaches to conflict transformation, the book develops an innovative framework for applying movement as an elicitive method, which it vividly presents through the author’s own experiences and interviews with participants in workshops. Given its scope, the book will appeal to scholars, practitioners and artists working at the nexus of peace, conflict transformation and the arts.

This inspiring collection of writing from Tennessee preacher and farmer Ben Robert Alford provides a summary of his life?s work. Dr. Alford articulates his ideas of Christian philosophy and practice for both the believer and the non-believer, in ways professional and personal. Selected from thousands of pages of documents by his son, Dance Of The Holy Nobodies preserves the legacy ? and continues the ministry ¬? of a dedicated and grateful servant of God. ?This book is a treasure. It is not simply a collection of insightful and inspiring sermons, essays, articles and other theological musings. It is, more importantly, a window into the heart and soul of a very special person.? ?If you are looking for thoughtful and insightful theological reflections, you have come to the right place. If you are in search of penetrating and astute church commentary, you have come to the right place. If you need inspirational and encouraging spiritual meditations, you have come to the right place. Dance of the Holy Nobodies is one of the most engaging books you will find.? ? from the foreword by Ted Brown, President of Martin Methodist College

Conflicts are increasingly recognised as situated in local contexts with culturally specific elements playing important roles. At the same time, conflicts reflect and contribute to global dynamics. Seeking peace within this complexity requires curious, creative and critical approaches that can account for politics. But how can peacebuilders account for unique local settings while also recognising multiple and diverse perspectives within and between them? Reflecting on this question, Dancing through the dissonance explores the relationship between peacebuilding and dance in pluralist societies, examining the practice of dance-focused peacebuilding programmes in Colombia, the Philippines and the United States. Incorporating participant voices, critical political analysis and reflections on dance practice, the authors reveal the implications and nuances of arts-based peace initiatives. This book offers a unique insight into the application, practice and analysis of dance-focused peacebuilding programmes, building on a critical understanding of the politics of integrating dance into peacebuilding and the ways in which these programmes fit into global debates around peace and conflict. As the global community continues to seek inclusive pathways to peace that improve upon, supplement, or replace existing dominant approaches, this book provides a valuable in-depth analysis and recommendations for arts-based peacebuilding approaches.

Peace, conflict transformation, and dance are the core topics of this book. It deals with peace and conflict in a different perspective: peace here is understood as plural and incomplete - as a practice, a process of discovery, and an action which begins within every human being. Conflicts, following this idea, are creative possibilities to put this peace in practice. The book deals with how dance - through creativity, connectivity, and responsibility; as well as through the connections between education, communication, and international solidarity movements - can foster this practice of peace on individual and society levels, presenting dance as a tool to foster human potential for peace and conflict transformation. (Series: Masters of Peace - Vol. 3)

Anna Halprin, vanguard postmodern dancer turned community artist and healer, has created ground-breaking dances with communities all over the world. Here, she presents her philosophy and experience, as well as step-by-step processes for bringing people together to create dances that foster individual and group well-being. At the heart of this book are accounts of two dances: the Planetary Dance, which continues to be performed throughout the world, and Circle the Earth. The Circle the Earth workshop for people living with AIDS has generated dozens of "scores" for others to adapt. In addition, the book provides a concrete guide to Halprin's celebrated Planetary Dance. Now more than 35 years old, Planetary Dance promotes peace among people and peace with the Earth. Open to everyone, it has been performed in more than 50 countries. In 1995 more than 400 participants joined her in a Planetary Dance in Berlin commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Potsdam Agreements, at the end of World War II. More recently, she took the Planetary Dance to Israel, bringing together Israelis and Palestinians as well as other nationalities. Throughout this book Halprin shows how dance can be a powerful tool for healing, learning and mobilizing change, and she offers insight and advice on facilitating groups. If we are to survive, Halprin argues, we must learn, experientially, how our individual stories weave together and strengthen the fabric of our collective body. Generously illustrated with photographs, charts and scores, this book will be a boon to dance therapists, educators and community artists of all types.

The intensity and meaningfulness of aesthetic experience have often been described in theological terms. By designating basic human emotions as rasa, a word that connotes taste, flavor, or essence, Indian aesthetic theory conceptualizes emotional states as something to be savored. At their core, emotions can be tastes of the divine. In this book, the methods of the emerging discipline of comparative theology enable the author’s appreciation of Hindu texts and practices to illuminate her Christian reflections on aesthetics and emotion. Three emotions vie for prominence in the religious sphere: peace, love, and fury. Whereas Indian theorists following Abhinavagupta claim that the aesthetic emotion of peace best approximates the goal of religious experience, devotees of Krishna and medieval Christian readings of the Song of Songs argue that love communicates most powerfully with divinity. In response to the transcendence emphasized in both approaches, the book turns to fury at injustice to attend to emotion’s foundations in the material realm. The implications of this constructive theology of emotion for Christian liturgy, pastoral care, and social engagement are manifold.

As Nadzah grew up, he watched his city decay around him. Then, one day, a violent surge of insight revealed that his broken city signified a far deeper crisis: his entire culture was dying. Now, his understanding drives him into the wilderness. Forsaking everything that he knows, he tries to regain a glorious past, long forgotten. Only after agonizing failures does he realize that he must find salvation within himself. If he is to save himself and his society, he must confront his inner self and the deepest questions of human existence. Job’s simple life was destroyed the day that he was attacked. Slowly, he recognizes that he can never return to his sheltered way of life. He has seen suffering, now, but where can he look to find joy? The Rebirth of Greatness tells of the search for meaning, along two very different paths. It is a journey through nature, human thought, and the struggle for understanding.

The Great Recession, like most economic depressions, has compelled many to reconsider not only the consequences, but also the very nature of contemporary global capitalism. Sadly, very little critical reflection on the fundamental nature of the world’s hegemonic economic system has come from its most devout disciples – evangelicals. Throughout the pages of the Old and New Testament, God reprimands those driven by a love for gain. By way of the cultural mandate, God has given humanity the responsibility to care not only for their fellow human beings, but also for the earth itself. True and undefiled religion includes taking care of those forgotten, marginalized, and made invisible by all-consuming (and all-mighty) capital. As such, those who accumulate wealth by destroying creation dishonor their Creator. Has the Christian community gone far enough in meeting the needs of the poor, in seeking the end of poverty, or in curbing the rapacious appetites of the greedy few in order to preserve that which is good, true, and beautiful within God’s creation? Render Unto God calls Christians to reconsider their ideological commitment to unrestrained capitalism – to rethink not only the profit motive, an essential element of capitalism (if not its central telos), the meaning of private property, and the dominion of the global power elite, but also to understand how market fundamentalism fractures families, creates systems of inequality, and destroys the environment. Have we forgotten our commitment to God, neighbor, and creation? Have we forgotten our primary purpose, the reason for our existence – namely, to glorify God and enjoy him forever?

Peace, Literature, and Art is the component of Encyclopedia of Social Sciences and Humanities in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Culture is the essence of individual and national identity. What children and people read and watch and the kind of Culture, Literature and Media, they are exposed to, through home, education and society - provide them with basic values, attitudes and norms which affect and motivate them throughout their lives. It is of crucial importance therefore, that those stories we are exposed to, at the socio-cultural and educational levels, which we watch on television, in films and on the Internet, and which we read - should be peaceful ones, which open our eyes to a humane world that can prosper from peace and harmony. This Theme on Peace, Literature, and Art deals, in two volumes and cover several topics related to Peace Education: Definition, Approaches, and Future Directions; Importance of a Literature and a Culture of Peace These two volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers, NGOs and GOs.