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La Trobe University's New Centre for Dialogue
The establishment of the Centre for Dialogue was approved by the Academic Board
of La Trobe University in 2005 and commenced functioning in late 2006. This is a major initiative which
will have not only local and national but international significance.
The Centre for Dialogue features these characteristics:
- It is inter-cultural (exploring a great many religious and cultural
traditions) and inter-disciplinary (bringing together the insights of many
disciplines, including cultural studies, religious studies, education,
international relations, sociology, law, philosophy, history, and
economics).
- It serves several interrelated functions:
- Community development and empowerment nurtured by the application of
the dialogue method across ethnic, religious and cultural divisions;
- Educational projects (designed to promote the philosophy, practice
and method of dialogue and better understanding of different societies,
cultures and faiths in schools and institutions of higher and continuing
education);
- Pure and applied research of international standing that addresses
the challenges and opportunities presented by cultural, religious and
political diversity and conflict - locally, nationally, regionally and
globally;
- International networking, exchanges and co-operative projects, with
an emphasis on Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, China and Southeast
Asia;
- Policy advice to community organisations, governmental bodies, and
international agencies.
- It fosters interaction and dialogue between organisations
representing diverse religious traditions, professional associations and
non-governmental organisations more generally, research institutions,
think-tanks, and representatives of key constituencies, including
government, industry and international organisations (e.g. World Bank,
WTO, UNDP, UNHCR other UN agencies, EU, ASEAN).
The Centre, in close consultation with other institutions, is seeking to
establish a multi-nodal Global Network for Dialogue, with Melbourne as one
of its central nodes. The basic idea is that a global network be formed,
comprised of partner organisations, principally research institutes and
university-based centres. This will be the long-term aim, but we are
beginning with collaboration between institutions and individuals located in
such centres as Naples, Oxford, Heidelberg, Moscow, Hawaii, Kuala Lumpur,
Manila, Shanghai, Nagoya, Tehran, Jerusalem, Istanbul, Athens and Nicosia.
Projects that have run prior and since the Centre has been established
include:
- Australia's handling of tensions between Islam and the West since
September 11
- Religion and Conflict: implications for Southeast Asia and Australia
- Schools Dialogue Project (which has as its core a pilot scheme
involving 6 to 8 schools) designed to assist teachers to develop study
programs and extra-curricular activities informed by the dialogue method and
multicultural values
- A series of consultations and workshops involving key sectors of
the community, including educators, religious and community organisations,
and media
- La Trobe Cyprus Project (fostering interaction between the two
Cypriot communities).
For further information:
| See the Centre's
website: |
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http://www.latrobe.edu.au/dialogue/ |
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| Contact Dr Michalis S. Michael
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_m.michael_@latrobe.edu.au |
Note:
before sending your email to this address, please
remove the underscore characters ( _ ) from the send "To" in your email program, which have
been included here to reduce the incidence of automated junk mail "bots" using
this email address. |
| OR by telephone, call: |
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+61-3-9479 2140 |
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Monday, 02. April 2007 02:00 PM +1100 |
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