Dr. Badri Rao, associate professor of Liberal Studies, chaired the Human Security and Peace in South and Southeast Asia session during the United Nations World Civic Forum 2009 in Seoul, South Korea May 5 – 8.

The first-ever World Civic Forum, “Building Our Humanitarian Planet," was organized by Kyung Hee University in partnership with the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). The forum covered three key issues stemming from the U.N. Millennium Declaration pledging to make the world better for all by 2015. The three issues were: Civic Values for Global Justice; Civic Engagement in Public and Global Governance; and Civic Action for the Global Agenda Including Climate Change.

Rao presented his paper “Turning Swords into Plowshares; Promoting Human Security and Tolerance in the Context of Terrorism in South Asia,” May 8, in conjunction with two other presenters addressing human security and peace in South and Southeast Asia.

His premise is that trade relations can be utilized to reduce conflict between hostile countries. Rao referenced the situation between his native India and Pakistan as an example, specifically the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai by members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant organization, considered a terrorist organization by many countries including India, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Since gaining independence in 1947, India and Pakistan have engaged in four wars and hundreds of terrorist attacks, creating endemic animosity and hostility between the two, according to Rao.

“The 2008 attacks in Mumbai outraged India collectively when it became clear that Pakistan was involved,” said Rao. “Indians demanded the Indian government make surgical strikes on known terrorist training camps in Pakistan,” he added.

However, the government of India was in a delicate situation as it had to reckon with the domestic and international implications of such demands, he explained. Aside form potentially disastrous economic implications, the country has the second largest Muslim population in the world (after Indonesia), and if they bow to internal pressure and attacked Pakistan, they run the risk of worsening already fragile Hindu-Muslim relations and jeopardizing the safety of Muslims in India. “Also, India cannot attack Pakistan and expect no retaliation,” he added.

On the other hand, Pakistan is viewed internationally as a sponsor of terrorism, said Rao, with its elites and the military patronizing terrorist groups to legitimize their rule and to settle scores with India. But Pakistani leaders can no longer manage the extremists within their borders as the spate of terrorist attacks in Pakistan amply prove. “And with increasing international pressure against state-sponsored terrorism, if they continue to sponsor terrorism they will become pariahs in the international community,” said Rao.

“Both countries have serious challenges ahead of them, and limited options,” he said. The most pragmatic strategy for promoting peace and tolerance in South Asia is by advancing human security and not just state security, according to Rao. “Human security ensures there is all-around human development, he said.

India and Pakistan must vigorously pursue the Millennium Development Goals, said Rao. “The two countries need to set aside old animosities and move beyond the 'burden of history',” he said. “I think India and Pakistan can put their heads together and collaborate, but this calls for enlightened leadership. They should promote trade and collaborate in the area of human development. The more you trade the less incentive you have to go to war,” he said.

Pursuing civic nationalism as opposed to religious nationalism: emphasizing social inclusion and tolerance in education; stressing the common cultural ties of India and Pakistan, providing aid to Pakistan in exchange for assurances of curbing terrorism; and threatening international isolation are some of the steps Rao outlines for effectively defusing terrorism.

While some may view his position too idealistic, Rao feels that if the area continues to fester, the situation will only get worse.

If, however, the Indian government tries to win the hearts and minds of the Pakistani people through trade and humanitarian efforts, it could serve to isolate the terrorists and they wouldn’t have as much influence on the general population, hypothesizes Rao. “Human development is the best antidote against the alienation of disaffected terrorists,” he said.

In the long term, Rao would like to see a South Asian Union similar to the European Union.

Like Rao, the more than 2500 participants at the World Civic Forum are hopeful that their work will help formulate U.N. policies and assist in the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals. “The whole idea of the forum was to find the ways and means to create a more humanitarian planet,” he said”

For more information on the World Civic Forum of UNDESA, hosted in conjunction with Kyung Hee University, visit http://www.wcf2009.org/

Thursday, August 21, 1879, Knock, County Mayo, Ireland: Mary McLoughlin and Mary Beirne stood transfixed as rain dribbled down their faces, bewildered at the apparition cast against the gable wall of the local Catholic Church. Within the bright light hovered the figures of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and St. John. Eventually, as the dark closed in and the apparition remained, Mary Beirne summoned her family, who returned to the site with other neighbors, all of whom witnessed the apparition for several hours. The parishioners had no explanation for what they saw that day.

Many scholars have examined this apparition and its significance in the 120 years following its appearance to better understand the changes that took place in Irish Catholicism during the nineteenth century. Some analyses suggest the apparition was simply a “cultural manifestation of a ‘remote, impoverished and illiterate world’,” according to a Nov. 11, 2008 “Irish Times” review by Daire Keogh, who is a lecturer in the History Dept. at St. Patrick’s College in Drumcondra, Ireland. But for Dr. Eugene Hynes, an associate professor of Sociology at Kettering University and author of Knock: The Virgin Mary’s Apparition in Nineteenth Century Ireland (Cork University Press, 2008), a deeper look reveals much more.

Recently, Knock was selected as co-winner of the 10^th annual James S. Donnelly, Sr. Award for Books in History and Social Sciences presented by the American Conference for Irish Studies (http://www.acisweb.com/info.php?type=main), an international multidisciplinary scholarly organization with approximately 1,500 members in the United States, Ireland, Canada and other countries around the world.

Hynes’ book takes a more intimate approach to this subject than previous scholars, relying on his training as a sociologist and utilizing new source material that other researchers neglected. Specifically, his book examines the County Mayo and the village of Knock for half a century before the appearance of the apparition. In this time period, The County Mayo had endured famine, emigration and in particular a Land War that “shattered traditional alliances and wrong-footed the clergy in the summer of 1879,” Keogh writes in his review.

The local priests supported the landowners in this Land War instead of the tenants, which caused considerable ill-will, culminating in the local priest, Father Cavanagh, denouncing community leaders from the altar. This prompted what Hynes characterized as a “huge ‘indignation meeting’ against him in June 1879.” Soon afterward the apparition appeared.

Unfortunately, Hynes explained, the clergy publicized the appearance of the apparition without full reference to the problems in clerical authority that took place before the event. The only means through which media could learn of the apparition came through Father Cavanagh and his associate, Father Bourke. In Hynes’ Jan. 7, 2009 article “Were ‘visions’ a people’s protest,” published in “The Times” of London, he writes that what was left out of “the press reports—and what reporters were incapable of discovering due to their ignorance of the Irish language—was the traditional idiom of Virgin appearances as commentary on the role of priests.”

Hynes’ research efforts included a close examination of the local culture prior to this event, as well as his deep understanding of the context in which it occurred. Additionally, he consulted a neglected memoir written by a poor lay person who wrote about the Catholic religion during the time frame when the apparition appeared. This rare find, including Hynes’ investigation into the views of insiders, represents a new approach to the study of one of the most compelling religious apparitions in the world.  As a result, his book questions the typical reasons that spurred change in Irish Catholicism during the nineteenth century. Today, more than 1.5 million visitors make the trip to Knock each year and in 1979—the centennial year—Pope John Paul II visited the shrine.

Winning the James S. Donnelly, Sr. Award is a recognition Hynes—a Galway, Ireland native—is very pleased to receive. “I wrote my first article on this topic in 1978 and have thought about it in terms of a longer work since that time,” he said. Hynes has taught at Kettering since 1985.

To learn more about Knock: The Virgin Mary’s Apparition in Nineteenth Century Ireland, visit http://www.corkuniversitypress.org/, http://www.styluspub.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=208427, or contact Dr. Eugene Hynes at ehynes@kettering.edu.

Written by Gary Erwin

801.762-9538

gerwin@kettering.edu

Nicholas Leja ’08, of Milford, is the 2008 winner of Kettering University's Prima Prize for Best Research Paper in Leadership and Ethics. The award is conferred through the Department of Liberal Studies and made possible by the sponsorship of Prima Communications Inc., of Schoolcraft, Mich.  

The winning paperwas selected from all research papers submitted to the Senior Seminar in Leadership, Ethics, and Contemporary Issues in the 2007-08 academic year, and was chosen by a panel of eight judges, consisting of Senior Seminar instructors and Charlotte Hubbard '83, president and CEO of Prima Communications.

The program is coordinated by Dr. Michael Callahan, professor of Liberal Studies, and carries a $300 award for the winning paper.

The Prima Prize was awarded to Leja for his paper, "An Ethical Review of TEAM."  Leja graduated in September and is currently working for Monarch Franchisers, Inc.

Two honorable mention awards were conferred: one to Shana Paciocco ’08, of Canton, Mich., for her paper "Investigation of Friendly Fire Over Iraq," and the other to Nathaniel Byrne ’08, of Columbia Station, Ohio, for his paper "An Evaluation of the Government’s Roles and Responsibilities in the Ethics of Nanotechnology." They each received $100 for honorable mention papers.

Leja, Paciocco and Byrne were recognized at a ceremony Nov. 18 in the Humanities Art Center, where Leja presented a summary of his paper.   

The Prima Prize was established by Charlotte Hubbard '83. Prima Communications is the first corporate sponsor of a program focused on leadership and ethics in the Liberal Studies program at Kettering.

"Kettering University greatly appreciates the establishment and continuations of the Prima Prize. Ms. Hubbard's interest in, and commitment to, Kettering and our students is awesome," said Dennis Washington, vice president for University Advancement. "We hope it will encourage more alumni to recognize excellence in our students through such gifts," he added.

Written by Dawn Hibbard

810.762.9865

dhibbard@kettering.edu

Kettering University, Mott Community College and the University of Michigan-Flint present the seventh annual Global Issues Film Festival  Nov, 7-8, 2008 at the Mott Community College Regional Technology Center Auditorium.

The Global Issues Film Festival is free and open to the public.

The Global Issues Film Festival continues its tradition of bringing provocative films to Flint. This collaborative festival includes the work of independent filmmakers from around the globe, representing a variety of voices and viewpoints. The festival is sponsored by the Greater Flint Arts Council, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, Mott Community College, Kettering University’s Department of Liberal Studies and the University of Michigan-Flint.

The following films represent the first half of the 2008-09 Global Issues Film Festival. The second half of the festival will run Jan. 28-31, 2009 on the campus of Kettering University. For more information, call (810)762-9699.

Hot House (2006) Friday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m., (89 minutes – subtitled), directed by Shimon Dotan

Almost ten thousand Palestinians, designated by the Israeli government as "Security Prisoners," are incarcerated in Israel. Most Israelis consider them murderers and criminals, but most Palestinians regard them as freedom fighters. Filmed inside the country's highest security facilities, it shows everyday prison life and makes the argument that the Israeli criminal justice system uses imprisonment to stifle or control Palestinian democratic political life.

American Outrage (2007) Friday, Nov. 7, 8:30 p.m., (56 minutes – English), by Betty & George Gage

Carrie and Mary Dann are feisty elderly Western Shoshone sisters who live and ranch in north central Nevada. They have always grazed their livestock on the range outside their ranch on Western Shoshone land from the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. In 1974, the U.S. sued the Dann sisters for trespassing. Why the United States would spend millions prosecuting and persecuting two elderly women grazing a few hundred horses and cows in a desolate desert?  Could it be for the gold which is being strip mined out of the area?

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North (2008)  Saturday, Nov. 8, 2:30 p.m., (86 minutes - English) directed by Katrina Browne, Alla Kovgan and Jude Ray

Filmmaker Katrina Browne’s New England ancestors were the largest slave trading family in U.S. history. She and nine fellow descendants journey to retrace the steps of the Triangle Trade. The issues the DeWolf descendants are confronted with dramatize questions that apply to the nation as a whole: What are the legacies of slavery?

Metal and Melancholy (2007)  Saturday, Nov. 8, 4:30 p.m., (80 Minutes – subtitled), directed by Heddy Honigmann

An offbeat "road movie" in which the documentarian travels with, and thereby discovers the stories of, taxi drivers in Lima, Peru. In the early 1990s, in response to Peru's inflationary economy and a government destabilized by corruption and Shining Path terrorism, many middle-class professionals used their own cars to moonlight as taxi drivers in order to weather the financial crisis. The film follows these part-time cabbies, as they manage to navigate through Lima's congested, pothole-filled streets in dilapidated cars whose survival techniques are as fascinating as those of their owners.

Energy War (2007) Saturday, Nov. 8,  6:30 p.m., (78 minutes – English and subtitled), by Shuchen Tan, Ijsbrand van Veelen & Rudi Boon

Exploring how the economic importance of fossil fuels affects international politics and becomes a powerful tool of foreign policy. The film profiles newly emergent "superpowers" such as Iran, and Venezuela and shows how oil was used as a political weapon in the struggle between an economically revitalized Russia and its former Soviet Republic. It concludes by investigating the search for alternatives to our dependency on oil.

It’s normal for a college professor to find himself in front of a classroom lecturing; it’s not always normal for him to be lecturing a group of his peers – other college instructors.

Dr. Badrinath Rao, associate professor of Liberal Studies at Kettering University, did just that this summer, and it wasn’t the first time. Rao participated in the Midwest Institute for International/Intercultural Education (MIIIE) for the sixth year in a row, lecturing about his research on social justice and the rule of law in India and the state of education in India.

A Fulbright grant underwrites the seminars by experts in international and intercultural topics at the Midwest Institute at Kalamazoo Community College, in Michigan, during the summer months. “The seminars are part of the Midwest Institute’s International-Intercultural Education program for community college instructors to help them create modules for use in their course curriculums,” said Rao.

The Midwest Institute for International/Intercultural Education (MIIIE) is a self-funded consortium of two-year colleges located in the Midwest region. Its primary objective is to support curriculum and professional development by organizing curriculum workshops, fall and spring conferences, overseas projects for faculty and students, assistance with grant development, provide faculty mentoring and professional networking.

Rao’s lectures were part of two of the Midwest Institute’s 2008 Summer Workshops, one focused on human rights and cultural diversity and another focused on global healthcare and education.  

“It is always a pleasure to present at these workshops,” Rao said. “It is an opportunity to share your research interests with other educators, and I have found the participants to be very interested and very interesting. It is a win-win situation.” In past years, topics have included terrorism and ethnic and minority rights.

“It is my hope that these workshops have some impact on the community college faculty in attendance, that it broadens their horizons and gets into their school’s curriculum,” he added.

Rao plans to apply for a Fulbright grant opportunity to take 15 community college professors to India next year, participating as a subject expert.

Established in 1992, MIIIE strives to inspire or enhance existing degree programs in international-intercultural studies at community colleges through curriculum development modules and provide professional development for faculty with summer workshops, online training/sharing, overseas faculty travel/teaching, short-term professional visits to four-year universities and annual conferences. Originally funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Title VI program, MIIIE has been self-funded since 1995 but continues to receive funding from federal, state, and nonprofit organizations for various projects. There are currently 128 members of the consortium, from two-year colleges in the Midwest region. For more information, visit their web site at http://orgs.kvcc.edu/midwest/

Written by Dawn Hibbard

810.762.9865

dhibbard@kettering.edu

Commencement is June 14

Innovation and technology will be the theme for Kettering University’s Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, June 14, in the Connie and Jim John Recreation Center.

Kettering President Stan Liberty will preside at the 11 a.m. graduation services for 315 graduates (238 undergrads and 77 master’s candidates).  The grand marshal will once again be Dr. Henry Kowalski, professor of Mechanical Engineering. 

Two technology innovators, who helped propel their industries to new heights, will receive honorary degrees.  They are: Dr. Curtis R. Carlson, president and chief executive officer of SRI International, and the late David W. Hermance, a 1970 graduate of Kettering/GMI, who has been called “the ambassador for green cars” and “a giant in advanced vehicle technologies.”

Two graduates of Kettering’s Academically Interested Minorities program (AIM) are the undergraduate student speakers.  They are Gadryn Higgs and Stephanie Thach.  Higgs is from Freeport, Bahamas, and will receive a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Thach is from Flint and will receive a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. 

James Bendert of San Diego, Calif., will receive the Outstanding Thesis Award and a bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics.  His co-op was at Argonne National Labs in Argonne, Ill.  Bendert's thesis title is: "Diagnostics of PEM Fuel Cell Electrolytes by Raman Spectroscopy and AC Impedance Spectroscopy". It covers diagnostic study of cation impurities in PEM fuel cell electrolytes by Raman spectroscopy and AC impedance spectroscopy both in the pure membrane form and within the electrode. He was nominated by his faculty adviser Dr. Bahram Roughani, interim department head of Physics.

Here are the highlights of the upcoming ceremony:

Saturday, June 14, 2008, 11 a.m. 

• Connie and Jim John Recreation Center 
• No tickets required to attend Commencement 
• Allow 1 1/2 hours for the ceremony 
• Presiding: Kettering University President Stan Liberty
• Grand Marshal: Dr. Henry Kowalski of Mechanical Engineering
• Parking is free and available in all campus parking lots 
• Information center will be on the first floor of the Campus Center (behind the elevators), outside BJ's Lounge, from 8:30 - 11 a.m. 
• There is no graduation rehearsal
• Total graduates: 238 undergraduates, 77 master’s candidates 
• Graduates expecting to march: 144 undergraduates, 30 graduate 
• Expected number of guests: 1,600 
• Faculty will host a light breakfast in the International Room, Fifth Floor of the Campus Center, 8:30-10 a.m. 
• Recreation Center doors open at 9 a.m. for visitors to arrive and be seated 
• Faculty and staff members assemble for the Processional between 10-10:55 a.m. in the Third Floor, Recreation Center 
• Graduates assemble on the first floor of the Campus Center (just outside BJ's Lounge) between 10:30-10:55 a.m.  
• Formal processional begins at 11 a.m.

HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS: 2
Dr. Curtis R. Carlson

HONORARY DOCTOR OF SCIENCE
President and Chief Executive Officer
SRI International
Menlo Park, California 

Carlson will present the Commencement address.  He helped start and lead the high-definition television (HDTV) program that became the U.S. standard and won an Emmy Award for outstanding technical achievement.  Another team started and led by Carlson won an Emmy in 2000 for a system that measures broadcast image quality.  See his entire bio at: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=2765

David W. Hermance ’70

HONORARY DOCTOR OF ENGINEERING (Posthumous Award)
Executive Engineer for Advanced Technology Vehicles
Toyota Technical Center, USA
Gardena, California

Hermance has been called “the point man for an entire technology – the gasoline-electric hybrid.”  He died in November 2006 when his single-engine stunt plane crashed into the ocean near Los Angeles.  Hermance’s wife, Mary, and family members will accept a posthumous award.  See his entire bio at: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=2766.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SPEAKERS:  2
Gadryn Higgs of Freeport, Bahamas (AIM graduate), Mechanical Engineering
Stephanie Thach of Flint (AIM graduate), Industrial Engineering

ACADEMIC HONORS:
Summa Cum Laude (97.0-100) - 6
Magna Cum Laude (94.5-96.9) - 12
Cum Laude (92-94.4) - 29

PRESIDENT’S MEDALISTS: 5
Gadryn Higgs, Freeport, Bahamas;
Ken Luiten, Tucson, Ariz.;
Kristin Rice, Albany, N.Y.;
Robert Riggs, Spring, Texas; and
Ryan Sullivan, Ada, Mich.

SOBEY SCHOLARS: 4
Gadryn Higgs of Freeport, Bahamas;
Kristin Rice of Albany, N.Y.;
Ryan Sullivan, Ada, Mich.; and Stephanie Welch of Clio, Mich. 

OUTSTANDING THESIS AWARD:  1
James Bendert of San Diego, Calif.  

TOTAL GRADUATES, BY DEGREE: 315
Undergraduate Degrees:
1          Applied Mathematics
4          Applied Physics
1          Biochemistry
2          Chemistry
5          Computer Engineering
4          Computer Science
35        Electrical Engineering
0          Engineering Physics
14        Industrial Engineering
14        Management
150      Mechanical Engineering
4          Dual (Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering)
2          Dual (Computer Science and Computer Engineering)
1          Dual (Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics)
1          Dual (Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering)
238     TOTAL

Master’s Degrees:
9          MBA
5          Engineering Management
9          Engineering
1          Information Technology
5          Manufacturing Management
33        Manufacturing Operations
12        Operations Management
2          Dual (Operations Management and MBA)
1          Dual (Engineering Management and MBA)
77        TOTAL  

FOR MORE ON COMMENCEMENT, visit: http://www.kettering.edu/registrar/commencement_information.jsp

HOTELS/RESTAURANTS: Contact the Flint Area Convention and Visitors Bureau: 1-800-24-FLINT or (810) 232-2211.

CAN WE HELP? 1-800-955-4464, ext. 9585, or 810-762-9585.

Written by Patricia Mroczek
810.762.9533
pmroczek@kettering.edu

Ah, Shakespeare. Poet, dramatist, actor. For those who enjoy explicating his work, the question Hamlet poses to himself in Act 3, following the death of his father, is one that will forever foreshadow how readers and viewers perceive Hamlet’s character. 

The universal quality of his dilemma—whether or not to end his life instead of going through and suffering the perplexities of his existence—is something many have long debated about their own lives.

But that’s just one possible way to interpret this line in the play. Dr. David Golz, assistant professor of Humanities at Kettering University and a self-proclaimed Shakespeare lover, once faced a similarly vexing question in relation to his career in science and his hobby of studying the work of Shakespeare. 

For many years, Golz taught Geology at several colleges and since 1985 was a full professor of Geology at California State University—Sacramento. Prior to that, he was a paleontologist and curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. But throughout his career, he has been an avid reader, particularly of Shakespeare’s work, and “had a desire to pursue my hobby on a professional, career level,” he explained.  

During his summers off from teaching, he found himself reading more and more Shakespeare and other Renaissance literature. Eventually, his love of this activity turned from a hobby into something more meaningful: in 1993, he left his teaching post and enrolled in the master’s program in English at Chico State University to pursue an advanced degree in literature. “I always had a great interest in literature and language, and read many biographies of writers and books of literary criticism,” he explained.

After completing his master’s of art degree at Chico State, he pursued his Ph.D. in English with a specialization in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature at the University of Nevada-Reno. He earned his doctorate in 2002 and in 2004 took a position at Kettering teaching HUMM 201: Introduction to Humanities, LIT 379: The Plays of Shakespeare and LIT 372: Masterpieces of Literature.

Part of the reason he came to teach at Kettering includes “the small class sizes, interesting courses and the opportunity to design new courses of study,” he said. “I’m also impressed with my colleagues in the department. They are dedicated teachers and scholars and just good people,” he added.

Born in Michigan, Golz moved with his family when he was just a baby to Aurora, Ill. He has, however, spent most of his adult life in California and has an adult son who resides in southern California.

In the past few years, the journal Notes and Queries (Oxford Journals of Oxford University Press, http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/notesj/about.html), a scholarly publication devoted principally to English language and literature, lexicography, history, and scholarly antiquarianism, published two of his articles: “The Four Books of Doctor Faustus” in December 2006, one of the most highly read pieces published online, and “The Winter’s Tale: Parodic Wordplay in The Play and Its Title” June 2008. The latter work deals with a subject Golz finds most intriguing in Shakespeare: the role of wordplay on the stage and how it impacts interpretation.  

“Shakespeare is really quite adept at using wordplay for specific effect. He requires readers and playgoers to carefully consider the language he uses, the nuances and cultural and societal references he makes,” Golz said.

“Every play, for example, has a cluster of important words that resonate with the theme of the work and often the words are repeated throughout the piece. Unraveling the mystery of that wordplay and how it contributes to other aspects of the work is what I find most compelling,” he added.

His current Shakespearian research focuses on the use of the word diamond for a female viewed as a treasure that needs to be protected and stored away. During Shakespeare’s day, this analogy was a widespread cultural habit expressed in plays, poems and general discourse.

And after a sort of Shakespearian twist in careers that brought him to Kettering, Golz wouldn’t change a thing.   

“Although we do not have students majoring in Literature, those who take my courses are very bright and many of them do become excited with the work,” he said.

Written by Gary Erwin
810.762.9538
gerwin@kettering.edu

Everyone has heard the phrase “looking at a problem with fresh eyes,” and that is precisely what Dr. Badrinath Rao, associate professor of Liberal Studies at Kettering University has done. Rao has taken a look at conflict resolution through Hindu “eyes,” and has found what he considers to be a resource for conflict resolution through religion.

“The world needs to find new mechanisms to enable people to solve conflicts,” he said, “the use of religion is one attempt at identifying a new approach.” He was able to share his ideas at a global conflict resolution program earlier this year.

Rao began exploring the use of religious traditions as a way to address conflict while completing his doctoral work. His research focused on conflict between religious communities in India and the response of the state and judicial system to these conflicts.
“India is one of the most diverse societies in the world,” he explained, “and as a culture has to deal with these issues more that other societies. My interest emerged from the recurrent and class-based conflicts going on in India, and grew to encompass conflicts in general, and in particular, conflict resolution and alternate dispute resolution.”

According to Rao, the justice system in India is overburdened with cases – approximately  30 million cases at different levels in the judiciary - making speedy and cheap access to justice a major challenge facing India. Hence, the need to explore avenues for alternate dispute resolution, more specifically, from religious traditions, he said.

Analyzing how a non-Abrahamic religious tradition, such as Hinduism, poses a different set of issues in respect to addressing conflict resolution, Rao concluded that Hinduism offers enormous resources for conflict resolution through its emphasis on relational orientation and context-sensitivity (Dharma).

“Because it emphasizes sacrifice, Dharmic obligations and self denial,” Rao said, “Hinduism provides the right values for resolving social disputes.” In traditional Hindu society with its caste structure, Dharma constitutes the religious and moral doctrine of the rights and duties of each individual. (Wikipedia)

The concept of Dharma has entrenched ethical relativism in the Hindu way of thinking, according to Rao. In other words, what a person should or should not do depends on the context of the situation, and virtues and transgressions are both equally dependant on contextual issues. Abrahamic traditions typically have established rules for what is considered a virtue and what is considered a transgression.

One result of a context-based approach is that truth is relative (and something you are never destined to know), and there is no choice but to be tolerant of the truth of others.

Different cultures prefer either context-free or context-sensitive rules in their thought processes,” Rao explained. “Hindus tend to operate on context-sensitivity, which can be interpreted as hypocrisy by those who prefer context-free rules,” (such as those found in Abrahamic traditions).

In Rao’s opinion, Hinduism’s emphases on Dharma, Karma and Satyagraha all provide potent tools for resolving conflicts. He explained the three principles thus: Dharma, which understood variously as the moral order, a principle that binds us all, righteousness, etc.; Karma, emphasizing the inevitability of the consequences of one’s actions, tolerance and non-violence; and Satyagraha, or truth force.

In analyzing the application of Hindu religious traditions in conflict resolution, Rao finds that “the relativism of Dharma supports both tradition and modernity, innovation and conformity.

The main teachings of Hinduism, according to Rao, include the following components:

• An emphasis on suffering, impermanence and contingency;
  
• Every act is suffused with spirituality and is meant to enable one to realize oneself;
  
• Self-effacement, not self-assertion, is taught;
  
• Emphasis on acceptance of different world views, ways of living and preferences, seeing them as a part of cosmic evolution of all forms of life on earth; and
  
• The doctrine of karma with its emphasis on the consequences of our actions (which can be invoked to inculcate ethical behavior and be used to provide solace victims secure in knowledge wrongdoers will be punished eventually).

Some tenets of Hinduism are at odds with Western culture’s emphasis on the equality of all humans at birth and individualism without concern for obligations to the greater community. According to Rao in traditional Hindu thinking this is reversed, with the identity being experienced as collective and one’s duties or rights premised on the contributions to the social and cosmic order.

“A middle way needs to be found between recognition of the plurality and distinctiveness on one hand and the equality of human beings on the other,” he said. “How can we yoke the resources of Hinduism for addressing issues of conflict resolution? We need to look at the opportunities it provides,” he said, “there are a lot of Hindu teachings that enable people to resolve conflicts.”

Rao cites Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi’s use of non-violent resistance as addressing conflict resolution from the Hindu perspective. “His use of non-violent resistance was successful in showing the world an alternative to violence and armed conflict.”

 Because of his participation, he was asked to share his research with a global audience by making an informal presentation at the “Conflict Resolution from Religious Traditions,” seminar Dec. 31, 2007 through Jan. 10, a joint venture between Hamline University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The program focused on the concepts and methods that diverse religious communities use to resolve conflicts.

His presentation, “Conflict Resolution in Hinduism: Challenges and Opportunities,” was attended by students of law from the U.S. and Australia and featured scholars with expertise in law and the Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Hindu traditions. Rao has been approached about continuing his relationship with Hamline University and the DRI.

Written by Dawn Hibbard
810.762.9865
dhibbard@kettering.edu

Exhibits featured in the Visiting Artist Program are shown in the Humanities Art Center at Kettering University, on the fourth floor of the Academic Building at the corner of Third and Chevrolet avenues. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. TheArt Center is open to the public. There is no admission charge.