THEME: Currents
TOPIC AREA: Relationship
RELATIONSHIP the way in which two or more concepts,
objects, or people are connected, or the state of being
connected.
connection, relation, association, link,
correlation, correspondence, parallel, alliance,
synonyms:
bond, interrelation, interconnection, being in
relation, entanglement.
Relationships are the foundation for civility, for healthy work
environments and for diversity to flourish, we need to honor
and respect our fellow human beings. Let’s talk about
relationships.
Humans are not meant to be solitary creatures. We all share
a need to be part of a community, to express and receive
love and to bond with one another in the workplace or at
school. Why is it, then, that chronic loneliness has become
an epidemic in the United States and abroad; that millions
of people have been relegated to the margins of society,
and that suicide and other mental health challenges
associated with isolation are on the rise? Why is it that
people with disabilities feels excluded, over 60% of people
are not happy in the workplace and that a top down
paradigm persist leaving millions of people feeling
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powerless and without a voice. At some point, we have to
go back to relationships to find the disconnect.
Many experts are concerned with decreasing social
intelligence of humans. This trend towards greater isolation
is not sustainable for the future of the species. Our societies
are built on cooperation, and many of the ills and challenges
we face – whether they be political, economic cultural or
personal – can be understood if not mended through the
lens of relationships. Without dynamic collaboration, the
future of human creativity, innovation and social change is
in doubt.
So how can we reconcile the impulse towards
individualism and self-interested hierarchies of power
with the imperative of community that gives us meaning
and purpose? What can be done to dismantle the
barriers that have kept the disenfranchised and the
silenced from participating as full community members?
No less than the future of humanity depends on inclusive
solutions that embrace our better nature as social
animals.
We are looking for proposals in the following areas:
 How society disables people and fosters the problem
of disability in intimate and/or friendly relations;
 Inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary perspectives
on sexual expression among people with disabilities,
encompassing cross-cultural and transcultural angles;
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 Collaboration and partnerships that foster effective
sustainable practices for equality, justice and
inclusion;
 How diversity facilitates creativity, innovation and
positive relationships;
 The role of leadership in fostering and implementing
wide-scale transformations;
 New research paradigms to analyze and suggest
solutions for social isolation and disenfranchisement;
 New considerations in behavioral research of social
bonding vs predation;
 The role of relationship building in mending
exclusionary practices in the community, workplace
and in the society at large;
 The role of friendship and love in human daily life;
 Best practices for expressing diversity through
relationship building;
 Innovative programming and initiatives that reduces
the potentiality for suicide, for the isolation of
veterans; and other marginalized groups;
 The role of relationships and healthy multistakeholder approaches in reducing homelessness,
exclusionary policy practices.
 Best practices for community building when change
takes place in neighborhoods – whether it be
migration of families from another country, youth
homes, etc.
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We are particularly interested in receiving presentation
proposals from advocates, activists and community leaders
concerning their experiences and recommendations and
from international participants providing cross-cultural
perspectives.
We welcome all proposals. Please see presentation
formats on our webpage at:
http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/presenters/formats/.
Please read criteria for each format and ensure that you
have the appropriate number of presenters for your
chosen format.
You may submit proposals online at:
http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/submissions
or send your proposals via email to [email protected].
If you have questions or need further information, please
contact the Pacific Rim team at [email protected].
For general information on the conference, please contact
Charmaine Crockett at [email protected], (808) 9567539.
For registration questions please contact the registration
desk at [email protected], phone
(808) 956-8816, fax (808) 956-4437.
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