Co-sponsored by Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Resources for Peace
A Conference for Faculty and Students on April 10-11, 2014
Co-sponsored by Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Thursday, April 10
3:30-5:30pm – On-site registration is available -- Hyland Hall Atrium
Hyland is across Starin Road from the Visitor’s Center. Preregistered participants/presenters pick-up
conference packets (including dinner and lunch tickets).
4:00- 5:00pm—Concurrent Sessions
Hyland Room 1001: Resource Conflicts and War
Moderator, Margarita Alario, Department of Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology,
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Natural Resources and Governance Capacity as Predictors for Internal War
Leda Nath, Department of Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology, University of WisconsinWhitewater
ABSTRACT: Since the end of the Cold War, natural resources have emerged as a significant concern in
explaining intrastate armed conflicts. There are sound reasons for this. One dominant research agenda has
focused on the so-called natural resources curse (NRC). Not as an alternative but rather as a
complementary research agenda, we focus on what may be termed the governance capacity curse (GCC).
By doing this, our study adds to science by considering both factors when explaining internal war. We
hypothesize that the NRC is tightly coupled to GCC. Our quantitative approach reveals that perceived
corruption, a dimension of GCC, more strongly affects armed conflict than the NRC. A comprehensive
understanding of both perspectives may affect both policy and existing lines of internal conflict research.
Paul Adogamhe, Department of Political Science, UW-Whitewater
Transnational Terrorism
Allison Hetz, student in Political Science, UW-Whitewater
Ansar Al-Sharia: the terrorists who took the U.S. Embassy In Benghazi.
Hyland Room 1201: Energy, Empire and Media Resources
Shane Kieffer, student in International Relations, Edgewood College
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Clean Energy Alternatives
Robert Reuschlein, Department of Accounting Lecturer, Lakeland College
Empire Society: Contrasting the nature of a high military society vs. a low military society
The main reasons military spending has a huge negative impact on economies and societies are twofold:
manufacturing & military use similar research & capital resources, as one goes up the other goes down;
capital investment and military use the same resource pool, so military represents a waste of capital.
High levels of military spending lead to:
1) economic stagnation ; 2) power and control oriented society;
3) sideways oriented win/lose culture; 4) high competition and dog eat dog;
5) extreme inequality as captains of industry devalue laborers as interchangeable;
6) high frustration with crime, health, and mental health problems.
Low levels of military spending lead to:
1) high economic growth; 2) achievement oriented society;
3) forward looking win/win culture; 4) high cooperation and collegial;
5) low inequality as each person is needed and valued to keep up the growth;
6) high satisfaction with low crime, good health, and longevity.
Jo Ann Oravec, Department of Information Tech and Business Education, University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater
Social Media as Resources for Peace: Critical Analyses of Online Interaction in Discourse on
Peace and War
ABSTRACT: Thought leaders, political figures, celebrities, and everyday citizens have acquired an
assortment of ways to attract attention to their ideas. This presentation analyzes how social media (such
as Facebook and Twitter) are being used to assist in efforts to disseminate concepts and promote
perspectives involving peace and war. The presentation takes a “media ecology” approach, providing an
assortment of analytic tools to assess the size and scope of online networks focusing on these issues. The
presentation also portrays various difficulties in analyzing the effectiveness of social media to influence
public opinion, comparing social media efforts to less technology-intensive activities such as physical
gatherings and demonstrations. Social media critiques often include the notion that the media may make
individuals more insular within their networks, providing them less exposure to alternative perspectives.
The presentation will address these and related issues using cases of specific social media initiatives that
involve peace and war themes.
Hyland Room 2101: Gender and Racialized Violence
Student Panel-- Diversity Leadership Certificate at University of Wisconsin Whitewater
Moderator, Lauren Smith, Department of Women’s Studies
The panel will address the question "What moral and cultural resources may be mobilized for change?"
with a focus on gendered and racialized violence. Each student will present a paper in which s/he reflects
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on the impact of identity or social location on the lens through which some aspect of interpersonal or
structural violence is viewed. They will examine how intersecting and overlapping identities can shape
the questions we ask, the questions we don't ask, and the ways in which we respond to the questions.
Finally, they will discuss strategies for sustaining an inclusive conversation about violence and ideas
about how we might respond both as individuals and as a culture.
6:30pm -- Welcome Dinner--Fern Young Terrace in the Center for the Arts
Opening Remarks from the Dean of College of Letter and
Sciences, David Travis and
Zohreh Ghavamshahidi
Coordinator for the Peace and Social Justice program at the
UW-Whitewater
Featuring the Strawberry Moon Women Singers
-Native Gathering Songs and Drumming.
Thanks to NACAA -- Native American Cultural Awareness Association
7:45-9:00pm –Film and Discussion is open to the public—Fern Young Terrace
Protect our Future and discussion with members of Bad River Ojibwe
Jill Hartley and Joe Bates will share stories and their experiences in the struggle-Youth of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa created this film (along with Patty
Loew, UW Madison, Department of Life Sciences Communication and American Indian
Studies) to address impacts of proposed mining in northern Wisconsin upon the water and other
natural and cultural resources. It offers a poignant plea to protect their heritage and our
Wisconsin landscape.
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Friday, April 11
8:30-9:45am –Plenary Session open to the public
Hyland Hall: Timmerman Auditorium
Cheri Maples – Center for Mindfulness and Justice
In 2008 Cheri was ordained a dharma teacher by Zen Master Thich
Nhat Hanh, her long-time spiritual teacher. For 25 years Cheri worked
in the criminal justice system, as an Assistant Attorney General in the
Wisconsin Department of Justice, head of Probation and Parole for the
Wisconsin Department of Corrections, and as a police officer with the
City of Madison Police Department, earning the rank of Captain of
Personnel and Training
10:00- 11:15am—Concurrent sessions
Hyland Room 1306--Arab Identity as a Resource for Peace
Michael J. Gradus- Student in International Studies: Middle East & Political Science,
St. Norbert College
Fear and Loathing in Jordan: Jordanian Christian Perceptions of the Egyptian Experience with
Political Islam & Its Effect on the Jordanian Political System
David W. Angel- Graduate Student in Dispute Resolution, Marquette University
Identity as Conflict: Reflections on Interviews with Transnational Arab American Muslim Youth
Ali R. Abootalebi, Department Middle Eastern and Global Politics, UW-Eau Claire
Reflections on Arab Politics: The State-Society Relations, Regional Geopolitics, and the
Stalemated Arab Spring
ABSTRACT: A casual observation of the Arab Politics reveals the dominance of authoritarian states and
the presence of ineffective societies in challenging the monopoly of the state over political power and
socioeconomic resources. The advent of Arab Spring since 2010 has challenged the state-society
relations in most Arab countries but has drastically fallen short in the realization of its goals for political
democracy and improved livelihood. The overall failure of the Arab Spring movement thus far and its
uncertain future is partially attributable to the nature of the state and the opposition in question in any
given country, but foreign intervention has been a significance force facilitating or even determining the
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preservation of the political and socioeconomic status quo at the expense societal popular demand for
change.
10:00- 11:15am—Concurrent sessions
Hyland Room 1312--Breakdown or Breakthrough? Planetary Emergency
and the End of Hyper-civilization
Kent Shifferd, Northland College
ABSTRACT: We face a global crisis of unprecedented scale and scope: a convergence of interrelated
ecological crises that are rapidly degrading the biosphere on which our civilization rests. Biodiversity is
collapsing, climate is warming, oceans are rising and acidifying, arctic ice fields are melting, the air and
seas are suffering toxic pollution, soil is diminishing, great fish populations are failing, useable water is
threatened by shortages. Relentless competition for the remaining carbon deposits threatens not only
resource wars but, once burned, a greatly exacerbated climate shift. Floods, droughts and famines are the
forerunners of the coming of vast migrations of peoples which may well lead to violent conflict
reminiscent of the later wars of ancient Rome. Environmentally induced diseases are spreading and all the
while population is increasing relentlessly. All these trends are undermining economic and political
stability. Why are we blind to this? Why do we think life is going on as normal? This book outlines the
crises and then explains how their foundations developed historically over a long period of time and how
they have burgeoned in the last two hundred years when we created revolutionary “Hyper-civilization,”
the most intense and environmentally impactful civilization in history. The book ends on a hopeful note
describing new thinking, technologies and ways of doing community that are already being developed in
response.
Hyland Room 1319--Spiritual Paths to Peace
Michael Ketterhagen, Department of Theology, Marian University
Raja Yoga: Path to Peace
ABSTRACT: Yoga in modern culture usually surfaces images of exercise or relaxation and misses the
essence of the tradition which is "mastery of the thought patterns of the mind." In this presentation, we
will examine the true meaning of yoga and its relevance to the violent world in which we live. The
presentation will include some practical experience of the raja yoga world of meditation as well as the
theory and research related to the effectiveness of raja yoga in times and places of turmoil and upheaval.
Raja yoga is a powerful tool for peace.
David Reinhart, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, UW-Whitewater
Silent Night Holy Night: Violence, Peace, and the Other
ABSTRACT: Night, by Elie Wiesel is a haunting account of the holocaust that invites the reader
to share the work of memory and mourning in a world where the holocaust happens to us.
Silence, by Shusaku Endo is a haunting story of 15th century Christian missionaries to Japan and
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the experience of silence from God in the face of torture. This presentation provides reflections
on these texts and invites discussion of the resources made available by a family of texts that
similarly stand in solidarity with suffering while also asking questions about the world as it is
created.
Hyland Room 2302--Experiential Education
Rachel Wedeward, Vinnis Lee, Sophia Kauounas, Jackson Vogel, and Allison Schmidt
Ripon College Student panel and poster presentation
Examining the Integration of Experiential Learning Across Higher Education
10:00- 11:15am—Concurrent sessions
Hyland Room 2307--Great Lakes Resources
Al Gedicks, Department of Sociology and Archaeology, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
The Midwest Mining Rush and Conflicts over Tribal Sovereignty: the Mole Lake and Bad River
Ojibwe of Lake Superior
ABSTRACT: The geology of the Lake Superior region has attracted over a dozen mining companies
seeking to exploit the region's copper, gold, iron ore and other metals. The 28 year struggle over Exxon's
proposed Crandon metallic sulfide mine upstream from the Mole Lake Ojibwe's sacred wild rice beds
demonstrated the power of tribal water regulatory authority to protect the integrity of their wild rice lake.
These lessons are now being applied as the Bad River Ojibwe seek to exercise tribal regulatory authority
to protect their wild rice beds from pollution from a proposed large iron (taconite) open pit mine at the
headwaters of the Bad River watershed. The Indian, environmental and sport fishing alliance that defeated
the Crandon mine may play a significant role in opposing a powerful coalition of mine developers, the
pro-mining administration of Governor Scott Walker and the lobbying power of the Wisconsin
Manufacturers and Commerce Association.
Linda Reid, Department of Finance and Business Law, University of Wisconsin- Whitewater
Eric Doescher, Student University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Great Lakes Stakeholder Mapping
ABSTRACT: Environmental modeling by Pax Ludens and Institute for Water Business held a recent
workshop to map Great Lakes interdependencies of stakeholder groups. Long term goals are to build a
framework analysis and decision-making simulation for use by practitioners in resolving freshwater
disputes.
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11:30-12:45 -- Lunch Boxes for registrants available in the Atrium. Space for
informal discussions is available in room 1001.
A lunch ticket is in registration packets for participants. Other options for lunch include--Hyland
Hall Deloitte Café or several restaurants across the mall in the University Center.
Hyland Room 1001 is open for participants and speakers to share lunch together. Please
come in and meet us!
12:15- 1:00pm Campus Sustainability Tour
with Wes Enterline, Sustainability Coordinator at UW-Wisconsin — meet
the tour group in Atrium near front door of Hyland Hall.
11:30-12:45 -- Lunch Circle Discussions
Hyland Room 1306-Restorative and Racial Justice Roundtable
Santo Carfora, S&J Consulting, Diversity Action Team of Rock County, Janesville
Rene Bue, Hedburg Library Diversity Action Team of Rock County, Janesville
Richard Harris, student in Social Work, UW Whitewater and Voices Beyond Bars, Madison
C. Holly Denning, Moderator, Department of Sociology, Criminology, Anthropology,
UW Whitewater
This will be an open discussion on further developing restorative justice initiatives in Southern WI.
Participants will include people from community agencies and groups including the Diversity Action
Team, Courageous Conversations, Rock River Charter School, Youth Services Center and Vision Beyond
Bars. The session is meant to connect and deepen ties among people with similar concerns and expertise-sharing insights and news about current programs, brainstorming, envisioning and expanding on ideas
and networking with new people, groups and interested students.
Hyland Room 1312--Literary Reflections
Emily Janssen, Center for Student Success, Carthage College
Imaginative Resources: Blake’s Jerusalem and Imagination as a Path to Change
ABSRACT: Like the Romantic poets generally, William Blake held imagination in high esteem. Both the
form and content of his masterpiece, Jerusalem, exalt the creative capacity of the human imagination.
From the opening of the poem, Blake suggests the possibility of reforming the world to fit “the Divine
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Vision,” in which all humanity and the entire world are united in peace and mutual love. However, as the
poem continues, the characters put their imaginative creativity to work forging the weapons of war. As
the plot develops, Blake demonstrates that the primacy of peace or of war in the physical world is decided
in the human imagination, which has the capacity to move beyond division, selfishness, and malice to
create a peaceful world. In addition, Blake uses deliberately complicated poetic style to stretch his
readers’ imaginations, preparing them for the imaginative work of reinventing the world.
Rabia Basri, Graduate student in English Literature, Lahore College For Women, Pakistan
Dynamics of War and the Dialect of Suffering in ‘Happy Things in Sorrow Times’ by Tehmina Durrani
Kent Shifferd, Northland College
Til All Need For Witness Cease- A Prose Poem Play In Three Parts to “Celebrate” The
Hundredth Anniversary of World War I
ABSTRACT: 1914 is the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of World War I which military historian
John Keegan has called “a tragic and unnecessary conflict.” The first modern, industrialized war, it
shaped the twentieth century leading on to World War II, the Cold War, weapons of mass destruction, and
ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The work begins with a brief prologue summarizing the key facts
for those who are not much familiar with the “Great War” as it was called back them. Based on soldiers’
letters collected by the Imperial War Museum, this presentation personalizes the terrible cost of combat in
16 poems in three acts, read dramatically.
Hyland Room 1319--Women in Peace Circle
Women’s Peace Movements in Lysistrata and Pray the Devil Back to Hell
Andrea Hilzovitz, Moderator
This panel will include papers written for the World Literature class at Mount Mary University. The
papers analyze the ancient Greek play Lysistrata in relation to the documentary film Pray the Devil Back
to Hell. Both works are about women’s peace movements; Lysistrata portrays a group of ancient Greek
women banding together to bring an end to the Peloponnesian War, and Pray the Devil Back to Hell
documents the efforts of Liberian women to end their country’s civil war. Two of the three recipients of
the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, Leymah Gbowee and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, feature prominently in the
documentary film. Both women’s movements featured women staging a sex-strike, occupying public
spaces, and uniting across cultural barriers to bring an end to conflict. In addition to noting these
similarities, the students highlight important differences between the works as well as between the
women’s movements they portray. As the students’ analyses make clear, the play and the film offer
valuable insights into the role of women in the peacemaking process. Together, the papers attest to the
power of women to come together to bring an end to conflict and to forge peace.
Cassie C. Silvernale & Christine Sanderson, Int'l Studies & Political Science, University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Women and Peace
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Hyland 2303- Immigrant Stories--Student Circle
Mary Ellen Kohn-Buday, World Languages Department, Mount Mary University
Abuelos: Powerful Stories of the Immigrant Experience
ABSTRACT: During the Fall 2013 semester I taught the course Hispanic American Experience (Spanish
for Spanish-Speakers) and the final project was called "Abuelos." The students were to interview an
older (over 65) Hispanic immigrant and tell us their story (in both written and oral country of origin,
essentially, their past, present and future. I would like a few of the best stories told to be heard in a round
table presentation at the conference. One student talked about her grandmother fleeing Cuba during the
Mariel boat lift and her stay in a Cuban concentration camp (educational to the whole class), one student
and her family are undocumented, a couple of others talked about the strength of women who held their
families together during tragedy. The sharing of immigrant stories can bring peace and reduce conflict
among those who do not understand their experiences.
Hyland Room 2302--Student Organizations Unite Roundtable
Cassie Steiner, student organizer, Freedom Force, UW-Whitewater
Cameron Barker, Mary Dunne, Alison Thomas
When it comes to organizing for peace and gathering resources, each organization and cause tends to act
on its own. This can be seen at an international or national level, but it can even be seen locally and on
campuses. Throughout history, however, it can be seen that teamwork and coordination can enable goals
to be met faster and can assist in creating stable, long-lasting peace. By hosting a roundtable discussion
and creating a website with a forum, I hope to create a means of communication between different
advocacy organizations throughout the state of Wisconsin to establish united efforts and campaigns to
effectively strive for cooperation and change at the state level. I will be reaching out to the advocacy
organizations on campus so that Whitewater students can assist in leading this discussion.
Hyland Room 2307--Water Security in Global Great Lakes
Graduate student panel from Center for Water Policy, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee
Jenny Kehl, Faculty moderator
Cynthia Davy, Kim Kramer, Victoria Lubner, Lisa Sasso, Catherine Simons
Water security is essential for stability and sustainability. As the severity and frequency of weather
patterns shift, simultaneously with population growth, we will be faced with water scarcity and water
quality problems that will ultimately impact human health, economic stability, and conflict versus
cooperation. Effective and sustainable management of freshwater resources is vital to maintaining peace.
Approximately 26% of freshwater on earth is stored in large lakes. If managed sustainably for security
and stability, these lakes present valuable opportunities for cooperation and peace. This panel explores
earth’s 20 largest lakes examining how these water resources have changed and, by applying the
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innovative CWP Water Security Framework, shed light on how the world’s largest lakes will continue to
change. In sum, the panel will discuss the political, economic, and environmental implications of water
security in the world’s largest freshwater lake systems.
1:00- 2:30—Keynote address Hyland Hall: Timmerman Auditorium
Kathy Kelly- Voices for Creative Non-Violence
Kelly has served on many peace teams in Iraq, and
Afghanistan, has reported on conditions in prison in
numerous articles for peace and religious journals and
websites. In 2005 she authored "Other Lands Have
Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison." She is co-author
of "Prisoners on Purpose: a Peacemakers Guide to Jails
and Prison" and co-editor of "War and Peace in the Gulf.”
2:30-WIPCS prizes awarded
2:45- 3:45—Concurrent Sessions
Hyland Room 1306—Peace and Non-violence
Deborah Buffton, Department of History, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Peace History as a Resource for Peace
ABSTRACT: For those who study peace and conflict, it is no surprise to learn that our schools normally
teach history with a war-ist bias. Students tend to have much more familiarity with (though not in-depth
knowledge of) past and current wars and virtually no knowledge of peace initiatives, institutions,
philosophy or movements. Consequently, they assume that war is constant and inevitable, while peace is
illusive, fragile, temporary or even impossible. These views shape their world views and thus their
actions.
Patrick Kennelly, Marquette University Center for Peacemaking
The Nonviolence of Bayard Rustin: 1940-1965
ABSTRACT: Combining his Quaker commitment to peace, understanding of Gandhian nonviolence,
sharp intellect, and oratory skills, Bayard Rustin played an important role as a strategist and activist in the
areas of peace, civil rights, and freedom efforts. Rustin was involved in many of the major nonviolence
movements of his time in America including: conscience objection during WWII, the 1941 March on
Washington, the Journey of Reconciliation freedom rides, the March on Washington for Jobs and
Freedom. Through these experiences, Rustin became an important practitioner and voice of nonviolence.
Despite his significant role in nonviolent American movements, Rustin’s understanding of nonviolence
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and his impact on nonviolent social movements has largely been ignored by scholars. This paper
examines how Rustin’s understanding and use of strategic and tactical nonviolence shaped the peace and
civil rights movements from 1940-1965.
Hyland Room 1312—Philosophical Stories and Parables
Joan Braune, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Mount Mary University
Erich Fromm on the Roots of Violence and of Hope
ABSTRACT: In this paper, I explore the contribution to Frankfurt School critical theorist and "socialist
humanist" organizer Erich Fromm to movements for peace. I address Erich Fromm's 1963 pamphlet on
peace for the American Friends Service Committee, War Within Man, the fruit of his collaboration and
dialogue for many years with Catholic monk and peace advocate Thomas Merton. I also discuss Fromm's
account of ideology and "dead" ideas a source of violence (as detailed in his book on foreign policy, May
Man Prevail?). Like his correspondent Thomas Merton, Fromm examines language with regard to its
Janus-faced nature as both a tool of violent ideology (obscuring the truth) and as containing seeds of
hope, revealing the potential latent in the present and providing meaningful concepts with which rational
persons in dialogue can collaborate to educate others, build movements, and create a more humane future.
Andrea Hilkovitz, English Department, Mount Mary University
Truths and Reconciliation: Peacebuilding through Storytelling in Sierra Leone
ABSTRACT: This paper will examine the role of storytelling in the peacebuilding process. Storytelling
has been at the heart of many truth and reconciliation commissions, allowing victims to share their side of
events in an effort to promote healing. What happens, though, when the perpetrators of violence are also
themselves victims, such as in the case of child soldiers? How do communities who have experienced
civil conflict achieve reconciliation and, perhaps, forgiveness among families, friends, and neighbors?
How do truth and reconciliation commissions and international courts handle the concept of multiple,
competing truths? The documentary film Fambul Tok, about a grassroots reconciliation project of the
same name, explores these questions in the context of post-conflict Sierra Leone. Meaning “family talk,”
Fambul Tok uses an indigenous tradition of conflict resolution to achieve “community led and owned
reconciliation.” Using the concept of dialogical truth, I will explore the power of story in this restorative
justice movement.
Vince Kavaloski, Department of Philosophy, Edgewood College
Who is the Enemy?
A reading and discussion of philosophical parables on war, peace and global justice
Hyland Room 1319--Middle East to Morocco
Zach Madden, Edgewood College
A Question of Sovereignty: The Palestinian Israeli Conflict
Valerie Joan Landowski, University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point
Nine Miles: The Effects of European Immigration Reform on Moroccan Policy
Marco A. Martinez, Carthage College
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Drone Warfare: The Legality of the U.S. Drone Program in the Middle East
Hyland Room 2302--Gender, Sex, Work and Development
Sylvia K. Kies, University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point
Models of International Development Aid
Kaylee Gleason, Carthage College
The Impact of Colonial Legacy on the Status of Women in Africa
Alyssa Scott, Carthage College
Reproductive Rights and Development: Cultural Perspectives in Nigeria and Vietnam
Rebecca Anderson, University of Wisconsin- Superior
Combining Resources of Pro-Sex-Work and Abolitionist Feminists to Assist People in Prostitution
Hyland Room 2303--Water and Development Student Panel
Sara Schultz & Heather Spray, UW-Eau Claire
A Gendered Approach to Water
Cassandra Steiner, UW-Whitewater
Water Privatization: Nestlé’s Profits V. Public Goods
4:00- 5:30—Closing Session and Reception with The Beehive Design
Collective—In the University Center across the mall from Hyland Hall—
follow the signs in the UC to the right and the rear.
The Bees are a wildly motivated,
all-volunteer, activist arts
collective dedicated to “crosspollinating the grassroots” creating
collaborative, anti-copyright
images for use as educational and
organizing tools. Serving as wordto-image translators of complex
global stories shared through
conversations with affected
communities.
Thanks to NACAA -Native American Cultural
Awareness Association
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