April 29 - May 2, 2008
Peace, Conflict, & Reconciliation: Contributions of Cultural Psychiatry
Social conflict has origins and reflections in individual psychology, social interactions, and larger political, economic and historical processes that define peoples as ‘other’ and target them for violence, oppression, exploitation or annihilation. What role can cultural psychiatry play in illuminating the origins of conflict and the possibilities for resolution and reconciliation?
This workshop and conference will bring together an international group of scholars, researchers and practitioners to address the relevance of cultural psychiatry for understanding conflict resolution, reconciliation and the rebuilding of communities that have endured prolonged conflict and political violence. Questions to be addressed include: How can do variations in cultural concepts of the person and ways of life influence the personal and social dimensions of conflict and its resolution? What is the role of mental health services and professionals in fostering conflict resolution? How can a culturally informed perspective shape the theory and practice of mental health practitioners working in post-conflict situations or in contexts of persisting uncertainty and unrest?
Topics will include: mental health consequences of social unrest, ethnic conflict and political violence; cultural perspectives on conflict and its resolution; the role of mental health services, indigenous and community interventions; historical memory in individual and collective identity; transgenerational effects of political violence; the role of cultural values and practices in restorative justice, forgiveness, reconciliation, and strategies for peace building. Case studies will include examples from South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Indigenous peoples in Canada.
The format will be a two-day workshop (April 29 & 30) limited to 25 participants, for researchers active in the field. This will be followed by a two-day public conference (May 1 & 2) aimed at clinicians, practitioners, and policy makers. On Thursday evening May 1, there will be a poster session and reception, followed by a film screening and panel discussion.
Guest faculty: Kevin Avruch, Mason Durie, Johan Galtung, Peter Huncik, Anthony Marsella
McGill faculty: Abdel Hamid Afana, Michael Doxtater, Jaswant Guzder, Laurence Kirmayer, Ronald Niezen, Duncan Pedersen, Cécile Rousseau, Donald Taylor, Jim Torczyner
Dates: Workshop: April 29 – 30, 2008 T, W 4 09h00-17h00 Conference: May 1 – 2, 2008 Th 09h00 – 21h00, F 4 09h00-17h00
The 2008 Brochure [.pdf] and the ASI 2008 Program [.pdf] in Social and Cultural Psychiatry is available for download in PDF format.
Location: Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry
4333 Cote Ste-Catherine Road, Montreal (Quebec)