03. – 06. May 2006 / Europahaus, Vienna
BACK to comgress Overview
Sigmund Freud has described the straining relationship between the drive oppressing culture and individuals living within the very culture, in his famous work of 1930. Additionally, he developed a generally applicable law of evolution, i.e. culture supplies us with evolving and expanding possibilities for living and creativity, but at the same time brings with it suppression and forces to adapt, withdraw, and renunciate. When strenuous times are not followed by adequate relaxation and/or compensation, the compiling tensions can become explosive.
Today we are confronted with a new malaise in culture and between cultures, manifested by:
We are aware of the unjustified, unfair and dangerous developments and they make us uneasy:
»For more than 500 years the world was dominated by the European culture - the culture of the colonial masters. Then the colonized countries gained independence one by one. Now they have become proud of their own culture and want to be respected for their own identity. The only path towards a peaceful future is to open up to the multitude of these other cultures. And foremost, we Europeans need to understand that we are no longer the landowners of this planet.«
We are convinced that mediation can build bridges, since it tries to reach solutions on the basis of sovereignty and mutual understanding, and follows basic democratic principles.
In the conference we will focus on diverse approaches and traditions in mediation in various cultures, on underlying values and mechanisms why and how mediation works, and on research results.
Crucial issues are:
1) The end of poverty, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Penguin Publishers
2) UN-Welternährungsprogramm WFP, Der Standard, 10. Dezember 2004
3) Arbeitsgemeinschaft Kriegsursachenforschung/Akuf-Universität Hamburg
4) Entwicklungsprogramm der Vereinten Nationen (UNDP), 1994
5) Ryszard Kapuscinski, Der Standard, 26.05.2004
Documents for download
Seminarlanguage is German and English. Some lectures & discussions will be simultaneously translated.
Dr. Klaus Rückert, Dr. Gerda Mehta, Valerie Rückert, Iris Rückert-Possél,
Werner Mayer und Harald Picker
ARGE Bildungsmanagement
Friedstraße 23,
A-1210 Wien
Europahaus Wien
Linzer Straße 429, A-1140 Wien