Monday 12th August - Friday 16th August 2002
Prague, Czech Republic

Call for Papers

This multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary conference aims at identifying and understanding the prevailing extent of violence in contemporary life. It likewise aims at probing the representation of violence in media, art and literature. Violence has been part of societies purporting to unite people, e.g., totalitarian regimes. It has been no less part of societies that set great store on diversity. It remains a horrifying feature of today's world.

Papers are invited on the following themes;

• is violence part of human nature?
• war, civil war, terrorism and the metropolis
• policies of extermination
• religion, religious institutions, and their role in curtailing or propelling violence; religious fundamentalism and violence
• institutional life - including schools and hospitals
• ethnicity, nationalism, and sub-nationalisms; racism and violence
• violence in the private domain - abuse of women and children
• violence in the public domain - the legitimation of violence, law, concepts of punishment, capital punishment
• state violence - militarism and arms competition
• market economy and globalization; poverty and violence
• violence and modernity - the role of science and technology
• youth and violence - gang violence, children soldiers, hooliganism
• can there be a culture counter to the culture of violence and how is it to be promoted?

Papers will be considered on any related theme. The conference is part of a larger series of on-going conferences, run under the general banner ‘At the Interface'. It aims to bring together people from different areas and interests to share ideas and explore various discussions which are innovative and exciting.

The first ‘Diversity within Unity' was held in Prague in 1999 and focussed on the theme of ‘Human Community and Civil Society'. The second ‘Diversity within Unity' conference was held in Oxford in 2000 and focussed on the theme of ‘Culture, Conflict, and Belonging'.

300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 17th May 2002; please send to: Dr Rob Fisher

Full draft papers should be submitted by Friday 19th July 2002. Papers accepted for the previous conference have been published in a themed volume; selected papers accepted for and presented at this conference will also be published in a themed volume.