Peace Education is a necessity in the North East: Prof Saikia

9th Mile, RiBhoi, 7 March 2018: “Peace
is a harmony, an awareness of being part of a human community that unites
diverse communities. Learning about peace is not just a matter of definition, it
is an awareness building. Violence can precede and dictate the terms of our
lives and peace will be a byproduct of those terms. India’s North East has
experienced decades of insurgency and related violence and peace education is a
necessity here to create hope and understanding in the next generation.” This
was stated today by Prof YasminSaikia from Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace
Studies, Arizona State University (ASU), USA. ASU entered into a partnership
with USTM USTM in various collaborative programs .
Prof. YasminSaikia and Prof Chad Haines from ASU delivered lectures on peace
studies and participated in interactive sessions at USTM. Addressing the
participants in a workshop organized by USTM, PrfSaikia said that there is a
need to integrate Assam and the whole of North East with the rest of India and
the world. "I study peace from the concept of ethics and humanity. peace is an
ownership of people, not state. It has to be translated from the level of
individual to community effort", she added.
Prof Chad Haines talked about creating a Research Hub where partners different
countries will work collaboratively in research work on community development
from multiple angles.
Professor YasminSaikia grew up in the shadow of the 1971 Bangladesh war,
inspiring a passion for peace that informs her teaching and research. The author
of three books—including the just published, Women, War and the Making of
Bangladesh—her work focuses on movements for peace and reconciliation that exist
alongside conflicts at the intersection of religion, history and culture in
South Asia.
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