PROGRAM

The workshop will explore the ideas of political action, radicalism, extremism, terrorism and revolution in the context of current geo-political global situations. Drawing from a variety of disciplines, this workshop will include presentations which will explain the political situations around the world, and the way in which these reverberate in Australia. This workshop will further interrogate the concepts of democracy and multiculturalism and ask whether societies such as ours, with its commitment to both, can avoid the development of destructive political action.

The two-day workshop will include discussion by the participants to develop strategies for involving young people in positive political engagement in the classroom and in the community.

Workshop themes:

• Political extremism around the world
• The Arab spring
• The London riots
• The European right
• Young people and political engagement
• Political engagement in a Democracy
• Multiculturalism
• Indigenous political engagement in Australia

This workshop is being run in conjunction with the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia and has been funded by the Australian Government acting through the Attorney-General's Department under its Building Community Resilience Grants Program.

A contribution to this workshop has also been made by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of News South Wales, Canberra.

The views expressed in this workshop are those of the individual presenters and do not necessarily represent the views of the Freilich Foundation, FECCA, UNSW Canberra, nor the Attorney General's Department.

Resources

Some workshop powerpoints:

Dr Ben Wellings Broken Britain

Dr James Arvanitakis Confronting Citizenship Defecits

Videos of lectures:

Professor Amin Saikal, 'The Arab Spring or a Popular Awakening?'

Professor James Jupp, 'Managing Ethnic Diversity in a Changing World'

Pre-workshop Readings:

Background Briefing Radio National August 2011
Listen to renowned Israeli writer, poet, activist, and historian Amos Oz talks about the most urgent topic of our time—fanatics on all sides of politics and religion. HERE

Saturday Extra Radio National July 2011
Listen to a discussion about the Norway mass killings with Geraldine Doogue, John Keane and Anders Widfeldt. HERE

Guardian.co.uk January 2011
Arizona shooting: 'Does she have any enemies?' 'Yeah. The whole Tea Party'
Commentary on the shooting of Senator Gabrielle Giffords. HERE

Dr Tore Bjorko
'Exit Neo-Nazism: Reducing recruitment and promoting disengagement from racist groups'
Norwegian Institute of international Affairs paper 627 HERE

Hagan et al
'Deliquency and Disdain: Socail capital and the control of right wing extermism among East and West Berlin youth'
American Journal of Sociology vol 100, no4, Jan 1995 HERE

Some information on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People from the Australian Human Rights Commission HERE

The Guardian and the London School of Economics commissioned research into the London riots, the initial results of which were presented in December 2011 HERE

Commentary which reached different conclusions about the London riots HERE

Northern Ireland: See various articles filed under 'Peace' on the CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet) HERE