Dear All,
Please find below the bulletin with upcoming events.
Upcoming Events
Monday 21st October – Van Mildert Book Club
20.00, Prowse Room.
Book for discussion – Iain McEwan’s – Machines Like Me
Any queries please contact Kathryn Armstrong – [email protected]
Tuesday 22nd October – IAS Lecture
Speaker: Professor Jing-bao Nie (University of Otago)
‘From Eugenics to Human Gene Editing: ideology and engineering life in China in a global context’
17.30 – Lecture, Sheraton Park, Ustinov College
Gene editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 have the capacity to alter the world forever through altering the genetic make-up of humankind. The announcement by a Chinese scientist in late November 2018 of the birth of the world’s first gene-edited babies sparked outrage across the world. Among numerous ethical issues, editing heritable germline genomes of otherwise healthy embryos for natural resistance to HIV constitutes an effort of positive eugenics, i.e. not treating disease but enhancing genetic features. This paradigm case of scientific misconduct has its roots in the widespread practice of yousheng (eugenics) in China and in the nation’s pursuit of science superpower status. Eugenics has long been a global phenomenon, and the engineering and instrumentalising of human life is a fundamental feature of global modernity. This lecture will offer a socio-ethical inquiry into how the ideologies of sinicised social Darwinism, nationalism and scientism have shaped the Chinese authoritarian model of human genetic engineering in a global context.
Wednesday 23rd October – SCR Buffet Lunch
13.00, Lakeside Room
Please book in with reception by 12.00 on Monday 21st October.
Thursday 24th October – IAS Lecture
Speaker: Irene Fellin (Istituto Affari Internazionali)
‘Women Mediator Networks: achievements and challenges faced by an emerging phenomenon’
17.30 – Lecture – Sir James Knott Hall, Trevelyan College
Almost twenty years following the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, the number of women leading mediation, negotiation and other conflict resolution processes at the global level is still insignificant.
As part of a global movement to enhance women’s meaningful participation and influence in peace processes at all levels, several regional networks of women mediators have been established in recent years: the Nordic Women Mediators, the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (FemWise-Africa), the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network, the Women Mediators across the Commonwealth, and most recently the Arab Women Mediators Network – League of Arab States. Moreover, an increasing number of countries and multilateral organizations are expressing interest in setting up or supporting similar initiatives. All these initiatives underline the importance given by the international community to the role of women in conflict managing and prevention, in line with the principles embedded in UNSCR 1325 and related resolutions. At the same time, they aim to raise awareness on the multiple challenges that hinder women’s equal and full participation in this sector, with a specific focus on the role of women mediators.
What are the achievements and obstacles faced by regional Women Mediator Networks? What are the challenges in connecting the agenda of mediation on one side, and the one of the Women, Peace and Security agenda on the other? And fundamentally, what is the added value of Women Mediator Networks and what impact do they have on the Global agenda of mediation for the 21st century?
This public lecture is part of a broader research project on Mediation for the 21st Century. Based on the concrete experience of the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network, Ms. Fellin views inclusive peace mediation through the lens of the agenda of Women, Peace and Security. In this talk, she will analyze the challenges, opportunities, and relationship with political key stakeholders that women peacebuilders and mediators face. The question is,what added value represent these networks and if all capital invested in these initiatives at international level, will really make a difference both in terms of numbers (more women mediators will be appointed) and in terms of content (ensuring gendered outcomes of peace processes).
Save the Date!
Monday 28th October – SCR Lecture and Dinner
Speaker: Dr David Petts
‘Uncovering the Early Medieval Archaeology of Lindisfarne’
The city of Durham ultimately has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon monastery of Lindisfarne; it was on this tidal island that Cuthbert was celebrated and became a saint. The early medieval monastery on the island eventually moved and became the nucleus around which the later city of Durham would develop. In this lecture I will explore the archaeology of the early monastery drawing on recent fieldwork carried out by myself and students from the Dept of Archaeology.
18.30 – Lecture, Ustinov Room
19.30 – Drinks Reception, SCR Foyer
20.00 – Dinner, Lakeside Room
Booking for the dinner isnow closed but members are welcome to still attend the lecture, no sign up required.
Thursday 31st October – Halloween Formal
18.45, Drinks Reception – Lakeside Room.
19.15, Dinner – Ann Dobson Hall
Sign up closes 17.00 – today Sunday 20th October
To sign up – www.dur.ac.uk/van-mildert.college/whats-on/formal-sign-up/
Thursday 14th November – Oriental Museum Visit and Handling Session
18.00 – Museum Handling Session – Oriental Museum
19.00 – Drinks Reception – SCR Foyer
19.30 – Two Course Buffet Dinner – Lakeside Room
More details to follow but to express an interest in a place please email [email protected]