Speakers
Chairman
is a philosopher, writer and musician. He studied philosophy and literature at Amsterdam University and the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. In 2008 he published ‘Islam’, a book in the series ‘Young thinkers about great religions’. Together with his brother Maarten he published ‘Masters in philosophy’ (2005), ‘Masters in religion’ (2006) and the novel ‘Descartes’ daughter’. He is working as a publicist for the Dutch newspapers De Volkskrant and NRC Handelsblad, and for the Dutch magazines Filosofie Magazine and Human.
Keynote speakers
holds a professorship in Psychiatry and Human Behaviour at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and is lector at the Harvard Medical School. He was born in India where he completed his training in psychiatry. At the age of 27 he left for the United States. In India he was a member of a secular muslim community i.e. belonging to a minority within a minority in an otherwise predominantly Hindu state. After 09/11 Akhtar studied the underlying reasons for people turning to fundamentalism. His contributions resulted in the United Nations consulting him on the subject of anti-Semitism, islamophobia and racism. His more than 250 publications include ‘Immigration and Identity: Turmoil, Treatment and Transformation’, ‘The psychodynamic dimension of terrorism’ and ‘Identity, destiny and terrorism’. He is co-editor of ‘Birth of hatred’.
is a professor at the ‘Institut Politiques Paris’ and l’École des hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales. He is a special advisor of the famous French Institute for International Relations and visiting professor at Harvard University and the College of Europe in Warsaw. Moïsi recently wrote the book ‘Geopolitics of emotion’ in which he attempts to map the world according to three key emotions: hope, fear and humiliation. He points out that today the western world is characterised by fear, the Arab-Islamic world by humiliation and the Asian world by hope. Understanding the driving emotions behind cultural differences offers a better understanding of the world we live in and perhaps a more peaceful solution to the ignorance and differences that plague us. The western world has to learn to get rid of its superiority and regain some curiosity.
is emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where he founded ‘The Center for the Study of the Mind and Human Interaction’ (CSMHI). CSMHI studies, multidisciplinary, violent conflicts among groups. Vamik Volkan also is an emeritus training and supervising analyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute in Washington as well as past president of the International Society of Political Psychology. For nearly three decades, Dr. Volkan has led interdisciplinary teams to various trouble spots around the world and has brought high-level 'enemy' representatives together for years-long unofficial dialogues. His work in the field has resulted in his developing new theories about large-group behaviour in times of peace and war. He is founder of the magazine ‘Mind and Human Interaction’. He has authored or co-authored more than thirty books and has edited or co-edited ten more, among which are ‘Large groups and their leaders in times of crisis and terror’ and ‘Bloodlines: from ethnic pride to ethnic terrorism’. Dr. Volkan was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
is a professor of Social Education Issues at Utrecht University, a chair established to emphasize the importance of the social aspects of education and youth policy and to stimulate the public debate on the matter. He is a member of the Council of Social Development. As an advisor of the UN organisation for children UNICEF he visited the war-stricken region of Darfur several times to do research on the living conditions of children in refugee camps.
Parallel sessions
Prof. dr. Salman Akhtar
see
keynote speakers for personal details.
theologist, is one of the four professors holding the Desmond Tutu Chair at VU University Amsterdam. He is researching the identity of religious communities in South Africa in connection with their capabilities of reconciliation with the conflicts during and after Apartheid.
historian, was a professor in the history of the European expansion and migration and honorary professor at the Amsterdam Institute of Labour Studies (AIAS). He is well-known as a specialist in slavery and immigration and is a critic of the (Netherlands) development cooperation policy.
is a professor of International Communication at Amsterdam University, and a professor of Media, Religion and Culture at VU University Amsterdam. Until recently he was chairman of the Human Rights League. Hamelink has argued for a long time for the establishment of an International Media Alert System (IMAS) that detects hate campaigns in the early stages so as to prevent future genocides such as the one in Rwanda.
is a journalist and expert on the Middle East. For many years he worked at the Centre for Anthropology and Sociology of Amsterdam University (department of Euromeditterean regions) but later switched to journalism. In 1989 he became head of the Arabic department of Radio Netherlands Worldwide. He worked as a political commentator for the Dutch broadcasting company and for several television programmes.
is a historian. He currently holds the position of Head of Mission at Protection International. Protection International is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to enhance and improve human rights in Congo. Previously Mr. Kets worked as a research fellow at the Clingendael Institute, the Belgium Ministry of Defence and for TV Brussels in the capacity as journalist.
served as Minister for Development Cooperation in the fourth Balkenende-Cabinet from 2007-2010. Before that he was a member of Parliament (Second Chamber of the States General). He also served, among others, as the political advisor fo the Special Representative of the INSG in Mozambique, South-Africa and Mexico and subsequently he worked for eht European Commission (foreign policy) in Brussels.
Prof. dr. Dominique Moïsi
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keynote speakers for personal details.
a philosopher and cultural anthropologist, is director of HealthNet TPO, an independent non-governmental organisation that works to channel emergency aid into sustainable health care development in areas disrupted by war, disasters and poverty. He specializes in medical anthropology and is researching collective trauma and rehabilitation in several countries. Van de Put has lived in Cambodia for many years. Since 1998 he has been involved in programmes for Afghanistan.
is a professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxrod University (Oriental Institute, St. Anthony's College). He is also teaching at the Oxford Faculty of Theology. At the same time he is a senior research fellow at Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan), and president of the think tank European Muslim Network (EMN).
He was a visiting professor ‘Identity and Citizenship’ at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam and advisor of the city of Rotterdam in promoting discussions between Muslims and non-Muslims. Amongst his publications are ‘Radical reform: Islamic ethics and liberation’ and ‘Islam, the West, and challenges of modernity’. He is co-author of the Charter for Compassion.
was a rabbi for the Liberal Jewish Community in The Hague for decades. He is dedicated to human rights and better relations between jews, christians and muslims. He is a founding member of Green Cross International, founder and chair of the Day of Respect Foundation as well as the Hope for Children Fund. He is an Earth Charter commissioner and a Millennium Ambassador, founding member of the Islam and the West Dialogue Group, formerly C100, of the World Economic Forum and member of the Council of Conscience that created the Charter of Compassion.
Prof. dr. Vamik D. Volkan
see
keynote speakers for personal details.
is the director of the The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS). The centre offers strategic decision support and advise on national and international security including terrorism and defence. He is also a professor of international relations at Leiden University and until recently he was a member of the TNO Council for Defence Research.