The role of the arts in contemporary conflict culture in the perspective of Peace Studies

• Grant number: 13/14930-0
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: October 27, 2013
• End date: November 14, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Elizabete Sanches Rocha
• Grantee: Elizabete Sanches Rocha
• Visiting researcher: Wolfgang Dietrich
• Visiting researcher institution: University of Innsbruck, Austria
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais (FCHS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Franca. Franca , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present proposal aims to enable the coming of Professor Doctor Wolfgang Dietrich to Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), so that he could contribute, with his acknowledged investigative experience, to the development of research projects attached to the Nucleus of Linguistics and Cultural Studies, a research and study group led by the proponent professor and accredited at CNPq. Besides his advice as researcher, Prof. Dietrich makes himself available to minister a short term course (12 hours), for both graduates and post-graduates interested in the theme proposed, and to establish contact with other UNESP groups of research and also from other Brazilian universities, as well as institutions such as Associação Palas Athena, in São Paulo. Such intent matches a series of papers that are being developed by the proponent teacher together with her mentees (from graduation and post-graduation) and also other contributors, inside her academic research. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Dietrich, UNESCO chair to the Peace Studies, is also coordinator of MA Program for Peace, Development, Security and International Conflict Transformation at University of Innsbruck, Austria. What is the relation between a Master's Degree Course in Peace Studies and theatrical and artistic practice? It occurs that Peace Studies has as a premise the comprehension that the concept of peace is not the classical concept of lack of war. On the contrary, peace is a positive and autonomous concept, it is not shaded by the concept of war. And art is an expression of great value, in the context of Peace Studies, not only to the construction and management of peace, but above all, in the resolution of conflicts. We point out that the main aim of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Dietrich's presence at UNESP in Franca and also at Associação Palas Athena, in São Paulo is to present to the participants the perspective supported by the researches in Peace Studies, area that is recognized especially in Europe, but very few propagated in Brazil. The researches in Peace Studies are extremely innovative as they are grounded in a multidisciplinary theoretical scope, involving several areas of knowledge, especially Human and Social Sciences. The public potentially interested in the topic, therefore, varies among different research areas, such as Arts, Theater, International Relations, Languages, Social Science, History, Cultural Studies, Political Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Human Rights, among others. The approach used by Prof. Dr. Dietrich in his researches as well as in his classes and talks is also very extensive, starting with reflections from Psychology, Arts, Science, Politics, Sociology and other fields, in order to reach the main aim: the construction of peace paradigm in societies. This way, Peace Studies are totally converging to UNESCO motto to the conduction of issues related to the resolution of conflicts and the maintenance of peace worldwide, that is: "To construct peace inside men and women's minds". (AU)