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    Center for International Development and Conflict Management       •       College of Behavioral and Social Sciences       •       University of Maryland

Publications and Presentations

The Bahá'í Chair for World Peace publishes both in-house and sponsored research in a variety of forms. Its most unique contributions are its annual lectures that focus on the relationship of spirituality, peace, and social development. In addition, as appropriate, it produces and disseminates books as well as book chapters, presentations, and reports, working papers, and studies.

Annual Lectures

More than Words: Harnessing the Power to Reorder Society

Robert C. Henderson

The Eleventh Bahá'í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture, delivered at the University of Maryland on 17 November 2005

There is a need for an "organizing vision" among humankind to break down the barriers caused by war, discrimination, extremes of wealth and poverty, and hatred. Only by such means will humanity achieve progress and the kind of restructuring of society which will result in global peace and socioeconomic justice for all. Across the world and in every culture, exemplary individuals and groups are working to achieve such goals.

The Value of Values

William E. Kirwan

The Tenth Bahá'í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture, delivered at the University of Maryland on 14 April 2004

The Bahá'í Chair for World Peace has contributed greatly to the University of Maryland community since the Chair was founded over a decade ago. Questions the Chair engages — peace, conflict resolution, tolerance, values, and spirituality — are of vital importance to colleges and universities. Educational institutions play a crucial role in society by training the next generation of leaders in all walks of life; part of this training must be centered on ethics and values. Unfortunately, "even higher education has been affected by the excessive focus on personal gain over the broader welfare of the larger society." To counter this trend, "we must ensure that throughout their higher education journey, our students travel with an open mind while exposed to the widest variety of ethical, spiritual, and philosophical thought. By doing so, we will enable students to think for themselves, to recognize the commonalities that unite the people of the world, and to fully comprehend the ‘value of values.'"

Eternal Wisdom in an Age of Illusion: Reflections Upon a Pathway

David Cadman

The Ninth Bahá'í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture, April 2003

Professor Cadman paper, prepared for delivery in April 2003, discusses aspects of a concept known as the "perennial philosophy," with particular reference to how it can serve as guide, or pathway, for the twenty-first century. Professor Cadman stated: "The language of the perennial philosophy offers us a different reality, a divine Reality. Here, we cannot define ourselves entirely by reference to the material world since that would be to define us in terms of a part and not the whole. To be whole we have to be at one with that which is both within and yet beyond the material world."

Environmental Ethics and Public Policy

Lord St. John of Bletso

The Eighth Bahá'í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture, delivered at the University of Maryland on 31 May 2002

The extremist tactics sometimes adopted by the radical wing of the environmental movement should be rejected. Rather than frightening the public with dire predictions of doom, a far better approach is consensus building to encourage individuals, communities, corporations, and governments to adopt responsible stewardship over the environment and its resources. Such a consensus is urgently needed in light of the grave threats to the environment posed by climate change, pollution, deforestation, water shortages, and the extinction of animal species. There are reasons to be hopeful, such as real progress in setting goals for the reduction of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

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Indigenous Women's Perspectives on Unity

Patricia Locke

The Seventh Bahá'í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture, delivered at the University of Maryland in 2001

Delivered as the keynote address of the international conference "On the Advancement of Women and Men in a Global Civil Society." In her presentation, Ms. Locke spoke about the significant contributions that indigenous women have made to bring about the equality of women and men and the oneness of humankind. Ms. Locke forcefully advocated the rights of women—particularly native women—but did so in a manner that did not alienate men or members of the majority culture.

The Problems of Religious Liberty

John Noonan, Jr.

The Sixth Bahá'í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture, delivered at the University of Maryland in 2000

In America, the experience of religious liberty has been closely linked with the principle and practice of freedom of speech. The free exercise of religion has led to profound changes in American law—for example, abolition, temperance, and civil rights. The legal notion of religious liberty influenced revolutionary France and, later, the Catholic Church's Second Vatican Council. The success of American religious freedom stems from the conscience, and consciousness, of its citizens.

Religion, Conflict Resolution and the Role of Leadership

President Amine Gemayel

The Fifth Annual Lecture of the Bahá'í Chair for World Peace, delivered at the University of Maryland in 1999

President Gemayel offered his vision of a world that could overcome conflict. He spoke of the imminent need for a "synthesis of religious tenets" as "an essential prerequisite for conflict resolution on a global scale," and stated that "it is the spiritual dimension that governs humanity's conduct and behavior." He suggested that "the time has come for the creation of a new universal forum that draws together thinkers, philosophers, theologians, poets, and artists from several backgrounds and nations, great and small." And he concluded these ideas by suggesting that "through a consultative process, a widespread agreement can be achieved and controversy avoided."

Education, Values and Human Prosperity

Professor Dwight Allen

The Fourth Bahá'í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture, delivered at the University of Maryland in 1998

Education is the basis of social and intellectual life. Educational systems must be reformed to reflect the fact that we are now living in a global society. It must help us appreciate diversity and difference so that diversity becomes a source of attraction rather than a source of division and isolation.

The United Nations at a Crossroads

Techeste Ahderom

The Third Bahá'í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture, delivered at the University of Maryland in 1997

Despite its flaws and shortcomings, the United Nations remains the leading institutional manifestation of world order in existence. The U.N. must be reformed to reflect new global realities and the urgent need to actively promote and protect human rights. The United Nations is an emerging global sovereign power.

Alternative Forms of Conflict Resolution: A Pathway to Peace

Dorothy Nelson

The Second Bahá'í Chair for World Peace Annual Lecture, delivered at the University of Maryland on 15 May 1995

The "adversary system" of conflict resolution, while an improvement over previous methods of solving disputes, continues to rely on the clash of vested interests and the emergence of a clear winner and a clear loser. A new era of human civilization calls for a new method that can be practiced on the local, national, and international levels. The key to a new system is inculcating a non-adversarial, consultative decision-making approach.

Retrieving our Spiritual Heritage: A Challenge for Our Time

Suheil Bushrui

The inaugural lecture of the Bahá'í Chair for World Peace, delivered at the University of Maryland on 3 March 1994

A crisis of values and the need for transformation call for a spiritual regeneration that transcends all racial, religious, and social barriers. From a "codification of the truths common to all religions, we can begin to work towards evolving a global code of ethics incorporating all that is best in mankind's spiritual heritage."