Democracy and human rights are today challenged both from political and social transformations, and from scholars whose intention it is to transcend the limitations of the liberal democratic canon. Questions of human emancipation and the role of social movements are also being raised in relation to globalization. When North meets the South, there are new dynamic perspectives coming into focus in both research and public debate. There is also a need to inculcate values norms necessary for sustaining a culture of peace. The aim of this conference is to develop different empirical and normative perspectives in order to enrich the understanding of common problems that face humanity in this century.

The main emphasis of the conference is to consolidate emerging transformative perspectives and social actions at institutional, local and global levels that can lead to a better world and future for all.

CONFERENCE FORMAT

The two-and-a-half day conference is expected to attract a substantial number of high profile and distinguished experts from across the disciplines within the global arena. The format will include full length papers, break-away working sessions, round table discussions, panel discussions, poster presentations, case studies and a PhD colloquium.

FOCUS GROUPS FOR PAPERS

1. Challenges to implementation of human rights and attaining social justice: Insights from the field of practice.

2. Democracy and social justice from race, gender and class perspectives in the 21st century: What are the contemporary questions and issues that are framing these problem areas?

3. Education and global citizenship: What should be the parameters of education that are capable of promoting justice, peace, and respecting diversity within and across societies?

4. Knowledge, diversity and human rights: How do we address the question of disenfranchisement and marginalisation of the indigenous knowledge systems of the majority; and how can knowledge become an intrinsic part of democratic politics?

5. Promoting a culture of peace, co-existence, plurality and reciprocity: What is the place of philosophies such as UBUNTU and concepts such as bildung, in transcending western hegemony and promoting a more egalitarian global order?

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Four international keynote speakers have been identified as follows:

- Mr Olara Otunnu, a distinguished international statesman and former UN Under-Secretary General for Children in Armed Conflict.

- Professor Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Professor of Sociology at the School of Economics, University of Coimbra (Portugal), as well as Distinguished Legal Scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and Global Legal Scholar at the University of Warwick.

- Dr Aletta Norval, Director of the Doctoral Programme in Ideology and Discourse Analysis as well as Co- Director of the Centre for Theoretical Studies in the Department of Government at the University of Essex (UK).

- Professor Shiv Visvanathan, Anthropologist of Science; former Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in Delhi, India.

Two additional speakers will lead the special keynote address 'Towards a Culture of Peace' on Day 3 of the programme:

- Mrs Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi and Chancellor of the Durban University of Technology (DUT). Former Member of Parliament in the Republic of South Africa and world-renowned peace activist.

- Professor Howard Richards, Emeritus Research Professor of Philosophy, Education, and Peace and Global Studies at Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, USA; as well as Research Professor at the Institute for Educational Research and Development at Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile

IMPORTANT DATES

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 4 December 2009

Notification of acceptance: 11 December 2009

Deadline for registration: 10 January t2010

CONFERENCE FEE

Conference Fee: R 2000

CONTACTS

For more information, registration and submission of abstracts please visit: http://www.unisa.ac.za/democracyconference, which will be updated regularly.

Or contact the following:

Ms Eva Ljunggren, Tel +46 19 301204, Email: [email protected]

Ms Rutendo Ngara, Tel: +27 12 337 6084, Email: [email protected]