The Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) at Columbia
University is now accepting applications to for its residence Fellowship
for Historical Dialogue and Accountability. Practitioners of historical
dialogue and accountability from conflict, post-conflict and
post-dictatorial societies will have the opportunity to engage in
training, networking, project work, academic and applied study. The
comprehensive program provides Fellows with the opportunity to hone
practical skills in fundraising, advocacy and leadership, to develop a
deeper understanding of dealing with the past, and to foster mutually
beneficial relationships with their peers and with international and
non-profit organizations in New York City and Washington, DC. During the
Fellowship participants will design a project that addresses a long
standing sectarian conflict, history of repression or past gross human
rights violations in their society, country or region that they will
then implement upon their return to their home communities.
Through workshops, seminars, site visits, participation in University
classes and other activities, fellows share their experiences, reflect
critically on their strategies, and explore historical dialogue
practices from both methodological and applied perspectives. The
fellowship seeks to inspire peer-learning among fellows from
geographically diverse backgrounds, and to encourage the exchange of
ideas and practices among fellows from a variety of disciplines who work
within the expanding field of historical dialogue.
As a developing field and as a tool in conflict resolution,
historical dialogue processes are still being defined; as such, fellows
should consider themselves builders of the field, exploring the
relationship between theory and practice, forging alliances with
practitioners and advocates, and exploring how these connections are
still being defined and implemented. To this end, fellows are expected
to design a project that addresses a long standing sectarian conflict,
history of repression or past gross human rights violations in their
society, country or region throughout the semester. The project can be
something that’s entirely new and in the planning phase, or that has
existed for some time but is in need of revision. The project should be
something the Fellow and his or her supporting organization has the
capacity to implement within one year of the Fellowship. Fellows will
work on designing and planning the project during their fellowship with
the input of other fellows and fellowship staff and consultants, leaving
the fellowship with a detailed plan and funding proposal. The project
can be (but is not limited to) an advocacy project; a plan for a
memorial; a dialogue program bringing together diverse stakeholders; a
school program; an oral history project; or other types of experiences
and processes for promoting historical dialogue.
Program Focus
AHDA fellows explore both the boundaries of the emerging field of
historical dialogue, and they learn to use historical dialogue as a tool
of redress and conflict resolution in their particular contexts.
Strategy
To meet AHDA’s goals, Fellows are expected to participate fully in the offerings provided by AHDA, including:
- Methodological and practical skills workshops on developing historical dialogue projects; fundraising; and interdisciplinary applications of historical dialogue.
- Columbia University courses on human rights, public history, art, memory studies, transitional justice, oral history.
- Meetings and networking opportunities with NGO staff, activists, representatives of international institutions, and academics.
Timing and Commitment
The AHDA will begin in late August and run until mid-December 2014.
To be considered, participants must commit to full preparation for and
participation in the Program.
About the Institute for the Study of Human Rights
Since its establishment at Columbia University in 1978, the Institute
for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) has been committed to its core
goals of providing human rights education to Columbia students,
fostering innovative interdisciplinary academic research, and offering
its expertise in international capacity building to human rights leaders
and organizations.
ISHR actively works to ensure that local peoples and human rights
advocates are included in the political and economic policy decisions
that affect their lives.
By convening faculty, students, and human rights leaders from a wide
variety of backgrounds, ISHR creates an environment in which research,
education, and international outreach contribute to the establishment of
a more just and equitable world.
