Date: Thursday-Friday, December 6-7, 2012
Venue: Columbia University, Teachers College, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, Milbank Chapel.

Last year Sohrab was invited to talk and  play his saxophone at the “Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict” 2012 which was organized by the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS). He accepted the invitation because as a music activist he’s been promoting any movement for the last four years that promotes peace and acts peacefully. He heard about this movement from his Pakistani music colleague Ikhlaq Hussain and his wife Judit who are involved in it. They hooked him up with Evelin Lindner who started HumanDHS.

He closed the public event on December 6th with an improvisation.

“Sohrab was able to give dignity a new meaning through his sharing of his deep feelings, shared through his music. Authenticity of expression, be it by one person, or within one tradition, creates dignity, not only in music. This dignity is lost when everything is pressed into a uniform globalized Western style.” (Evelin Lindner)

What is HumanDHS?

Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS, www.humiliationstudies.org) is a global transdisciplinary fellowship of concerned academics and practitioners who wish to promote dignity and transcend humiliation. They wish to stimulate systemic change, globally and locally, to open space for mutual respect and esteem to take root and grow, thus ending humiliating practices and breaking cycles of humiliation throughout the world. They are currently around 1,000 personally invited members, and their website is being accessed by between 20,000 and 40,000 people from more than 180 countries per year.

Linda Hartling is the Director and Professor at the World Dignity University initiative. Please see her background atwww.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/linda.php. She is based in Portland, Oregon. She and her husband have created the first HumanDHS Dialogue Home (www.humiliationstudies.org/intervention/dialoguehome.php) and are building the HumanDHS Library. Linda is also affiliated with the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute at Wellesley College near Boston, Massachusetts, of which she is the former Associate Director.

Evelin Lindner is the Founding President of HumanDHS and a Co-founder of the emerging World Dignity University initiative. You see her background at www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/evelin.php and her chapters and articles on www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/evelin02.php. She designs her life as a global citizen to develop HumanDHS truly globally.

On 24th June last year, HumanDHS launched the World Dignity University initiative. The website www.worlddignityuniversity.org will from now on be ever evolving and growing. They invite all like-minded scholars around the world to contribute with their knowledge and insights. You see a video invitation to the World Dignity University initiative at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGyPwHC5JdU.

The HumanDHS network invites to the following future events:

1. The 21st Annual Conference of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies network, titled “Search for Dignity,” will take place at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, 24th – 28th April 2013.  Hélène Lewis is its local host. See www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/annualmeeting/21.php.

2. The next Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent conflict will take place, as always, in New York City, at Columbia University, December 5-6, 2013. See www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/annualmeeting/22.php.

3. The 23rd Annual Conference will take place in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in March 2014. Kjell Skyllstad is its local host. Seewww.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/annualmeeting/23.php.