In October, Professor Louise Lawrence (University of Exeter) gave a lecture entitled ‘Compassionate Research and Curricula? The Bible, Disability, and Cognitive [In-] Justice’ which showcased our research project in Namibia.

Professor Lawrence talked about how the academy, research and teaching has been shaped by certain (privileged) perspectives and (able) bodies, and how these can be challenged and reimagined more inclusively.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/disabilitynamibia/files/2020/10/Lawrence-Global-Lecture.pdf” title=”Lawrence Global Lecture”]

Join us at a ‘Disability in Namibia’ virtual workshop on 3^rd and 4^th December 2020.

Due to the ongoing Coronavirus situation, we had to postpone our planned workshops in April and July 2020, which were due to bring together academics, activists, and representatives from the Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN). We continue to adjust our project activities to accommodate the ‘new normal’ in which we all find ourselves. We have therefore decided to run a 2-day virtual workshop in December 2020, which will deliver – albeit in a different format – the opportunities for networking and the sharing of ideas that we had envisaged for April and July. We therefore invite you to join us on 3^rd and 4^th December 2020 at a Zoom event hosted by the University of Exeter.

This virtual workshop will be free to attend and offers the chance to hear from disability activists in Namibia, scholars from Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the UK, as well as disability stakeholders working in governmental, legal, and development settings. A variety of interactive sessions will give participants the chance to consider disability issues from multiple perspectives and multiple geographical contexts, and to add their voices to the conversation.

Further details will be available here soon.

If you would like to attend the workshop, or would like to get in touch with the project team, please email Dr Helen John: H.C.John@exeter.ac.uk

Our Project Leader, Professor Louise Lawrence, will be delivering a lecture on the Disability in Namibia project on Tuesday 13th October at 16:30 (GMT) as part of a new lecture series on the role of humanities in contemporary global crises. This is a free event, open to all. Do sign up and find out more about the project.

Visit the University of Exeter website for more details and to sign up to this free event:

https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_820048_en.html

The details below are taken from the website:

Professor Louise Lawrence, from the University of Exeter, will discuss “Compassionate Research and Curricula? The Bible, Disability, and Cognitive [In-] Justice”. Showcasing her research project in Namibia, Professor Lawrence will speak about how the academy, and its research and teaching, has been shaped by certain (privileged) perspectives and (able) bodies, and how these can be challenged and reimagined more inclusively.

A new University of Exeter lecture series will examine the role of humanities experts in tackling global crises, including health, the climate emergency and racial injustice.

The online events, free and open to the public, will also showcase discussions on how humanities research can help universities better conduct their global activities and be agents of positive change.

Academics from around the world will bring their varied disciplinary perspectives to modern global events: from the ‘long view’ of history, to compassion-based understanding of human needs, to promoting better intercultural understanding. Amidst so much upheaval, universities can play a leading role in the world but they also need to reckon honestly with some of their imperfections. This forum provides a creative space for such a reappraisal.

Professor Melissa Percival, Associate Dean Global for the College of Humanities, who is organising the events, said: “We are looking forward to hearing from humanities experts who are leaders in their fields about how their disciplines are playing a role in community-building, strategy, partnership and engagement.

“These should be fascinating and important discussions which will help us all reflect on the extraordinary events of this year, and the role of the humanities now and in the future.”

Sessions are hosted by the University of Exeter’s Institute for Cultural Enquiry and will be held on Zoom.

Sign up for the events at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/global-universities-global-challenges-perspectives-from-the-humanities-tickets-123201112845