Seminar – October 5-7, 2007
Totovo Selo
Recent decades have been marked by the growth of fundamentalist trends and movements throughout the world. These ideas and forces are present in all monotheistic religions - Christianity, Islam, and Judaism - as well as Hinduism.
Fundamentalist movements are extreme right political movements that misuse religion, ethnicity, tradition, and cultural heritage in the goal of gaining political power. They work against democracy, civil rights, and human rights, especially women’s human rights.
In Serbia, clericalization has been in progress since the beginning of the 1990s. It has accelerated in recent years, culminating with the adoption of The Law on Churches and Religious Communities in April 2006.
This project continues the practice of acquainting the public – especially women – with the idea, contents, tactics, and fields of work of fundamentalism movements, sensitizing them to the recent negative effects of fundamentalist trends, and starting joint legislative and other initiatives against the growing clericalization in Serbia.
Thus far, in the framework of this project, we have organized two cycles of training and instruction. Trainings were held during April 2006 in Belgrade in the form of interactive lectures by experts and activists from The Women in Black Network - Serbia as well as the global Women in Black Network.
This phase applied acquired knowledge, work in the field in the form of workshops and lectures in different parts of Serbia. Thus far, we have held many regional seminars in Serbia as well as many other activities.
Program
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5
4 pm – 4:15 pm: Presentation of participants
4:15 pm – 4:45 pm: Introduction and short presentation of the activities of Women in Black in the field of fundamentalism
4:45 pm – 5:45 pm Workshop: Identity: Assigned and/or Chosen?
Coordinators: Mima Rasic and Marija Perkovic, Women in Black Network activists
Break
6 pm – 7 pm: Screening of the film ’The Serbian Orthodox Church and the Break Up of Yugoslavia’
Produced by The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia (in April 2006), Written by Izabela Kisic and directed by Zlatko Pakovic.
7 pm – 8 pm: Discussion about the film, about the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the wars from 1991 to 1999, and the fundamentalist trends within the Serbian Orthodox Church
Coordinator: Boban Stojanovic, Queeria Center and Women in Black activist, Belgrade
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6
10 am – 12:30 pm: Fundamentalisms: Attack on Democracy, the misuse of women’s human rights, and repression of reproductive and sexual right...
Workshop coordinated by Boban Stojanovic, Queeria Center and Women in Black activist, and Marija Perkovic, Women in Black activist
12:45 pm – 1:30 pm: Women in Fundamentalist Movements
Lunch
4 pm – 5:30 pm: What is fundamentalism? What unites fundamentalisms? – a lecture by Lino Veljak, philosopher, professor of Zagreb University, Women in Black activist
7:15 pm – 7:45 pm: Peace Activism in Religion – a promotion and discussion about a booklet on this topic published by Women in Black
Dinner and Party
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7
10 am- 10:45: Religious Left
Lecturer: Rachel Long, Belgrade/USA
11 am – 1 pm: Feminist responses and alternatives to fundamentalism
Screening and discussion of the film ’The Road to Kabul’ produced by Women in Black — Milan.
The film shows the activities against fundamentalism by the feminist network RAWA – The Revolutionary Women of Afghanistan
“Backwards” - Horkeskart – a video installation by the Skart group.
Discussion coordinators: Mima Rasic, Women in Black activist and Adam Puskar, Queeria Center and Women in Black activist
1 pm – 1:20 pm: Evaluation of the Seminar
Greetings in friendship and solidarity,
Women in Black—Belgrade
June 19, 2007
Contact People:
Ljilja Radovanovic, 063 88 35 655
Nada Dabic, 063 232 0 132
