Spring 2025  

January 29, 2025:

    "Student Protest and Freedom of Expression: UW-Madison and Beyond" (1st event in the series "Dissent on Campus")
    5:00-7:00pm (including reception)
    Room 325/26, Pyle Center  
    Panel Discussion featuring: Professors Gay Seidman (UW-Madison), Steve Sanders (Indiana University), Howard Schweber (UW-
    Madison), Keith Woodward (UW-Madison) and Sabiya Ahamed (Palestine Legal)
    Sponsored by the Human Rights Program with support from WI Institute for Citizenship & Civil Dialogue

Summary: Last year, campus protests became a political flashpoint in the US. As students around the country staged protests against the Israel/Gaza conflict, Congress held hearings, police were deployed to shut down encampments, and university leaders were forced to step down. Reports of antisemitic incidents on campuses proliferated. Over the summer, universities prepared for the incoming year by holding disciplinary proceedings for students who had been involved in campus protests, increasing security personnel, and, as in the case of UW, enacting greater restrictions on campus speech. There have been significantly fewer protests this academic year, even as the conflict in the Middle East continues to take a brutal toll on the civilian population. This panel explores debates around dissent on US campuses, with a focus on the UW and its new rules on campus speech. The panel forms part of a series exploring dissent on campus, the Israel/Gaza conflict, and antisemitism and islamophobia in US universities. 

March 6, 2025
"Fragmented Peacemaking as an Opportunity to Preserve the Lex Pacificatoria: Examining the Role of the EU in Peace Talks"
Dr Sanja Badanjak, Chancellor's Fellow in Global Challenges, University of Edinburgh's School of Law, and Data Director for the Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform (PeaceRep)  
4:00-5:30pm (includes reception), Lubar Commons (7200 Law)

Summary: The practice of peacemaking is increasingly fragmented. The conflict-ranging peace processes that rely on UN leadership, such as those in the form of international peace conferences, are few and far between, and in their place we see more attempts to negotiate peace deals at the local level, as well as a multiplication of peace initiatives and peace processes in each conflict setting. This fragmentation poses many challenges, mostly related to the rise of illiberal actors whose mediation in armed conflict is neglecting normative content of peace agreements, leading to fewer instances of agreements that offer agendas for change that focus on issues such as human rights, rule of law, and international humanitarian law. However, this situation may also offer some space for other global actors, such as the European Union, to use their clout to keep normative concerns on the agenda. Considering the data from the PA-X Peace Agreement Database and Dataset, and its new dataset of agreement signatories, this paper and related talk assess these trends in general, and examine the past participation of the EU in formal peace processes, as well as the potential for EU's future impact. 

Sponsored by GLS, HRP, Center for European Studies

March 7, 2025
"The Weaponization of National Security Law" (2nd event in the series "Dissent on Campus")
2:00-3:30pm (includes reception)
Room 209, Pyle Center
Speakers: Professor Wadie Said (University of Colorado School of Law), Professor Shirin Sinnar (Stanford Law School), other speakers tbc

Summary: National security law has shaped the legal landscape of the United States since the nation’s founding. It has also been wielded in ways that have marginalized and harmed minority communities—from the displacement of Native Nations to the internment of Japanese Americans and the surveillance of Arab and Muslim communities. This panel will explore how national security law has been used to suppress pro-Palestinian voices and other dissenting perspectives. It will also examine potential actions by the Trump administration against minority communities, shedding light on the broader implications for civil rights and free expression. This is the second panel in the series "Dissent on Campus" organized by HRP.

March 21, 2025
"The Voice of the River, the Language of the Territory" with Featured Panelists from Colombia
Judge Belkis Izquierdo Torres
Kindi Llajtu
Llawtu Indi Jwiku Jacanamijoy Izquierdo (Public Historian)
1:30-3:30 PM, Lubar Commons (7200), UW-Madison School of Law
In Spanish & English with live interpretation available

In January 2020, the Menominee Nation of Wisconsin adopted resolution 19-52, affirming the rights of the Menominee River to "exist, flourish, regenerate, and evolve naturally." Two months earlier, Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace recognized the Territory as a victim of the armed conflict in a case involving the Awá People, one of the more than 115 indigenous peoples of that country. These milestones exemplify a trend of recognition of the rights of Nature and Territory and how non-human entities communicate and instruct on ways forward in a climate future. This workshop will consider how territories express themselves with their multiple life systems or how non-human entities communicate to walk in balance and harmony, guaranteeing future generations a sustainable natural environment.

Part One will highlight the voices of indigenous leaders and academics deeply committed to claims for historical, social, and environmental justice through their work as expert jurists, artists, and historians. Panelists will reflect on their knowledge systems, law and institutions, sacred plants, art, crafts, and ceremonies. They will also explain the interconnections between language, affection, and bodily practices that allow relationships between humans, non-humans, guardian spirits, nature, and the environment to flourish, all in one fabric.

Part Two will actively engage the attendees. They will participate in writing and art activities, among other methods, to explore what it means for the territory to feel, express itself, and have knowledge and that listening to its voice guides us on the paths to follow in a climate future.

Sponsored by: Latin American, Caribbean, & Iberian Studies (LACIS), Institute for Regional and International Studies-National Resource Center (IRIS-NRC), International Division, Human Rights Program, Wisconsin Initiative on Law and Climate Change (WILCC)

April 21, 2025
"Campus Speech: Defining Antisemitism, and Islamophobia," (3rd event in the series "Dissent on Campus")
5:00-6:30pm, WI Idea Lounge, Pyle Center (reception to follow)
Speakers: Professors Peter Beinart (CUNY), Sahar Aziz (Rutgers) and Asifa Quraishi-Landes (moderator, UW Law)
Registration requested but not required. We welcome walk-ins too: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhpdbSf84ZAXPqJk7S5PIRohUhivZBXKmSzIenEWVo7cvrEQ/viewform?usp=header

Sponsors: Human Rights Program, Middle East Studies Program, Center for Law, Society and Justice, Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS), Havens Wright Center for Social Justice, English Department, Center for Interfaith Dialogue, Center for Humanities, Geography Department, and WI Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue 

Summary: Universities are now at the center of societal debates about Islamophobia, antisemitism, and freedom of expression. Antisemitism and Islamophobia are real. Increasingly, however, voicing support for Palestinians is cast as antisemitism or as a form of support for terrorism. This panel examines the controversy from a critical perspective. What are the limits of pro-Palestinian speech? And what do the constraints on pro-Palestine speech on campus portend for intellectual inquiry and research more generally? 

April 25, 2025
Civil Dialogue on Climate Justice
3:00-5:00pm, 3260 Law (with reception)
Facilitators: Alice Kaswan (University of San Francisco), Katrina Kuh (Pace Law School), Achinthi Vithanage (Pace Law School), Freya Doughty-Wagner (GNHRE), Chelsea Chandler (Clean Wisconsin), Ellen Tyler (Southwestern WI Regional Planning Commission), Peg Sheaffer (Midwest Environmental Advocates), Skylar Harris (Midwest Environmental Advocates)

Summary: Climate change is a global threat that affects everyone. Yet, it has become a highly politically charged term.  How we frame it can have important ramifications. Is it an environmental issue, public health issue, security issue, human rights issue, legal issue or an economic issue? Or all the above? How do we have a dialogue with others, especially those who have different ideologies or political views? Join this session to see how we can have a civil dialogue on climate justice.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Initiative on Law and climate Change (WILCC), HRP, WI Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue (WICCD)

April 29, 2025
"Lets talk about Dissent on Campus: Communication for Challenging Times," Training workshop on the civil dialogue method
1:00-4:00pm, Pyle Center (lunch available from 12:00-1:00pm)
Facilitator: Professor Jennifer Linde, Arizona State University, Founding Director of the Institute for Civil Dialogue
Teaching Professor Emerita, Hugh Down School of Human Communication, Arizona State University
Prior registration is required.  Get tickets here:  

Description
Police violence, the war in Gaza, and reproductive rights are among the issues fueling campus protests and demonstrations in recent months (and years). But what does dissent on campus look like today? What can and should dissent look like on campus? As we witness demonstrations of dissent at universities and institutions across the country and navigate the new “expressive activity” policies on college campuses, we invite you to join the workshop to learn new communication methods for understanding the complexity of this topic during this challenging moment.

 In this three-hour workshop, participants will gain an understanding of civil communication by envisioning a nesting of three entities: the individual, the group, and the community. Through a series of interactive exercises, participants will learn how individuals pursue personal honesty and deep listening, how small groups unite for fellowship and honest story-sharing (Storyscope), and how communities engage in dialogue (Civil Dialogue®) to promote diversity of thought and practice in the public. 

This event is brought to you by UW-Madison’s Human Rights Program with generous funding from the Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship & Civil Dialogue (WICCD)

 

Fall 2024

October 14, 2024:
 "Ending Gender Apartheid: Lessons from Afghanistan," Annual Soffa lecture delivered by Professor Karima Bennoune
 4:00-5:30pm, Alumni Lounge, Pyle Center
 Reception to follow
 Free and open to the public.  For details, visit: https://law.wisc.edu/gls/hrp/soffa_lectures.html 

November 4 & 5, 2014

Screening of documentary, "Home is Somewhere Else" with one of its directors, Jorge Villalobos. This 2D feature “animentary,” or animated feature documentary, provides a window into the hearts and minds of ​​immigrant youth and their undocumented families. It features three personal stories about undocumented youth to highlight the complexities and challenges they face today. Voiced by the actual children and their families, Home Is Somewhere Else invites discussion about the need for a new US migratory model based on respect for human rights for all. 

November 4, 2024 at Marquee Theatre
6:30-6:45 PM: Film introduction by filmmakers
6:45-8:15 PM: Film Screening
8:15-8:30 PM: Q&A with Director Jorge Villalobos 

 November 5, 2024 at Marquee Theatre
10:30--12:00 PM: Film Screening for youth ages 11-17 from area school districts
12:00-12:30 PM: Activity for youth exploring the film's themes and the significance of storytelling
12:30-1:30 PM: Pizza party for the attendees

November 12, 2024:
"Political/Imprisonment: Freedom of Expression and the Carceral State Globally"
 5-7:00pm, Van Hise Hall 1418, dinner served
 Sponsored by HRP, Article 112 Project and Justice in Southeast Asia Lab

November 21, 2024:
"International Migration in Comparative Perspective: The Current Status of Immigrants in India” 
 Professor Jayanth Krishnan, Maurer School of Law, Indiana University Bloomington, hosted by Professor Kathryn Hendley
 4:00pm, Lubar Commons (7200 Law), light refreshments will be served.
 Sponsored by the Global Legal Studies Center and HRP

December 2, 2024
“It’s a numbers game at the end of the day: How Bureaucrats Culturally Entrench Inequalities in Refugee Resettlement"
by Tobias Jake Watson
Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of California, San Diego
Part of the “Global Dialogues” series sponsored by IRIS NRC
11:00-12:15pm, 206 Ingraham Hall
With support from Department of Sociology, African Studies Program, Human Rights Program and Global Legal Studies Center.

Description:
According to formal discourse, refugee resettlement is “a life saving measure to ensure the protection of those most at risk of harm and whose lives often depend on it.” In practice, however, most spaces go to a small number of refugee groups and the institution is poorly responsive to individual needs. Drawing on a transnational ethnography of the U.S. resettlement system, this talk examines how policy administrators understand this disjuncture between discourse and practice. While recognizing that contemporary practices depart from norms of refugee rescue and equity, bureaucrats have developed a humanitarian ethic centered on maximizing the number of refugees resettled to meet and expand country quotas. This “numbers game” is framed as normatively positive, even as it works to produce and legitimize inequities in global resettlement. Watson demonstrates how this ethic works through a comparative study of resettlement imbalances between Congolese and Darfuri refugees living in Central and East Africa.

December 4, 2024:
 "Celebrating Human Rights Day: Flash Talks on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights"
Featuring: Ana Carolina Girard Teixeira Cazetta, Paula Monteiro Danese, Norah-Frida Tebid, Emma Bierley, Aranveer Litt, Kayla Buth &
 Alicen Rushevics
4:00pm, Lubar Commons (7200 Law), light refreshments will be served.
 Sponsored by HRP and GLS

December 6, 2024
 "Immigration and Empowerment: Rights, Community Response, and Care"
 featuring Dr Marla Ramirez, Erin Barbato, Matt Sablan and Luis Velasquez
 3:00-4:30pm, 19 Ingraham
 Multiple sponsors including Chican@ & Latin@ Studies & HRP