Creating Paths for Open Dialogue

Last Friday, we experienced a special moment in the ELIA Community. We held our first episode of ELIA’s Dialogue Series on the topic of ‘Higher Arts Education in Conflict’. The Dialogue Series is a new series developed by ELIA which seeks to facilitate discussion and international dialogue, all while embracing multiple perspectives and applying frameworks of mutual respect. Why are we doing this? As you are probably aware, ELIA has by now released two statements prompted by the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and all violations of human rights and international law reported in Palestine and Israel.

ELIA remains a steadfast advocate for freedom and peace. We believe these values are nurtured through exchange and collaboration between academics and educators across borders, and, most importantly, through a commitment to our shared humanity. We are also aware that this is of utmost importance to  our members as many of you are dealing with these debates, and sometimes confrontations, in your own institutions. For this reason, ELIA is, at this very moment, engaging with higher arts education communities, international experts, and thought leaders to address the urgent questions that are being raised on the role of higher arts education institutions in relation to this conflict.

Our thought leader last Friday was Jannis Julien Grimm, who heads the Research Group Radical Spaces at the INTERACT Center for Interdisciplinary Peace and Conflict Research at Freie Universität Berlin. His talk questioned the overemphasis on terminology used to describe any aspect of this ongoing conflict which he believes has hindered scholars in their ability to provide analytical depth to a highly emotionalised and polarised public debate. For safety and privacy reasons, we did not record the session, which made for an even more intimate space, despite having almost one hundred participants from all over the world, including colleagues from Palestine and Israel. Our moderator Silke Lange from University of the Arts London, guided us through the event, handling the thoughtful questions as well as the equally thoughtful silences that sometimes occurred and which we could all relate to deeply in the face of such tragedy. I was deeply grateful to Jannis Grimm and Silke Lange, and to all those present, for creating this space for reflection and listening to each other.

A second edition of this Dialogue Series is planned for October 2024. ELIA members are also invited to contribute to our online repository, launched just recently. In this framework, ELIA is collecting different types of responses from or related to the higher arts education field regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. These resources will be published on ELIA's online repository for anyone in the sector who wants to find out how this conflict and humanitarian crisis are impacting higher arts education in Europe and globally. The repository is also meant as an online space where members can learn from each others’ initiatives.

Meanwhile, I think all of you are long due a proper break to recharge your batteries and find some moments of calm, if the situation in your country allows this. I wish this for you, and for all of us.