Scholarly works on the Bahá'í Faith - Asia-Pacific
Prominent historian of religion in Australia, Hilary Carey, wrote in the introduction to her recently published book Believing in Australia:
'Buddhism and Hinduism each have a single volume providing an account of their history in Australia, and there are still no historical accounts of Islam, or the Western sectarian arms of the world religions such as Baha'i, yoga or Krishna Consciousness...'
It is evident, in light of such comments, that scholars are looking for scholarly assessments of the Bahá'í Faith related to their disciplines. The fact is, however, that while most scholars of religion in Australia are aware of the Bahá'í Faith, they are not conversant with scholarship on Bahá'í Communities in the Asia-Pacific region. Surveys of religion in Australia, Asia, and the Pacific, make reference to Bahá'í Communities, but seldom do so in detail. A number of theses on Bahá'í themes have been presented at Australian Universities, but these have not appeared in book form for a wider audience. There are few scholars who have published their work in non-Bahá'í publishers, following the example of J. Fozdar, The God of Buddha (1973). A number of presentations have been made at conferences of the Australian Association for the Study of Religion, but again these have not necessarily been published.
The Australian Association for Bahá'í Studies has published conference proceedings and other titles since its establishment in 1984, some of which have reached a wider audience. There have been, in addition, numerous smaller references in scholarly, sectarian and popular literature, as well as considerable coverage in the mass media.
Prominent Bahá'ís are featured in a number of articles. Shirin Fozdar’s activities in Singapore, for instance, are examined in Chew, P. G. L. (1994). "The Singapore Council of Women and the Women's Movement." Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 25(1): 112-140. The life and photography of Effie Baker is referred to in Annear, J. and M. Gates (1981). Australian Women Photographers: 1890-1950. Australian Tour 1981-1982, and in a 1993 entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol 13: 1940-1980: A-De. Aspects of Bahá'í history and biography are treated in some Pacific Islands’ literature.
Of course, considerable scholarship on the Bahá'í Faith in the Asia-Pacific region has been generated and disseminated within the Bahá'í community through the Association for Bahá'í Studies. Conference proceedings have been produced in some form since 1982, and a range of Monographs has also been published. The cumulative effect of this literature has been to inform some scholars of religion of the existence of regional Bahá'í Communities. A few have made presentations at Bahá'í Studies Conferences, and some have conducted their own inquiry into the Bahá'í Teachings. In view of the progress made across almost two decades, the Australian Association for Bahá'í Studies has decided to establish its own journal, to be called Australian Bahá'í Studies. It looks forward in the coming years to the emergence of a vital scholarly community in Australia, as part of an equally vital community at regional and global levels.
Associations for Bahá'í Studies
The 1997 report of the Association for Bahá'í Studies - North America, noted the existence of twenty-six international affiliate Associations for Bahá'í Studies worldwide: Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Germany (German-speaking Europe), Ghana, Hawaii, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya (East, South, and Central Africa), Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria (West Africa), Puerto Rico, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland (French-speaking Europe), Trinidad and Tobago, the U.K (English-speaking Europe), and Venezuela. A number of these Associations responded to the invitation to share news of current developments. News of other developments in the affiliate Associations is found in the Annual Report of ABS North America.
Annual Report 1997-98
Members:
Mr Colin Dibdin; Ms Susie Haake (from October 1997); Dr Graham Hassall; Ms Sandra Langshaw; Dr Natalie Mobini-Kesheh; Mr Babak Mohajerin; Dr Golshah Naghdy
Highlights and Achievements:
1. The ABS Board examined its method of functioning, and established portfolios related to processes rather than events (Secretariat: Colin Dibdin, Natalie Mobini; Finance: Sandra Langshaw; Scholarship support: Graham Hassall, Babak Mohajerin; Coordination: Sandra Langshaw, Susie Haake; Communication: Babak Mohajerin; Tertiary liaison: Colin Dibdin, Susie Haake; Publications: Graham Hassall, Natalie Mobini).
2. The ABS Secretariat has been established at premises at ‘The Spot’, in Sydney.
3. The Association’s 16th Annual Conference, ‘Global Governance: A Promise for Collective Security and Human Prosperity, was held at the University of Western Australia, 10-13 July 1997. More than 35 papers were presented by Bahá'ís and other prominent Australians, including Dr Keith Suter (president, Australia Association for the Club of Rome); Prof. Stanley Johnston (University of Melbourne); Mr Chris Sidoti (Human Rights Commissioner); and Ms Kaye Murray (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom). The conference also featured sessions by the Persian Studies interest group. Over 300 Baha’is attended some sessions of the conference.
4. A conference with the theme ‘Shoghi Effendi: His Legacy in the Antipodes’ was held in Mudgee, NSW, from 8-9 November 1997. There were more than ten papers presented, plus reminiscences from Knights of Baha’u’llah Mrs Yeganegi and Mr Stanley Bolton, and from Mrs Featherstone and Mrs Vahdat. About 150 Baha’is travelled to Mudgee to attend the conference, which was opened by the Mayor of Mudgee.
5. A Scholarship Institute , ‘ The Role of Scholarship in the Baha'i Community: Reflections on Practice’ was held from 28-31 March 1997 at Gosford Baha'i Centre. Six presentations were made.
6. The ABS Newsletter was produced in April, June, September and December 1997, and distributed to members and a large complimentary list comprising tertiary Bahá'í societies, national committees, Counsellors, regional National Assemblies, all ABS affiliate organisations, and Centres of Learning.
7. The book From Poverty to Prosperity was published, containing 15 papers from the 1996 Annual Conference (Adelaide).
8. It was decided to establish a journal, Australian Bahá'í Studies. In future members will receive two issues of the journal per year, along with the ABS newsletter, as their membership entitlement.
9. Increased collaboration with ABS Japan, ABS North America, ABS New Zealand and ABS Singapore.
10. Increased collaboration with national committees, working with the NYC and the NTC to refine a policy document for tertiary Bahá'í societies.
11. Direct communication with the Bahá'í Societies at James Cook University, Canberra University, University of Sydney, University of Western Australia, University of Melbourne, and University of Tasmania.
12. Regional ABS activities took place in Victoria — where a conference was held jointly with University of Melbourne Bahá'í Society (11 October) on ‘The Bahá'í Community as a Learning Organisation’ — and New South Wales.
13. ABS established its own email address, and established the e-mail discussion group ‘Bahai-Dialogue’. Considerable work also took place on the ABS home page.
14. The Board assisted a number of scholars with inquiries and manuscript development (six requests).
15. ABS facilitated the participation of Baha’is at scholarly conferences (eg. Chris Jones presented a paper at a conference on Religion and the Environment).
16. A second volume of papers on the Kitab-i-Aqdas, including a new paper by the Hand of the Cause Dr Varqa and four papers presented at the conference on the Kitab-i-Aqdas held in Sydney in 1993, was prepared for publication.
17. Preparation for publication of Mr Furutan and Mr Faizi at Yerrinbool (CD of the talks given at the 1953 Summer School with an annotated transcript).
Concerns and Issues:
1. ABS still requires more secretarial support if it is to fulfil its mandate. This additional support could come through employment of a part time officer, or through acquisition of a ‘Youth Year of Service’ volunteer. A YYS host application has been lodged with the Youth Desk, and advertisements for volunteers placed in the newsletter of the Sydney RTC.
2. ABS lacks the resources to provide adequate co-ordination for tertiary Bahá'í societies. This task is vital to fulfilling the national Four Year Plan goal of further developing university teaching
Hopes and Opportunities:
1. ABS is holding its 1998 annual conference on 11-12 July at the University of Auckland, in collaboration with ABS New Zealand.
2. ABS is holding a scholarship workshop at Yerrinbool at Easter 1998. It is hoped that this will become an annual event.
3. ABS NSW planned a conference on ‘Successful Morality’ for March 1998. ABS looks forward to the development of more scholarship initiatives at regional level.
4. ABS is convening a conference in Sydney in late September or early October 1998 to mark the 150th anniversary of the events at Shaykh Tabarsi. This will be a Persian-language conference with simultaneous translation into English.
5. ABS is convening a conference on Human Rights, in collaboration with the Office of External Affairs, to be held in Canberra in late 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
6. ABS is working with ABS Japan to co-convene a joint conference in Guam in 1999 as a contribution toward fostering relations along the ‘Spiritual Axis’.
7. The Association has the opportunity to sponsor a conference on ‘Asia-Pacific Bahá'í Communities’ collaboratively with the Department of Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney. An application to the Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Trust for funding was unsuccessful, but it is hoped that some similar form of funding will be established within the Asia-Pacific or Australasian region in the medium-term future.
8. ABS hopes to facilitate regular participation by Bahá'í scholars at the annual conference of the Australian Association for the Study of Religion. A scholarship has been established to assist possible speakers with the costs of attendance. The 1998 conference, ‘Managing Religious Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities’, is being held 2-5 July at the University of Melbourne.
9. Prominent scholar Dr Bahiyyih Nakhjavani has accepted the Association’s invitation to visit Australia in 1999.
10. In the longer term, ABS seeks to increase the number of active interest groups. This development requires the active interest and collaboration of ABS members.
11. ABS intends to continue developing its use of the Internet, and requires collaboration with specialists in this field.
12. The new ABS journal will be an important tool to achieve the Four Year Plan goal of further developing university teaching.
Annual report, Ridvan 155 BE .
Membership
Membership remains static at around 350. New members join the ABS(ESE) from disparate sources including the annual conference, special interest groups, and through articles in the Baha'i Journal and elsewhere.
Publications
The Baha'i Studies Review (BSR) Volume 6 was published in March 1997, and had been reasonably well received. Contributions remain largely commissioned. It was the first time that material was submitted to the Academic Reviewing Panel. The BSR has been extensively cited in the new Resource Guide for the scholarly study of the Baha'i Faith, just published in the US. Volume 7 of the BSR is currently in the final stages of preparation. We have had continuing difficulty establishing a regular editor for the Associate, our quarterly newsletter, with the result that it has not appeared as regularly as we would have liked. A new initiative has been the creation of an ABS-ESE web page:
(www.breacais.demon.co.uk/BSR/BSR.htm)
which contains an index and selected articles from the BSR, and the full text of The Baha'i Student Handbook. It has had over 300 hits.
Meetings
Special Interest Groups (SIGs): a new science group has been started and has held its inaugural meeting. Religious Studies and International Politics and Law (BIPOLIG) continue to hold seminars twice a year, and attract a core group of between 20-40 participants each. The Religious Studies SIG has held study skills seminars either side of its last two meetings - one on studying the Baha'i writings, the other on academic Baha'i studies. The Education and Gender Studies SIGs are dormant but the committee is continuing in its efforts to find coordinators. The impression of the committee is that the SIGs are where real Baha'i studies is done. Their small-scale focused subject matter and regularity lend themselves to deeper expressions of scholarship than other events. It is also an opportunity to encourage new scholars; BIPOLIG, for example, specifically invites students to speak. Our annual conference attracted 120 participants and was noteworthy for the diversity of people presenting as well as the subject matter. All those who submitted abstracts were invited to speak. We have found that subject matter is more important than keynote speakers in attracting people to this event.
The National Conference provided a welcome opportunity for the wider community to sample ABS-style sessions. Around 220 people attended the five seminars that the ABS hosted, and these seminars generated much discussion.
Baha'i Societies
An excellent conference was held at Nottingham University, attracting an attendance of around 150 persons. Most of the papers presented were by students. The 200 copies of The Baha'i Student Handbook have already been distributed by the Baha'i Societies Task Force and the European Baha'i Youth Council, and we have made another print run. It has been well received in Europe and apparently a translation into Italian is under way.
Our impression is that university Baha'i activities remain a significant under-achievement of the UK community. There is much scope for a coordinated and systematic teaching campaign at universities, where there are many receptive students. It is also an opportunity to proclaim the Faith to many of the future leaders of the nations of the world.
Committee development
The committee has derived considerable benefit from a 'Vision Day' hosted by Auxiliary Board Member Shahriar Razavi, in which we took a close look at our aims and objectives and their practical application. This has been a rewarding experience and an example of a fruitful interaction between the two arms of the Faith, enabling committee members to identify common purposes and policies. Together with Shahriar Razavi the committee is developing a resource pack of materials on Baha'i studies intended for use in the training of Assistants to the Auxiliary Board.
Future challenges
Three areas will require the attention of the committee in the next few months: (i) Further attempts to introduce the Faith to academics and universities in the UK and Ireland. As a first step we will donate 20 copies of the BSR to selected institutions and individuals, and convene a one day consultation on this subject; (ii) Becoming involved in the training institute process; (iii) Improving the integration between Baha'i studies and the wider Baha'i community, in particular through greater involvement in summer schools, and a continuing presence at national conference.
ABS(ESE) Executive Committee: Sahba Akhavan, Seena Fazel (Chairman), Anton Floyd, Naz Ghanea-Hercock, Robert Ghanea-Hercock (Treasurer), Geeta Kingdon, Roger Kingdon (Secretary), Danesh Sarooshi (Vice-Chairman), Svenja Tams. NSA liaison members: Wendi Momen (UK), Seosamh Watson (Republic of Ireland).
Thank you for your email with a request to send the Annual Report of ABS, India, highlighting its scholarly activities. The focus of ABS, India in the last year was primarily on conducting Moral Education Workshops for primary/elementary school-teachers. We conducted some eight such workshops throughout the country. Unfortunately, the Annual Report of the activities will not be ready until Ridvan. When the Report is ready, I will email you a copy.
Regards,
Chetan Parikh
Member, Executive Committee, ABS-India.
Annual Report, 1997-98
I Members of the Executive committee (appointed 10/30/97): Kathleen Babb, Sandra Fotos, Jiyan Ghadimi, Hiroaki Okada, Jerry Strain, Akiko Hayashi, Stephen Friberg, Mary Noguchi, Janet Sono, Hiroshi Tsunoi
II Officers and committees
A. Chair: H. Tsunoi
B. Secretary: S. Fotos
C. Treasurer: A. Hayashi
D. Publications Committee (includes Newsletter since there is no Proceedings in 1998): H. Tsunoi, S. Friberg, S. Fotos, A. Hayashi
E. Special Interest Group (SIG) and University Club Committee: J. Strain, H. Okada, M. Noguchi, S. Friberg (new committee not appointed)
III Reports
A. Membership: 56 (as of Dec. 21, 1997)
B. Publications
1. Proceedings of the 4th and 5th Annual Conference published Nov. 30, 1997
2. Newsletters: three issues: March, July and November, 1997
C. Treasurer's report: balance on hand ¥382,236
IV Activities in 1997
A. Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
2. report from Religious Studies SIG
a. based in Tokyo with core members Friberg & Fotos
b. three meetings at Tokyo Baha'i Center in 1997: with Dr. Lucien Randazzese (June 22), Dr. Golshah Naghdy (October 6), and Dr. Stephen Johnson (December 7)
3. formation of moral education SIG and sponsorship of Virtues Project training sessions in Machida-Atsugi area
B. Spiritual Axis activities
1. trip to Australia by S. Fotos, with talks in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast; consultation with ABS-Australia about publishing a joint journal and holding joint conferences, February 17-24, 1997
2. visit to Japan by Dr. Golshah Nagdy of ABS Australia; talks in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Kumamoto, October 4-9, 1997
3. meeting of ABS members with Counsellor Bruce Saunders of Australia; ABS-J apan encouraged to help Korea found ABS, Tokyo, Oct 19, 1009
4. two joint ABS-Japan and ABS-Australia Spiritual Axis panels at ABS North American annual conference in Washington DC, Nov. 14 & 15, 1997
C. Sixth Annual Conference of ABS-Japan, Tokyo Baha'i Center, held December 19-21, 1997
1. Theme: The Institute Process, Community Development and Capacity Building
2. Invited speaker: Ms. Naznene Rowhani of India
3. Site chair: S. Friberg; Site Committee: H.Tsunoi, S. Fotos.
4. 57 attendees
5. ABS conference website: http://www2.gol.com/users/sfotos/
D. One day conference on Community Development, co-sponsored with Tokyo Local Spiritual Assembly, held at Tokyo Baha'i Center, Dec. 23, 1997. 20 attendees.
V Upcoming activities in 1998
A. ABS-sponsored visit to Japan by Robert Imagire: May 6-May 20, 1998.
1. Mr. Imagire was the first pioneer back to Japan after WWII; he came in 1947 at the request of the Guardian, gathered the Baha'is and revived the Faith in Japan. He is now a pioneer in the Cook Islands.
2. This project is to deepen our understanding of the significance of the Spiritual Axis.
B. Seventh Annual Conference of ABS-Japan, Oct. 30 - Nov. 1, 1998
1. Japanese Theme: "Kita wa Nihon kara, minami wa Australia made"; English theme: "From Japan to Australia: the Spiritual Axis"
2. Venue: Sapporo Guest House
3. Site committee
A. Co-Chairs: Keiko Sakamoto and Kathleen Riggins
B. Other members: Ruth Suzuki and Terry Riggins
ANNUAL REPORT 1996–97
VISION STATEMENT
What actually needs to be achieved, beyond statements on the nature of Bahá'í scholarship, is the creation of a practice of Bahá'í scholarship from which a consultation can emerge, a practice rooted in the Writings rather than, on the one hand, the blind and narrow application of templates born of Western patterns of thought, or, on the other hand, the adoption of a practice so wide and all-encompassing that the ultimate and yet undiscovered nature of Bahá'í scholarship becomes submerged.
The role of the Association should be to facilitate such consultations which would see the birth of new methods not only of studying the Writings but also of applying them to the needs of society. If such a practice were to see the light, it could grow, develop, and evolve into a multifaceted practice where "theoreticians" and "practitioners" would engage in a true consultation, instead of debating the value of one approach against another. Moreover, the Association could be the place where academics and non-academics could find a common ground, where the pursuit of knowledge and the teaching of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh would not be seen as antithetical activities but, on the contrary, integrated ones. In short, the Association could be where Bahá'í scholarship, both in theory and in practice, could be discovered, a laboratory in which the whole Bahá'í community and beyond could share.
MISSION STATEMENT
To aid Bahá'í individuals, help Bahá'í communities, and assist Bahá'í institutions to accelerate their development of human resources, thereby magnifying the impact of their many initiatives to reach diverse strata of North American society.
FIVE AREAS OF CONCERN
1) Association for Bahá'í Studies per se: Becoming a leading cultivator, publisher, and disseminator of products of Bahá'í scholarship, especially those applying the principles of the Bahá'í Faith to the pressing needs of humanity.
2) Bahá'í Students and Faculty: Seed, nurture, and grow networked communities of interest (with improved access to knowledge) where new insights are developed through collaborative effort, and the natural bonds of mentoring are more easily and frequently established.
3) Bahá'í Communities: Foster the maturation of Bahá'í communities by assisting the institutions responsible for accelerating the process of Bahá'í community development, including the training institute process, and by arranging introductions and connections.
4) Educational Institutions: Create a platform for a discourse that engages leaders in education, influencing their thinking in the formulation of policies and the transformation of institutions.
5) Leaders and Decision Makers: Assist in the transformation of leaders and decision makers at various levels by introducing a distinctive model of moral development based on service to humanity which accelerates the translation of Bahá'í principles into new tools and practices of governance.
INCORPORATION
The Association for Bahá'í Studies was founded in 1975 and was legally incorporated as a non-profit organization in June 1986. Copies of the constitution and by-laws used in the Letters Patent for Incorporation are available from the Association on request. The most significant change reflected in the constitution is that Association membership is now open to all, rather than limited to registered Bahá'ís. As a registered charity, the Association can now directly issue tax receipts for contributions.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership of the Association has grown from 360 in 1979 to 1940 in 1997. There was an increase of 62 members from 1996 to 1997. A breakdown of the membership is attached as Appendix A.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Association, whose home territory is North America, is administered by an Executive Committee appointed annually by the National Spiritual Assemblies of Alaska, Canada, and the United States. There is also a representative from the Bahá'í International Community at the United Nations. A membership list of the Committee for the current year is attached. Members wishing to contact any particular members of the committee may do so in the care of the Association. Matters pertaining to the Association in general should be addressed to the Secretary. The Executive Committee meets three times a year. Members wishing to introduce questions or items for the Committee’s consideration should do so in writing. Please address such items to the Secretary of the Executive Committee, Centre for Bahá'í Studies, 34 Copernicus Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1N 7K4.
GENERAL ACTIVITIES
The 20th Annual Conference of the Association took place at the Edmonton Convention Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, 26–9 September 1997. The theme was the last in the three-year Anarchy into Order series: "Anarchy into Order: Crafting Better Governance." The conference convenor was Douglas Raynor of Edmonton. There were more than 800 participants and more than 130 children and youth participated in the parallel conference on Moral Leadership. The Hasan Balyúzí Memorial Lecture was delivered by University of Western Ontario Professor Emeritus Ross Woodman, who spoke on "The Role of the Feminine in the Bahá'í Faith," a reexamination of both the role of women and the role of the feminine characteristics of God within the Bahá'í Faith. Other keynote speakers included Robert C. Henderson, the Secretary-General of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States; Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian, member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for North America; Joan Crockatt, managing editor of the Calgary Herald; and David Kilgour, M.P., Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons. The schedule has been set for the next conferences of the Association for Bahá'í Studies. The 21st Annual Conference, "Fostering Human Rights: Developing Pathways to Peace," convened by Augusto Lopez-Claros, takes place in Washington, D.C., 14–6 November 1997. The 22nd Annual Conference, "The Covenant: Pivot of the Oneness of Humanity," will be held in Montréal, Québec, 24–7 September 1998, at the Hôtel du Parc. The co-convenors are Margot Léonard and Liesbeth Bos.
REGIONAL COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES
The Regional Committees of the Association operate in six regions of North America, including Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Western States, New England, California, Pacific Northwest (Canada), and Texas Regional Committees. Dr. Robert Stockman, member of the Executive committee and Research Director at the Bahá'í National Center in the United States, and Mrs. Sheila Banani, Chair of the Executive Committee, are the liaisons to the United States-based Regional Committees. The California Regional Committee held a conference at the Bosch Bahá'í School in Santa Cruz, California, 21–23 February 1997. The theme was "Profound Faith and Freedom of Thought: Developing Bahá'í Scholarship," and this far-reaching theme will be explored again 6–8 February 1998 at the same location. The California Regional Committee co-sponsored a symposium 27 September 1997 with the local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of San Francisco, called "Re-membering Religion: Integrating the Good, the Beautiful, and the True," which explored the work of Ken Wilber.
Several Regional Committees of the Association for Bahá'í Studies are being re-established. In regions where activities have been suspended, new committee members are being appointed with a mandate to encourage Bahá'í Studies in their communities. Some committees with new, eager faces on board are the Mid-West Regional Committee, the New England Regional Committee, and the California Regional Committee. The Regional Committees endeavor to organize a Bahá'í Studies event in their area at least once a year. For information on each region, please contact the Association in Ottawa.
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIGs) ACTIVITIES
Ten Special Interest Groups (Agriculture, Arts, Built Environment, Business and Economics, Consultation and Conflict Resolution, Education, Intercultural Issues, Marriage and Family, Study of Religion, and Women’s Studies) held annual meetings on 26 September 1996 in conjunction with the 20th Annual Conference of the Association in Edmonton, Alberta. Five Special Interest Groups (Arts, Agriculture, Marriage and Family, Religious Studies, and Education) will hold workshops during the three days of the 21st Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. The Agriculture, Arts, and Built Environment SIGs all publish regular newsletters or magazines throughout the year. All members of the Association for Bahá'í Studies can join any or all of these SIGs at no extra charge. To join, simply contact the Ottawa head office of ABS, which will forward your name to the coordinators of the relevant SIGs.
FINANCIAL POSITION
The Association for Bahá'í Studies currently employs two full-time people (Christine Zerbinis and Danielle Christensen of Ottawa), one contract bookkeeper and membership coordinator (Parvin Rowhani of Ottawa), one part-time desktop publishing resource person (Roxanne Lalonde of Edmonton), and for the past sixteen years has had a volunteer librarian, Mrs. Betty Butterill of Nepean, Ontario, as well as several other on-going volunteers at the Centre for Bahá'í Studies in Ottawa. Sources of income include grants from both the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada, membership/subscription fees, conference fees, and literature/tape sales. A financial statement for the year ending 30 April 1997 is attached as Appendix D.
PUBLICATIONS
In the last year, the Association published The Journal of Bahá'í Studies, vol. 7, nos. 2, 3, and 4, and vol. 8, no. 1. The Association is a full member of Council of Editors of Learned Journals and the Canadian Magazine Publishers’ Association. This latter membership, with its distribution privileges, should serve to promote Bahá'í Studies. The Journal of Bahá'í Studies is indexed in Science of Religion Abstracts, Religion Index One, Institut de l’Information Scientifique et Technique, and Index to Book Reviews in Religion. The Association for Bahá'í Studies also printed the quarterly international newsletter, the Bulletin, issues 56, 57, 58, 59, and 60.
CURRENT PAID* MEMBERSHIP (as of August, 1997)
CATEGORY OF MEMBERSHIP TOTAL NUMBER OF MEMBERS
LIFE 278
INTERNATIONAL 106
CANADA 629
UNITED STATES 716
COMPLIMENTARY 65
JOURNAL OF BAHÁ’Í STUDIES SUBSCRIBERS 146
______
TOTAL 1940
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE LIST 1997–98
Techeste Ahderom (Bahá'í International Community Representative); New York, USA; Niloofar Ahmadzadeh, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Sheila Banani, Chair, Santa Monica, California, USA; Gwen Etter-Lewis, Vice-Chair, Portage, Michigan, USA; Pierre-Yves Mocquais, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; Anne Mackenzie Pearson, Dundas, Ontario, Canada; Haifa Sadighi, (Alaskan Representative), Juneau, Alaska, USA; Leonard D. Smith, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Robert Stockman, Recording Secretary, Wilmette, Illinois, USA; Will van den Hoonaard, Treasurer, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada; Christine Zerbinis, Secretary, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
The Association for Bahá'í Studies–Australia launched an e-mail discussion group, called Bahá'í-Dialogue, dedicated to the business and aims of the ABS. Australia also had a busy year for conferences. An institute was held 28–31 March 1997 at the Gosford Bahá'í Centre on "The Role of Scholarship in the Bahá'í Community." The 16th Annual Conference of the ABS–Australia was held 10–3 July 1997 at the University of Western Australia in Perth, on the theme of "Global Governance." Finally, the ABS is hosting a conference 8–9 November 1997 in Mudgee, New South Wales, on "Shoghi Effendi: His Legacy in the Antipodes."
The Association for Bahá'í Studies in English-Speaking Europe launched a new special interest group on science called SciSig. The Irfán Colloquium on Christianity and the Bahá'í Faith was held 6–8 December 1996 at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. ABS-ESE reprinted volumes 1 and 2 of its journal, Bahá'í Studies Review, in one volume. As well, two conferences were held in Oxford: the first, 16–17 November 1996 on the theme "Millennium and Apocalypse: The Bahá'í Vision of the Future," and the second, 1–2 November 1997 on the theme "Spirituality and Civilization."
The ABS for East, Central, and South Africa held its 4th Bahá'í Studies Symposium 9–10 November 1996 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Association for Bahá'í Studies for Francophone Europe published proceedings of its 10th annual conference, held 4–5 November 1995 and entitled "Tolérance, Respect, Diversité." The 11th annual conference will be held in Strasbourg at the Palais de Congrès, 22–23 November 1997. It will be on the theme "L’homme et la femme: Egalité . . . Utopie . . . Enjeu pour la famille."
The ABS for German-Speaking Europe held a conference 11–13 October 1996 at Landegg Academy in Switzerland on "The Prosperity of Humankind." A conference on the theme "Art — Maidservant of Unity?" was held in Langenhain at the Bahá'í National Centre, 31 October–2 November 1997.
In India, the ABS held its 5th annual conference in New Delhi, right after the three days of celebration of the tenth anniversary of that city’s Bahá'í House of Worship. ABS–India also held workshops on teaching techniques and moral education.
ABS–Japan held its 5th annual meeting on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. The meeting, held 22–24 November 1996, was on the theme "Spiritual Education in Family and Society." The 6th annual meeting will take place 19–21 December 1997 at the Tokyo Bahá'í Centre, on the theme "The Institute Process, Community Development, and Capacity Building."
ABS–Singapore held its 2nd annual conference, attracting thirty participants who discussed "The Fundamental Unity of Religions." ABS–Singapore has also produced the first issue of its academic journal, Singapore Bahá'í Studies Review.
We have recently acquired new premises for the library and are in the process of structural alterations to the new building and of transferring the books to the new place. It will be some months before the whole set-up is in a fit state to receive visitors and at present the whole library is in boxes in storage.
Moojan Momen
Thank you for your invitation to submit something - research in progress…We recently had a very successful "Equality of Men and Women" seminar here, organised by the Baha'i Studies Committee. Close to 200 people attended, 30 of which were Baha'is, and probably another 40 who managed to take the whole morning off work to attend. Many came for a short time. We received a tremendous amount of press coverage and even had a sizeable article on the 6pm TV news, with one of the quotes from 'Abdu'l-Baha read by Counsellor Ugaia in his address as a feature! The response from the general population was close to overwhelming. So many transcended their fear of a new religion in order to discuss this issue that is close to their hearts. It did not matter that the Baha'is had organised it, in fact some even began to promote the Faith in their own organisations. We have now a school that is very interested in conducting staff development on "Equality of Men and Women" so the teachers have a better and broader understanding of this issue so they can better teach the children. The Bahá'í paper was written simply, so that it was immediately accessible to more people, and can be easily used in the classroom situation. Perhaps this is an area that more Bahá'í Studies Associations/Committees around the world could focus on the pulling together of Bahá'<í Teachings on the social issues that currently assail the world, presenting it in an easily read format that is accessible to the majority of people, sprinkling it liberally with relevant quotes from the Baha'i Writings. I feel here in PNG in particular it seems to be a winning formula. A quote I found recently helps me to confirm this position of keeping our presentations simple with an unrestrained reference to the Word of God: "The understanding of His words and the comprehension of the utterances of the Birds of Heaven are now in no wise dependent upon human learning. They depend solely upon purity of heart, chastity of soul, and freedom of spirit." (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p.211) Perhaps the focus of the friends in such institutes are you are organising could be also directed towards assisting the Baha'i community to winning the Four Year Plan goals. Producing material that supports and propels the work of the Four Year Plan, that immediately encourages the believers to rise up, this would be of tremendous service. These are only a few of my thoughts. I hope your weekend goes well and all are uplifted by a spirit of action to met the vital goals of the Four Year Plan.
Dorrie Hancock
dhancock@datec.com.pg
United States - Research Office
The Research Office was established by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States in May 1989. Initiated as a 30-hour per week effort, in 1990 its staff person became full time (40 hours a week). In January 1994 the staff was doubled to two. In January 1997, with the arrival of a full-time youth year of service volunteer to provide staff support for the Wilmette Institute, its staff expanded to three; in January 1998 the volunteer was replaced by a paid full-time staffer. In the current reporting year (March 22, 1997, through March 21, 1998) the office also obtained three months of volunteer staff support over the summer, one week of volunteer support by a vacationing student, one day a week of volunteer staff support for the Wilmette Institute, and one day a week of paid staff support for the Research Office's library.
The Research Office currently is responsible for encouraging research on the Baha'i Faith; it supports research and scholarship through service of its staff on committees of World Order, the Bahá'í Encyclopedia Project, the Association for Bahá'í Studies, and the Journal of Baha'i Studies; it coordinates scholarly programs on world religions at the Association for Baha'i Studies annual conference and on the Baha'i Faith at the American Academy of Religion annual meeting; it completes review of literature and special materials; it oversees the Wilmette Institute; and it completes most of the work of the Institute for Bahá'í Studies and some of the work of the Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund.
SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES, B.E. 154
Composed at least 5600 outgoing written communications (54% increase over last year) and handled 8300 incoming written communications relevant to research, literature review, special materials review, the Institute for Bahá'í Studies, the Wilmette Institute, the Association for Baha'i Studies, and the Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund. Over three- quarters of the outgoing communications are by e-mail, underlining the importance of electronic communication to the office's functioning.
Completed 161 literature reviews (10% decrease over last year). Sixty percent of the items received a rating of "pass"; 29% received a rating of "pass with changes"; 9% received no rating; 2% received the rating of "reject." Completed reviews of 387 special materials (10% increase over last year). Seventy percent of the items received a rating of "pass"; 25% received a rating of "pass with changes"; 3% received no rating at all; 2% received a rating of "reject."
Edited and produced the Annual Report of the National Spiritual Assembly. Conducted a survey and wrote the United States' annual compilation of statistical information for the Universal House of Justice. Again revised and formally published 1000 copies of *A Resource Guide for the Baha'i Faith* (formerly titled *A Curriculum Guide*), a 225-page book describing ways to create university courses on the Baha'i Faith and providing an extensive annotated topical bibliography on the Faith. Responded to errors in five books and articles about the Baha'i Faith by non-Baha'is. Drafted an article on the "Americas" for the Baha'i encyclopedia project and an article on "Baha'i Concepts of Social Concord and Discord" for a volume of papers on concepts of social concord and discord in the world's religions.
Participated in the advisory board of "The Pluralism Project," a project based at Harvard University that studies world religions in the United States, and served as Baha'i representative to the Cooperative Congregational Studies Project, a project to survey tens of thousands of religious congregations in the United States during the government decennial census (January-April, 2000). Visited Nor University in Bolivia to discuss creation of Baha'i- inspired curricula.
Communicated with dozens of Baha'i and non-Baha'i university students and faculty, assisted them with research, gave suggestions about scholarly matters, and helped network them with others having similar interests. In two cases, arranged for students to serve as volunteers in the Research Office. Assisted a non-Baha'i scholar with an article on the Baha'i Faith and a Baha'i with an article on world religions for children. Provided Baha'i statistical information to the revised *World Christian Encyclopedia.* The Research Office mailing list now has more than 400 names of Baha'is interested in scholarly matters.
Via the Institute for Baha'i Studies, sponsored a Baha'i exhibit and a panel of Baha'i talks at the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). The display was seen by 8000 scholars of religious studies from across North America. Because of the workload of the Wilmette Institute, little was done to foster the Institute for Baha'i Studies this year.
Assisted the Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund to sponsor two conferences on the study of the Baha'i writings in Persian, one at Acuto Baha'i School in Italy in June 1997 and one at Louhelen Baha'i School in October 1997; and two in English on the Baha'I Faith and world religions, in Manchester, U.K. (July 1997) and Wilmette, IL (August 1997). Initiated planning for colloquia on the Baha'i Faith and world religions to be held in London, U.K., in August, 1998, and at Louhelen in early November, 1998.
Created a series of six compilations on the writings of Baha'u'llah, the Bab, and `Abdu'l-Baha for courses of the Wilmette Institute. Carried out the second year of the Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization program of the Wilmette Institute; began a series of Wilmette Institute minicourses on world religions at Bosch Baha'i School; began the Wilmette Institute's first correspondence courses on the revelation of Baha'u'llah; and helped to plan a five-day minicourse on the revelation of Baha'u'llah, 1853-63. Created the Wilmette Institute's first catalog and web site (www.usbnc.org\wilmette). Increased the publication of *The Lamp* (the Institute's newsletter) to six per year and created a publicity plan involving regular articles in *The American Baha'i.* The Wilmette Institute ended the reporting year with 120 students and an income sufficient to support a staff salary.
Coordinated the "Religious Studies Seminar" at the Association for Baha'i Studies annual conference in Washington, D.C.
In the context of our Department of Education for Peace and Integration and our International Relations Degree Program, I am working in both areas and the progress is sometime quicker than what I can safely handle...! In human rights, we are promoting an educational project for youth and indigenous populations and I am now writing a didactical module for human rights education. This project is called "Leadership for Human Rights and World Citizenship" (leadership for moral leadership, of course!!!).
On another hand, doors are opening in an amazing way in relation to our project in conflict resolution. Our plan is to open a Center for the Prevention and Resolution of Conflicts, which would have two main working areas:
1) the academic area, with our International Relations Degree Program and its Major in Arbitration and Conflict Resolution. We are also planning to open a graduate program in conflict resolution.
2) the project area: we have identified three main areas of conflict we are going to work in: a) conflict within the individual and at the interpersonal level (with Peseschkian's perspective on Positive Conflict Resolution), b) conflict between organized groups, such as communities and institutions, c) conflict at the regional and international level. We are now working in developing a vision for conflict resolution for Bolivia and Latin America, inspired in the Baha'i Writings. As you can see, it is a really big project. Therefore, we have decided to create an international team of consultants, uniting all the experts and institutions we are in contact with. For the moment, some of the institutions involved are the Baha'i Chair for World Peace, and the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (George Mason University).
Carolina Sawicki
NUR UNIVERSITY