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Scholar to speak on human rights, democracy
The uncertainty that has followed the recent Federal election will feature in a public lecture about human rights and democracy by social work expert Professor Jim Ife at the University of the Sunshine Coast tomorrow (Wednesday 8 September).
The internationally renowned author and former Professor of Human Rights Education at Curtin University and Professor of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Western Australia will speak to a capacity crowd of more than 300 people from 3-4pm.
His topic will be “Reasserting the human: rights, community and democracy in an uncertain world”.
Among his audience will be social work practitioners from across the region, USC academics and students, most of whom have read Professor Ife’s books about community development and human rights.
Professor Ife said reasserting values of humanity had become even more important in an increasingly uncertain world.
“Environmental crises, peak oil, food and water shortages, climate change, globalisation, economic uncertainty and natural disasters have left many people feeling vulnerable and questioning the sustainability of the way we live, economically, socially, politically and environmentally,” he said.
“In this uncertain world, it is essential that we both reassert the values of humanity, and also redefine what that humanity means.
“Three important aspects of this redefinition are human rights, community and democracy: all these are under threat, yet new forms of all three are essential for a future world that is both just and sustainable.
“We are currently moving tentatively towards new understandings of human rights, new forms of human community, and new ways of ‘doing’ democracy, which open up a very challenging but also a potentially exciting future.”
USC’s Senior Lecturer in Social Work Dr Christine Morley said Professor Ife was the first of two renowned speakers to visit USC this month, with Professor of Professional Practice Research Jan Fook of London speaking on Wednesday 29 September on the topic of “Social Work: What is it good for?”.
Dr Morley said these public lectures had proven popular with social workers from as far away as the Gold Coast, and with USC staff and students.
“We don’t normally have access on the Coast to these high-profile, distinguished scholars whose work has had such a major influence on social work,” she said.
“Both experts have been keynote speakers at international conferences over the past couple of years, and they have been seen as formative in pioneering social work in Australia in its current form.”
— Terry Walsh