Public Talk: Global Peace and Local Action
It is encouraging that many more people seem interested in learning about peace and what we can do as individuals to promote peace and transform conflict in our communities, our nations and our world.
Barbecue Lamb with Oktay
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
A tribute to my friend, Oktay Aksan...
In one of the many Christmas parties hosted by Virginia and Oktay in their Westdale home, Oktay and I got talking about barbecue lamb. I had...
Of Hunters and the Bravery of Lions
One of my favorite quotations is by the writer Chinua Achebe, author of the classic novel Things Fall Apart. It states: "Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter." It is...
Why do we need Peace Studies?
Scholars of Peace Studies are familiar with this question. Why do we need peace studies? With the end of the Cold War, hasn't humanity safely avoided the existential threat of Mutually Assured Destruction? Didn't...
A Harvest of Books
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
It's been a particularly productive year for me and my colleagues at McMaster. Seven books published with some of the most reputable academic presses on a vast range of subjects - advertising...
Everyone has a Story
Part of McMaster University's "Spotlight on the Arts" Festival 2013
Here is my story:
Every once in a while, I get asked the question “Where are you from?”
In my mischievous moments I respond: “I’m from planet earth – I...
Knowledge Mobilization: Enriching our Comunities
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
Academics are constantly being asked to produce knowledge that enrich their communities and serve the greater common good. Lately, in Canada, the preferred term for this is "Knowledge Mobilization." There have been...
Happy New Year 2013
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
Wishing all of God's children and men and women of goodwill everywhere a happy, healthy and fulfilling 2013. One of my New Year resolutions is to update my blog more regularly. Yes,...
Taking Liberties: Historicizing 20th Century Human Rights in the English Speaking World
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
A Research Workshop presented by McMaster University, Department of History and the L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History, 1-2 March 2012.
Research Brief
In 2004 Mark Mazower noted that while the history of human...
The Honor Code
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
I attended a Catholic High School. It was a small boy’s college founded by Irish Priests in the heart of Africa. Like most Catholic Schools of the time, my teachers did not...
Gandhi Peace Festival
The Gandhi Peace Festival which is an initiative of the Centre for Peace Studies at McMaster University in collaboration with local NGOs is in its 20th year this year. Over the years, the festival has provided...
The Poverty of Illiteracy
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
I had an epiphany today.
A routine visit to the optometrist to check out my failing eyes gave me a new perspective on the withering deprivation and poverty that is illiteracy.
As part of...
Of Stereotypes and Assumptions
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
I am currently in Sydney, Australia participating in a conference on “Human Rights and Empire,” organized by Prof. Marco Durant and Prof. Samuel Moyn whose fascinating book; The Last Utopia had contributed...
The Great “Who will History Remember” Debate: Steve Jobs or Bill Gates? The Lesson...
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
There has been much furor over the controversial statements credited to Canadian journalist and bestselling author, Malcolm Gladwell that Apple’s Steve Jobs will likely be forgotten for his contributions to the technology...
“What Comes to Mind when you think about Africa?” Doing African History in the...
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
The editors of the Bulletin of the Canadian Historical Association invited me to do a reflection on teaching Africa in Canada. This appeared in the April 2012 edition.
“What Comes to Mind when you think about Africa?” Doing African...
Cultural Relativism and Human Rights: Are human rights only in the eyes of the...
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
I am teaching an undergraduate course on "Human Rights" this term and last week the topic was "Universalism vs. Cultural Relativism." As always, it was interesting to get the students' perspective on...
What are Human Rights?
By Bonny Ibhawoh,
The German non-profit organisation /e-politik.de/ has released an animated video about human rights. It is a simple and easy to follow primer on the meaning of human rights. It is a great...