7.5 Recommended Resources
Books
Alda, A. (2017). If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating. New York: Random House
Everett,,D. (2008). Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle. Vintage Books
Hoffman, E. (1989). Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language. London: Penguin Books.
Online Resources
Conflict resolution
Presentation by Jonathan Stuart of Hennepin Technical College, based on theories by Mitch Hammer
Aicha el-Wafi + Phyllis Rodriguez: The mothers who found forgiveness, friendship
TED description: “Phyllis Rodriguez and Aicha el-Wafi have a powerful friendship born of unthinkable loss. Rodriguez’ son was killed in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001; el-Wafi’s son Zacarias Moussaoui was convicted of a role in those attacks and is serving a life sentence. In hoping to find peace, these two moms have come to understand and respect one another.
Anand Giridharadas: A tale of two Americas. And the mini-mart where they collided
TED description: “Ten days after 9/11, a shocking attack at a Texas mini-mart shattered the lives of two men: the victim and the attacker. In this stunning talk, Anand Giridharadas, author of “The True American,” tells the story of what happened next. It’s a parable about the two paths an American life can take, and a powerful call for reconciliation.”
Vincent Cochetel: I was held hostage for 317 days. Here’s what I thought about…
TED description: “Vincent Cochetel was held hostage for 317 days in 1998, while working for the UN High Commissioner on Refugees in Chechnya. For the first time, he recounts the experience — from what it was like to live in a dark, underground chamber, chained to his bed, to the unexpected conversations he had with his captors. With lyricism and power, he explains why he continues his work today. Since 2000, attacks on humanitarian aid workers have tripled — and he wonders what that rise may signal to the world.”
Kailash Satyarthi: How to make peace? Get angry
TED description: “”How did a young man born into a high caste in India come to free 83,000 children from slavery? Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi offers a surprising piece of advice to anyone who wants to change the world for the better: Get angry at injustice. In this powerful talk, he shows how a lifetime of peace-making sprang from a lifetime of outrage.”
Margaret Heffernan: Dare to disagree
TED description: “Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren’t echo chambers — and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree.”
Acculturation
Aziz Abu Sarah: For more tolerance, we need more … tourism?
TED description: “Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian activist with an unusual approach to peace-keeping: Be a tourist. The TED Fellow shows how simple interactions with people in different cultures can erode decades of hate. He starts with Palestinians visiting Israelis and moves beyond.”
Melissa Fleming: Let’s help refugees thrive, not just survive
TED description: “50 million people in the world today have been forcefully displaced from their home — a level not seen since WWII. Right now, more than 3 million Syrian refugees are seeking shelter in neighboring countries. In Lebanon, half of these refugees are children; only 20% are in school. Melissa Fleming of the UN’s refugee agency calls on all of us to make sure that refugee camps are healing places where people can develop the skills they’ll need to rebuild their hometowns.”
On travel and culture shock
Coping with Culture shock CNN article
Traveler’s Checklist U.S. Government tips for travelers abroad
After Study Abroad: A toolkit for returning students From SIT Study Abroad
Using Diaries to deal with intercultural encounters From the “Interculture Project” at Lancaster University
Mediated encounters (journalism, books, Internet)
Sherry Turkle: Connected, but alone?
TED description: “As we expect more from technology, do we expect less from each other? Sherry Turkle studies how our devices and online personas are redefining human connection and communication — and asks us to think deeply about the new kinds of connection we want to have.”
Lisa Bu: How books can open your mind
TED description: “What happens when a dream you’ve held since childhood … doesn’t come true? As Lisa Bu adjusted to a new life in the United States, she turned to books to expand her mind and create a new path for herself. She shares her unique approach to reading in this lovely, personal talk about the magic of books.”
Maria Bezaitis: The surprising need for strangeness
TED description: “In our digital world, social relations have become mediated by data. Without even realizing it, we’re barricading ourselves against strangeness — people and ideas that don’t fit the patterns of who we already know, what we already like and where we’ve already been. A call for technology to deliver us to what and who we need, even if it’s unfamiliar.”
Meera Vijayann: Find your voice against gender violence
TED description: “This talk begins with a personal story of sexual violence that may be difficult to listen to. But that’s the point, says citizen journalist Meera Vijayann: Speaking out on tough, taboo topics is the spark for change. Vijayann uses digital media to speak honestly about her experience of gender violence in her home country of India — and calls on others to speak out too.”
Ronny Edry: Israel and Iran: A love story?
TED description: “When war between Israel and Iran seemed imminent, Israeli graphic designer Ronny Edry shared a poster on Facebook of himself and his daughter with a bold message: ‘Iranians … we [heart] you.’ Other Israelis quickly created their own posters with the same message — and Iranians responded in kind. The simple act of communication inspired surprising Facebook communities like ‘Israel loves Iran,’ ‘Iran loves Israel’ and even ‘Palestine loves Israel.'”
Personal stories
The Making of Malala Yousafzai
The story of Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai told by The Times’s Adam B. Ellick, who made a 2009 documentary about her before she was an international star.
Malala Yousafzai Nobel Peace Prize Speech
Jacqueline Novogratz: An escape from poverty
TED description: “Jacqueline Novogratz tells a moving story of an encounter in a Nairobi slum with Jane, a former prostitute, whose dreams of escaping poverty, of becoming a doctor and of getting married were fulfilled in an unexpected way.”
Zak Ebrahim: I am the son of a terrorist: Here’s how I chose peace
TED description: “If you’re raised on dogma and hate, can you choose a different path? Zak Ebrahim was just seven years old when his father helped plan the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. His story is shocking, powerful and, ultimately, inspiring.”
Nadia Al-Sakkaf: See Yemen through my eyes
TED description: “As political turmoil in Yemen continues, the editor of the Yemen Times, Nadia Al-Sakkaf, talks at TEDGlobal with host Pat Mitchell. Al-Sakkaf’s independent, English-language paper is vital for sharing news — and for sharing a new vision of Yemen and of that country’s women as equal partners in work and change.”
Asher Hasan: My message of peace from Pakistan
TED description: “One of a dozen Pakistanis who came to TEDIndia despite security hassles entering the country, TED Fellow Asher Hasan shows photos of ordinary Pakistanis that drive home a profound message for citizens of all nations: look beyond disputes, and see the humanity we share.”
Boyd Varty: What I learned from Nelson Mandela
TED description: “‘In the cathedral of the wild, we get to see the best parts of ourselves reflected back to us.’ Boyd Varty, a wildlife activist, shares stories of animals, humans and their interrelatedness, or ‘ubuntu’ — defined as, ‘I am, because of you.’ And he dedicates the talk to South African leader Nelson Mandela, the human embodiment of that same great-hearted, generous spirit.”
Amy Choi: How stories are told around the world
TED essay: “It’s said there isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love, once you’ve heard their story. Dave Isay knows that. The ability to honor every human by listening to what they have to say about themselves is central to StoryCorps, the nonprofit he founded in 2003.”
Dave Isay: 10 Real-life Love stories
From storycorps recordings
