Exclusion, a Challenge to Democracy. How Relevant is Joseph Wresinski s Thinking? International Conference in Paris, December 17, 18,

Transcription

1 Exclusion, a Challenge to Democracy. How Relevant is Joseph Wresinski s Thinking? International Conference in Paris, December 17, 18, Thursday, December 18th, 2 pm 4.30 pm Workshop A1: Insecurity, Urban Transformations and Memories of Places Facilitator: Francois Guillot, Full-time Volunteer, ATD Fourth World Movement With the rapid urban transformations taking place since World War II, what kinds of transformations do the poorest residents experience? How can their relationship to the past, present and future be recorded, along with other population groups, in the land they have known? - Annie Fourcaut, Professor of Contemporary History, Director of the Center for the Social History of the 20 th Century UMR 8058 CNRS/University of Paris I, Pantheon-Sorbonne - Vincent Veschambre, professeur des universités (géographie), Université Blaise Pascal-CERAMAC - Gustave Depince, Full-time Volunteer, ATD Fourth World Movement Workshop B1: The Civilizing Child Facilitator: Sophie Maurer: teacher, Doctoral student in Political Science at the IEP of Paris For Joseph Wresinski, children are both motivators and actors in a civilizing project. Concern for children in fact leads men and women of all social backgrounds to surpass themselves. Through children, knowledge, art and poetry enter into families. Children build friendships with one another and bring others to seek a world they can have in common. How can this role of the civilizing child be given value? - Genevieve De Coster, Tapori International - Elisabeth Toulet, Theatrical Academy for the Child - Jean Bedard, Philosopher, author and social activist, Canada WorkshopC1: The Political Representation of the Poorest People (french-english) Facilitator: Francoise Tétard, Historian, CNRS, Center for the Social History of the 20 th Century at the University of Paris I The term Fourth World, created by Joseph Wresinski echoes Dufourney s Fourth Order or Estate. Already in 1789 Dufourney expressed his indignation at the exclusion of the poorest of the poor from political rights. Since then universal suffrage has recognized rights for all. However, does this mean that the poor are heard? What is the history of the recognition or non-recognition of political rights for all, including the poorest of the poor? What is at stake in terms of prerequisites for democracy? What are the required conditions in order for this recognition to become reality? 1

2 - Yannick Marec, Professor of Contemporary History, University of Rouen - Michele Grenot, Historian, member of the ATD Fourth World Movement - Roger Dupuy, Historian, Professor at the University of Rennes 2 Workshop D1: From One Country to Another: the Question of the Poorest People (French English) Facilitator: Romain Huret The question of taking the poorest people into account and their place in society is raised in all societies in different ways. How can the questions raised by Joseph Wresinski and his thinking be received in different political contexts and help to shed light on the question of how we live together. - Christopher Winship, Sociologist, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. - Jean Hugues Henrys and Emmanuel Belimaire, Physicians (M.D.), Port of Prince - Elzbieta Tarkowska, Sociologist, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Warsaw. Workshop E1: The Expression of the Poorest People as a Group Facilitator: Patrick Brunetaux, centre de recherches politiques de la Sorbonne. People living in extreme poverty are generally considered as marginalized individuals, incapable of exercising their rights. Yet, we find that certain circumstances and conditions favor the mobilization and expression of the poorest people as a group. Through a few examples we will identify the conditions and see how the collective awareness of belonging to a social group helps to change society. - Members of the association Les Enfants de Don Quichotte - Genevieve Tardieu, Full-time Volunteer, ATD Fourth World Movement - Julien Damon, Official at the Center for Strategic Analysis Workshop F1: Reflecting on the Law with the Poorest People Facilitator: Daniele Lochak, Professor of Public Law, University of Paris X, Nanterre How can respect for the equal dignity of all guide thinking about legal norms and the effectiveness of rights? How do the poorest people express themselves on the subject of justice and rights? Under what conditions could they reflect together with agencies whose role it is to spell out the norms? To what extent has such joint thinking influenced the evolution of laws, both on the national and European levels? - Georges de Kerchove, Lawyer, Belgium - Florence Tourette, Lecturer, University of AuvergneIPAG (Institute for Training in General Administration) Clermont Ferrand 2

3 - Regis Brillat, Director of the Office of the Social Charter at the Head Office for Human Rights at the Council of Europe Workshop G1: Businesses Confronted by the Issue of the Right to Work Facilitator: Denys Cordonnier, consultant Businesses have taken a number of initiatives which interpret the will to contribute to the effectiveness of the right to work for the most disadvantaged. How can the work world, a world to which the very poor rightfully belong, transform exclusionary logic into the ability to welcome these workers? Based on the approaches to be presented, we will reflect on the strategies that favor this objective. - Thierry Albrand, ingénieur ALCATEL - Philippe Jauffret, Tefal - Michel Adam, fondateur du réseau IRIS, enseignant à l'université de Poitiers Workshop H1: Re-establishing Social Ties through the Personal Initiatives of Citizens (French English) Facilitator: Dan Ferrand-Bechmann, présidente de l'association française de sociologie, professeure Université Paris VIII The victims of poverty and exclusion force us to rethink the conditions for effective democracy. Institutions conceived for all sometimes reject the poorest people. Reestablishing ties and dialogue require the implementation of a policy of reciprocity of forms of knowledge and power. How can an alliance be created, one in which each person is able to work as partners of the least advantaged, so as to create a society that develops from the point of view of its most vulnerable members? - Bruno Tardieu, National Director, ATD Fourth World Movement, France - Jean Louis Le Moigne, Professor Emeritus, University of Aix-Marseille, President of the European Program Modeling CompleXity-MCX - Jona Rosenfeld, Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem Workshop I1: Artistic Expression as a Form of Group Action Facilitator: Hans Peter Furrer, president ATD Fourth World, Switzerland, Artistic expression gives shape to experience and builds communication. It establishes ties among people driven by the same desire for beauty and introduces cultural sharing. In this way it is both a personal and collective advancement of the best of human beings and of all mankind. Therefore, what are the conditions for the access of the very poor to art, song, poetry? Can we conceive of a right to beauty? - Laurens Umans, Joseph Wresinski Culture, the Netherlands - Brigitte Bourcier, Full-time Volunteer, ATD Fourth World Movement - Christophe Traini, 3

4 Friday, December 19 th a.m -1 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. 4 p.m. Workshop A2: Citizenship and Territory Facilitator: Annie Fourcaut In the second half of the 20 th century, what are the territories where the poorest people live and are housed? How are the inhabitants of these territories active in public life and in citizenship? What means do they find, invent or take hold of, in order to shoulder their responsibilities and gain access to their rights? - Yvan Gastaut, Lecturer in Contemporary History at the University of Nice, Researcher at the Modern and Contemporary Mediterranean Center (CMMC) - Marie-Claude Blanc Chaleard, Historian, Lecturer at the University of Paris 1, Pantheon-Sorbonne, with the Center for the Social History of France in the 20 th century - David Rigaldiès, consultant Workshop B2: Extreme Poverty, Family Ties and Gender (English French) Facilitator: Genevieve Tardieu In situations of extreme poverty, family ties are both constantly threatened by the living conditions and, at the same time, necessary in order to resist human misery and to be able to continue to participate in community life. Policies that deal with poverty in terms of categories (child poverty, women's poverty.) have a hard time taking these family ties into account. What are the conditions that enable men and women to take on their family responsibilities, despite their difficulties? How can we promote ties that bring greater freedom to the people involved? - Michelle Perrot, Professor Emeritus of Contemporary History at the University of Paris VII - Janine Mossuz-Lavau, Director of Research, CNRS at Cevipof - Donna Haig-Friedman, Research Associate Professor and Director, Center for Social Policy within the University of Massachusetts, Boston s McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies Workshop C2: Representing the Excluded Facilitator: Sylvain Pattieu A gap tends to grow between the disadvantaged classes and the state representatives, administrations and elected officials. This then raises the question of the means and ways of representing the excluded in political life. Is it necessary to reinforce group representation, to create group-specific representation (such as the union of the unemployed, for example) or to create ties and partnerships in which the voice of the 4

5 poorest and their participation has its place? What would be the conditions and what new formats need to be developed, over and above the usual democratic practices? - Patrick Cingolani, Sociologist, University of Paris X, Nanterre - Francoise Ferrand, Full-time Volunteer, ATD Fourth World Movement and Cecile Reinhart, Fourth World Activist - Quentin Landenne, Chercheur en philosophie (FRS-FNRS), Centre de Théorie Politique (ULB), Bruxelles Workshop D2: The Political Stakes of Poverty Indicators Facilitator: Thibaut Tellier The way of defining poverty and of determining its indicators influences practices and vice-versa. Other findings have shown that many of the difficulties of the disadvantaged are not measured by statistics, and, therefore, are merely relegated to the overall struggle against various forms of exclusion. This brings up two types of questions: what complement of indicators would make it possible to more precisely take into account the situation of extreme poverty? And, how can those who experience extreme poverty be involved in spelling out these indicators? What kind of knowledge do the poorest people need ( ) and what type of knowledge do our national societies need in order to effectively combat poverty and exclusion? (Joseph Wresinski, 1980) - Emmanuel Didier, in Charge of Research at CESDIP - Romain Huret, Historian, Lecturer at the University of Lyon II and at the Institute for Policy Studies of Paris - Christine Ruyters, Statistician, Belgium Workshop E2: The Conditions for a Truly Participatory Democracy (French English-Spanish) Facilitator: Monique Couillard In response to criticism of more formal democracy, the question raised today is how to develop other modes of participation. If we consider that the poorest milieux have the most difficulty contributing, in a real way, to the institutions and other public structures, defining the conditions for their participation would enable us to set down the criteria for true democratic participation for all, one that would benefit everyone. Through the example of each-one-teaches-one trainings implemented by ATD Fourth World and researchers analyses, we will attempt to identify these conditions. - Marc Couillard, Regis Secher, Jean-Robert Saffore, Merging Knowledge and Practices Workshops of ATD Fourth World - Otto Rivera, Sociologue, Consultant en Education Unesco, Guatémala - Loic Blondiaux, Professeur de sociologie, Paris Workshop F2: Human Rights and Extreme Poverty (French English) 5

6 Facilitator: Huguette Redegeld vice-présidente Mouvement international ATD Quart Monde What realities is Joseph Wresinski attempting to bring to light in affirming that extreme poverty is a violation of Human Rights and that it reflects the indivisibility of these rights? May we consider that those who live in this condition and resist it on a daily basis are among the defenders of Human Rights? Do the evolutions of institutions and organizations promoting Human Rights favor or oppose having the situation of the very poor, their representation and their combat taken into account? - Christine Behain and John Habets, ATD Fourth World Movement, the Netherlands - Michel Doucin, Ambassadeur chargé de la bioéthique et de la responsabilité sociale des entreprises Ministère des Affaires Etrangères et Européennes - Annelise Oeschger, Présidente de la Conférence des OING du Conseil de l'europe Workshop G2: The Internment of Foreigners in France: A Long Story Facilitator: Helene Thomas, Professeure des universités à l Institut d études politiques d Aix-en-Provence This workshop will reflect on internment camps, beginning with a historical look at the one the Wresinski family was in during the War of Joseph Wresinski was born during the War of 1914 in an internment camp in Angers. Later, upon arriving in a humanitarian camp created for homeless families, he becomes conscious of his people and this realization leads him to a universal fight. What do these two situations have in common the internment camp and the grouping together of foreigners and the very poor? How can these situations be transformed? What are the sources of these transformations and what role do the inhabitants play as artisans? - Ronan Richard, Doctor of History, Rennes II - Marie Rose Blunschi, Full-time Volunteer, ATD Fourth World Movement, Doctor of Theology - Marc Bernardot, Professor of Sociology, University of Le Havre, member of the scientific network TERRA Workshop H2: Reciprocity as a Personal and Social Transformative Experience (French English) Facilitator: Marie-Helene Boureau Recreating social ties seems to be in contradiction with the logic of assisting the very poor. What is important is to base our relations on reciprocity. However, how can we establish reciprocity with people who are shut in and living in miserable conditions? A true encounter is a process and an experience that transforms those who take part. It supposes going out to meet the other and a willingness to meet the other, also to be 6

7 receptive to the encounter. These conditions will be the subject of a number of testimonies through which we should become aware of what could become a social plan, or a project for society. - James Jaboureck and other Full-time Volunteers of the ATD Fourth World Movement - Marc Héber-Suffrin, Mouvement international pour la réciprocité active (MIRA) - Adam Seligman Workshop I2: Spirituality and Politics Facilitator: Anne de Margerie All human beings, says Joseph Wresinski, carry within themselves a fundamental and inalienable value which makes up their human dignity. This value gives to all the same inalienable right to act for their own welfare and that of others. In this we see that the political combat is also a spiritual one. This fundamental value is however subject to the disfigurations caused by human misery which lead people to deny the poor the right to exercise both thought and action. And yet the condition of a human being in poverty may make this person the very witness to humanity able to bring to the world precisely the thinking most essential to it. The presentations in this workshop will shed light on this precious dimension since for J. Wresinski, The spirit dwells in all human beings. - Mascha Join-Lambert, responsable de Haus Neudorf - Forum für Gemeinschaft in Europa, Gerswalde-Friedenfelde, Allemagne. - Cezary Gawrys, Journalist, Editor of the Review Wiez, Warsaw, Poland - Martin Steffens, Graduate Fellow of Philosophy 7