Workshop on Baluchi Identity and Culture

September 8-9, 2012
Pond Inlet
Brock University, Canada

The Universal Declaration of the Protection and Promotion of Cultural Diversity adopted by the UNESCO General Assembly in November 2001 affirms that:

“culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs, and that culture is at the heart of contemporary debates about identity, social cohesion, and the development of a knowledge-based economy, affirming that respect for the diversity of cultures, tolerance, dialogue and cooperation, in a climate of mutual trust and understanding are among the best guarantees of international peace and security.”¹

In the light of UNESCO’s declaration this workshop aims at exploring the cultural heritage of Iranian Baluchis, which is at the risk of disappearing. In Baluchistan this heritage encompasses the Baluchis’ values, language, ways of life, beliefs and rituals, experiences, and ethnic identity. The workshop is organized in the framework of the project “Iranian Borderland: Baluchi Identity and Culture.”

The workshop brings together scholars, graduate students and other experts from different fields of study to discuss their works but also proffer new research approaches and methodologies on the topic of Baluchi identity and culture and broadly on the need for cultural preservation.

¹ http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/diversity.htm

Organized and Sponsored by

Co-sponsored by

Workshop Organizers:
Behnaz Mirzai, Brock University, Canada

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