Reflections on the 2024 Global Citizens Seminar

In the spring of 2024, the Ikeda Center hosted a two-part Global Citizens seminar, featuring the participation of several Boston-area doctoral students. Each brought a unique perspective, based both on their life experiences and the focuses of their current research. To ground the discussions, the scholars drew upon two sources: Daisaku Ikeda’s 2018 peace proposal, “Toward an Era of Human Rights: Building a People’s Movement,” and Sara Ahmed’s “Feminist Killjoys (and Other Willful Subjects),” which explores her thesis that feminists and other social activists must be willing to take uncomfortable stands for true progress to occur. After the conclusion of the seminar, we asked participants to share reflections on the following questions: From the lens of your work/research and your participation in the 2024 Global Citizens Seminar, what are the essential attributes of a world where peace is possible? How do you see your work/research contributing to this kind of world? The responses of four of the participants show how global citizenship is a multidimensional endeavor. 

Cam Morose, Ph.D. candidate, Value Creating Education for Global Citizenship DePaul University

I believe that being able to have honest and open dialogues is one of, if not the most important attribute for a world where peace is possible. I believe there are a few essential attributes for these types of dialogues to take place. First and foremost, there needs to be a level of openness to learn from other people, cultures, and perspectives. This requires awareness and humility that one person cannot have all the answers and that every person has something to offer. This intention must be met with the underlying skills to be able to dialogue effectively. For example, learning how to listen, inquire, advocate, validate, and empathize with another person. These skills are important for anyone to learn, especially youth. This is because I believe that world peace is possible when youth play an active role in the ideas and leadership towards initiatives that promote peace and understanding. 

My dream is for my work and research to empower youth in the arena of dialogue. I currently work as a school psychologist in the Boston Public Schools and I have the opportunity to be involved with the social-emotional curriculum. I aspire to apply what I am learning in the Value Creating Education for Global Citizenship PhD program at DePaul University to the way that social-emotional learning (i.e. the fundamental skills for dialogue) are taught to elementary, middle, and high school youth.

Mamfatou Baldeh, Ph.D. candidate, Human Development, Learning and Teaching, Harvard Graduate School of Education:

I walked away from the 2024 Global Citizens Seminar pondering the many possible definitions of “peace.” We talked about peace as a vision that could be described in several ways and maybe even depends on who is asked to give the definition. We asked whether peace could be synonymous with liberation or if it only is the opposite of war. I am sitting with the idea of peace as something situational. Depending on what situation seems to be lacking peace, how peace is restored or what that looks like can change. For this reflection, I am centering two general definitions stemming from our guiding texts and padded with ideas from our conversations and my own interpretation. Daisaku Ikeda offers a definition of peace as authentic and shared joy, inspired by ideas in the Buddhist tradition, while Sara Ahmed invited us to think about peace as the freedom to pursue a life imagined.

I see work rooted in identity development, like my own research, as the work of beginning with the individual to build a stronger collective. Our world is an entanglement of multiple systems, many of which value individualism and capitalism over humanity and solidarity. It is unfortunate that many of us are taught from a young age that joy and freedom will be found in wealth and so we spend much of our lives competing with others or working jobs without passion without questioning what other avenues there might be, or which might suit us better. This is the work of identity development and, in my opinion, a necessity for a peaceful world. Our identities are tied to our upbringing, our values, and our futures. When we are asked to assimilate into the systems around us, deciding who we want to be gives us the strength to choose a different path and find, as Ahmed describes it, our “community of killjoys.” If we teach young people the beauty of who they are and the many possibilities of who they can be and what they can stand for, I believe we will see societies bend towards sharing joy and the dreaming of new systems—peace. Achieving peace requires a replacement of the systems that lend themselves too easily to war and suffering. This requires a recognition that something else is possible for each of us that will better serve all of us. My lifework is to help facilitate this recognition for our young people.

James J. Fisher, Ph.D. candidate, History, Ohio University

Recently, I took part in the 2024 Ikeda Global Citizens Seminar, a great opportunity to connect with other scholars and graduate students from around Boston. As a Ph.D. Candidate focused on the history of education in West Africa, I looked forward to engaging in discussions centered on global citizenship, peacebuilding, and activism with the other participants. The seminar helped me to clarify some of my thoughts on education, politics, and a more equitable worldview—particularly in light of Elora Chowdhury’s discussion on how women in South Asia have driven change through organized and artistic activism. This resonated with me as much of my own scholarship and activism has revolved around advocating for better opportunities for all, regardless of race, language, gender, or class. In further discussions, Chowdhury also highlighted the too-often overlooked disconnect between human rights research and the history of colonialism and its afterlives—a critical reminder of the need for further education and dialogue that bridges our shared history and its ongoing impact on our collective humanity.

One moment that stood out to me was a discussion on fostering cross-cultural dialogue. When asked how to build friendships and dialogue across cultures, I suggested that food is a powerful connector. The relationships I’ve formed with friends from Kenya, Botswana, Brazil, and elsewhere have often taken place over a shared meal of each other’s foods—and, in turn, by sharing each other’s cultures. The seminar in some ways mirrors this, as it was through our informal conversations over shared meals that helped to unite us. These informal dialogues underscored how peacebuilding often begins with everyday connections, where we recognize each other’s humanity through simple, shared experiences. The diverse stories and contributions from the other participants greatly enriched these dialogues, offering new perspectives that deepened our collective understanding. This concept aligns with peace education principles, which emphasize understanding and empathy as the bedrock of peaceful coexistence.

Alexander Harang’s discussion of Global Citizenship as the culmination of Ikeda’s peace philosophy also resonated with me, particularly the idea that at its core is dialogue. To view oneself as a global citizen requires being in constant dialogue with others. This aligns with my work as a Researcher at Tufts University’s Generous Listening and Dialogue Initiative (GLADI), where we emphasize the importance of generous listening to better understand one another. A key component of generous listening is to do so across difference, which allows us to see each other as full people with unique lived experiences that make us distinct, but also united in our common humanity.

Overall, the Global Citizens Seminar reinforced my belief that dialogue and generous listening are important elements for increasing our capacity for peace. Peace, as was discussed by the organizers, facilitators, and participants throughout the two sessions, can be emphasized through education to make a more equitable and peaceful world. Our shared interconnectedness and the diverse perspectives we hold can truly come to life through engaging in further dialogue with one another, where we can actively work together to overcome barriers and build bridges. This process of listening, learning, and engaging in dialogue—especially with those who come from different backgrounds—is such a deeply human exercise. It was something we practiced throughout the Global Citizens Seminar. The insights that were generously shared by my fellow participants beautifully illustrated the importance of these exchanges, highlighting how diverse voices can come together in the shared pursuit of peace. Through continuous dialogue with one another, we can come to a much better understanding of the full range of our common humanity. We can also deepen our appreciation for the diversity that enriches our lives as individuals, as well as the commonalities that bind us together as human beings.

Reflecting on the Ikeda Center’s 2024 Global Citizens Seminar, I am encouraged about our future. Our work as educators, activists, and scholars is inherently tied to these principles of listening, dialogue, and peacebuilding. Whether these are encouraged through education or through informal exchanges, our shared goal remains the same: for us to cultivate a world where every individual is seen, heard, and valued. This vision of global citizenship should not merely be an abstract ideal but also a practical approach to living in an interconnected, globalized world. As I move forward, the lessons of the seminar will continue to help keep me grounded and inform my work, reminding me of our interconnectedness, and the importance of generous listening and dialogue in shaping a more equitable and peaceful world for all.

Carla Brito Sousa Ribeiro, Ph.D. candidate, Social Anthropology, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Visiting Researcher, Hutchins Center for African and African-American Research, Harvard University

I believe a world where peace is possible is one where nationalism does not segregate or create immobility. Our world is inherently mobile, from the breakup of Pangea to the spread of Homo sapiens as a species, and through the ongoing voluntary and involuntary migrations driven by economic needs, wars, or environmental changes. In his peace proposal, Mr. Ikeda highlights that objects and information move more freely than most of the world’s population. Internet cables cross oceans, disregarding continental boundaries, and our devices bear multiple nationalities, with components sourced from various countries and assembled in specialized factories. Things circulate more easily than people seeking asylum, refuge from conflicts they do not wish to engage in, or better future prospects.

Nationalist ideals can foster a sense of unity but also serve as potent tools for those who advocate division and exclusion. Recognizing that hatred toward those seen as “other” is often intertwined with a love for those perceived as “the same” is crucial in dismantling the cycle of hate as a response to hate. To prevent repeated patterns of isolation and intolerance, we need a broader understanding of how the desire to protect one’s own can fuel fear and aggression toward strangers. Fear and hatred stifle the positive outcomes of curiosity, which is fundamental for knowledge and, consequently, respect. Yet, curiosity itself is not neutral. Taking from the example of my field, anthropology’s history as a discipline shows how curiosity has been a tool for exploitation; for example, when ethnological data were used by empires to colonize and dominate the very people their experts studied.

Conversely, curiosity can also foster connections. It can lead to greater self-awareness within communities and, ideally, a reassessment of values and beliefs. My research focuses on Black people traveling from around the world to gather in Dakar, Senegal. I am interested in the shared meanings they pursue and their exploration of history through ancestry and other temporalities. My aim is to learn from those who can choose, in a world of inequalities, to displace themselves to connect with others. I seek to understand how their presence impacts local communities when they travel to seek similarities. Hopefully, we can draw from some of their approaches to better understand and tolerate differences.