The ABS(ESE) Annual Conference Report:
"Millennium and Apocalypse: The Baha'i Vision of the Future"
The 1996 annual conference of the Association for Baha'i Studies (English Speaking Europe) was held on the weekend of 16-17 November in Oxford With over 20 speakers and more than 148 attendees many ABS regulars commented that it was the most varied, well attended, accessible and interesting conference to date.
The conference opened with David Hofman's keynote lecture and wonderful oratory on "Theocracy: the Emerging World Order." This was followed by Stephen Lambden’s thorough study of Bábí-Baha'i interpretations of millennial prophesies in "The Beast and the Catastrophe; the Lion and the Lamb" and "Globalisation: Dictates and Ensuing Aspirations" in which Felicity Rawlings emphasised the urgent need for the reconstruction of cultural identity.
The afternoon started with Wendi Momen’s Baha'i 'weather map of the future' in "Future Tense (Distant Future Brighter)" summarising Shoghi Effendi’s main prophesies. In "Unity in Diversity: an ultimate goal of the Baha'i F~aith" Babak Javid tackled the possible contradictions between the extent and realisation of diversity and unity in a future society. Philip Hainsworth studied the power mid beauty of Shoghi Effendi’s English in "One F~acet of Genius" whilst in "Peeping over the Utopian Rim" Corrine Podger analysed the checks and balances within the Baha'i Administration in relation to accusations that it was totalitarian in its approach and its role in the Most Great Peace. Kathleen Hyett's paper "Shoghi Effemdi 's Futurology" was presented by David Hofman and emphasised the pricelessness of Shoghi Effendi’s detailed vision of how world unity can in practice operate. "The Beijing Platform for Action and the Baha'i Teachings" allowed the audience to benefit from Louis Hainsworth’s personal and analytical knowledge of how the Baha'i teachings relate to the Platform's main concerns. Barney Leith’s spirited talk on "Citizenship and World Citizenship" examined the concepts of 'world citizenship' from the political and business angles and the divergence of the Baha'i approach; whilst Harold Lane's paper "Connections: Towards a Baha'i Regional Planning Concept for North Scotland" examined the themes of 'community' and 'self-sustainability' from a Baha'i perspective. Over 25 Baha'i students then met for the "Baha'i Societies' Forum" which allowed for the sharing of ideas, visions and plans for Baha'i activities and the launch of the valuable ABS publication "The Baha'i Student Handbook." After dinner the day culminated in questions from the floor on the day's theme "The Baha'i Vision of the Future. "
The next day started in roars of laughter with Omid D'Jalili' and Annabel Knight's "Comedy: The New Rock'n 'Roll" exploring and demonstrating the role of comedians in society and its utilisation in promoting our Faith. In "Growth Trends in the Baha'i Faith" Andrew Turvey compared the statistical growth of the Faith with other movements and made a numerical assessment of the concept of 'Entry by Troops'. A few of the interesting statistics he shared were that Guyana was the state with the largest percentage of Baha'is, at 6% (with the UK at 0.0 1%), and that, in terms of absolute numbers, India, The Philippines and Malaysia now contain more Baha'is than Iran. "Trends In the Arts" focused on the visual arts' demonstration of the parallel processes of integration and disintegration as alluded to by Shoghi Effendi. Sen McGlinn creatively explored "The Mashriq-Centred Community", its worship and focus on individual spiritual enrichment, and the possible consequences for entry by troops.
The afternoon session commenced with a triple session on the development and. experience of 'Entry by Troops'. The sessions began with Shahriar Razavi's historical insight into the concept, followed by Seena Fazel’s pinpointing of reoccurring factors in the growth of the Faith through analysis of existing research on India, Iran and Scandinavia, and its possible implications for growth in Europe. This was followed by a fascinating panel of participants from teaching projects in the South Pacific, Bulgaria, South Carolina and Hackney, each of whom highlighted what they believed to be the 'ingredients' for success in numerical and community growth in the Faith. Parallel sessions included a half-hour slide show, composed by Sonja van Kerkhoff and presented by Sen McGlinn, humorously presenting all the clichés and categorisations of Baha'i art, politics, the decadent, and the modern, in "Talk about Art as a Creative Process?!" Two other sessions, "The Genius of Abraham J. Heschel" and "Teaching: The Craft of Consciousness" were presented by Roger Prentice, exploring a spiritual-based form of education and a Baha'i-inspired model of Holistic Education, respectively.
Conference attendees left the conference stimulated, provoked, refreshed, moved, entertained and exhausted! The conference signals a much wider role for Baha'i scholarship in the UK community, and the evolution of ABS conferences into national conferences facilitating a mature exploration of the Baha'i teachings and their correlation and application to the challenges of the world in which we live.
Reported by Naz Ghanea-Hercock.
The Associate is the newsletter of the
Association for Bahá’í Studies (English-Speaking Europe),
27 Rutland Gate, London SW7 1PD, UK.