By Heidi Fraser Hageman April 29, 2016
On April 29, 2016 CIIS hosted the 8th annual Founder’s Day Symposium. This year’s themes were “Integral Education and Indigenous Knowledge Traditions,” and “Integral Education: Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice." The symposium was organized by Bahman Shirazi ( East-West Psychology PhD, ‘94) and Angela Anderson (current EWP PhDc). In addition to co-organizing the event, Angela also moderated the plenary session and several others, and was a closing panelist speaking about “Past and Future Challenges of Integral Education.”
Ebede Ndi, PhD (‘14), joined the panel “African-Centered Wisdom Traditions And Integral Education.” After briefly reviewing, comparing, and contrasting Aurobindonian and Wilberian Integral Education, Ebede presented a perspective on African integral worldviews, values, and belief-systems and explored how they relate to Aurobindo and Wilber's integral education. He introduced ancient African or Kemetic concepts of human development and connected them to a more modern definition of the self. Moreover Ebede spoke about the different levels or stages of being from three prominent African scholars (Mayi, Hebga, and Sow). Finally, hel discussed an African integral worldview based on Sow's two triptychs.
Holly Adler, current PhDc and Integral Teaching fellow, examined diversity and inclusion in the classroom with others in her fellowship cohort.
Other current students involved were winners of this year’s Integral Scholarship, which is a merit-based award for students’ original research from the Cultural Integration Fellowship. Pictured right: Sandeep Prakash, Marta Grau, and Marta Rubinart.
Marta Grau, PhDc, presented her emerging doctoral research “Toward an Integral Approach to Trauma.”
Dr. Marta Rubinart, who earned her first doctorate this past January in Spain, presented some preliminary fruits of her research forthcoming from CIIS, “Personality, Spirituality, and Integral Yoga Psychology.”
Sandeep Prakash, soon-to-be EWP MA, was also a scholarship recipient and he proposed a new collaborative research method “Musicking as Integral Transformative Education.” For more info, check out the program and schedule.
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