Series of conferences-debates,Tbilissi, October 2004

Preparing the project to “Raise awareness of the Charter in the Caucasus countries” dates back a long time. Drafted in July 2003, the project was accepted early in 2004. I was thus able to prepare a number of meetings during my trip to Tbilisi in March 2004. During the course of my preparation work and correspondence with Edith Sizoo, we made the decision to carry out the project together.

My voluntary involvement in the University of Western Languages and Culture in Tbilisi (where I taught from 1995 to 1997) meant I was able to organise, with Georgian friends, three conference-debates, each to which between 20 and 30 people attended. Apart from these larger meetings, there were also smaller ones with five to eight people, not to mention the many exchanges of a more personal nature.

Throughout the preparation process, I asked myself the following questions :

What can the Charter of Human Responsibilities mean for people marked by poverty, destitution and the gross injustice of their social situation ? Is it enough to come along with a document ? Is there not, once again, the risk of us, the privileged people of the rich world, becoming “lesson-givers” ? How are we able to pass on the principles of responsibility in light of the country’s problems, in a context very different from our own ?

So, when Edith expressed her interest in joining me, I felt a great relief.

These questions remained with me throughout the meeting and they will continue to do so ; I think that is how it should be. We tried to take them into consideration in different ways.

This is an account of several of the meetings. Without attempting to be exhaustive, it highlights the main reactions that the presentation of the Charter incited in 2004.

Ina Ranson

1 July 2005
New humanism and diversity of cultures by Ina Ranson

Conference-debate at the Academy of Sciences, 27th October 2004

The articles in this section are not translated yet but you can read them in french.

Globalisation, diversity and minorities: discussion among teachers over the Charter’s first principle by Ina Ranson, 1 July 2005
Meeting of Teachers in the German department of the University of Western Languages and Culture, 23rd October 2004

Mondialisation, diversité et minorités : débat entre enseignants autour du principe 1 de la Charte by Ina Ranson, 16 January 2005
Réunion des enseignants dans la section allemande de l’Université des Langues et des Cultures Occidentales, 23 octobre 2004.

Individual and public responsibilities by Ina Ranson, 1 July 2005
Meeting with a few teachers and some fifteen students in the French department of the University of Western Languages and Cultures, 25th October 2004.

Responsabilités individuelle et publique by Ina Ranson, 16 January 2005
Réunion de quelques enseignants et d’une quinzaine d’étudiants dans la section française de l’Université des Langues et des Cultures Occidentales, le 25 octobre 2004.

Moving from the Charter to concrete problems by Ina Ranson, 1 July 2005
Small informal meeting, 22nd October 2004

De la Charte aux problèmes concrets by Ina Ranson, 16 January 2005
Réunion informelle en petit comité, le 22 octobre 2004 Une petite réunion, dans un appartenant privé, organisée par une amie avec six étudiantes, a aussi été l’occasion de se poser des questions sur le développement de la ville de Tbilissi. La ville devient plus laide et l’air irrespirable, à cause de toutes ces vieilles voitures venues d’Europe de l’Ouest. Mais tout le monde veut en posséder une et (...)

Reflections of a reality: Civil society, terrorism, democracy, concrete actions , 1 July 2005
Round Table in Caucasus House, 26th October 2004.

Reflets d’une réalité : Société civile, terrorisme, démocratie, actions concrètes by Ina Ranson, 16 January 2005
Table Ronde dans la Maison du Caucase, le 26 octobre 2004 Dans sa présentation (en anglais), Edith a étroitement lié ses expériences vécues avec l’initiative de l’Alliance et le cheminement de la Charte dans différents pays. Son exposé a été très bien reçu. Le débat en salle a été plus bref parce que la traduction en géorgien prit beaucoup de temps. Mais nous avons pu le prolonger dans la cafétéria de la (...)

From incredulity to cautious interest by Ina Ranson, 1 July 2005
Preliminary meeting to the conference at the Academy of Political Science, 18th October

De l’incrédulité à l’intérêt prudent by Ina Ranson, 16 January 2005
Réunion préparatoire à la conférence à l’Académie des Sciences Politiques du 18 octobre.

Small meeting in the State University’s philosophy department, 28th October 2004 by Ina Ranson, 1 July 2005
This was a more informal meeting where a friend invited me to speak with her colleagues – four men and two women – all teachers. As they were all very familiar with German philosophy, I spoke about Carl Améry (former chairman of PEN) who, going through the accounts of intellectual meetings in the East and West in the eighties, was surprised: “we all thought the crucial question was the (...)

Petite réunion à la section philosophique de l’Université de l’Etat, le 28 octobre 2004 by Ina Ranson, 16 January 2005
Ce fut une rencontre plus informelle où j’étais invitée par une amie qui a voulu que je discute avec ses collègues, quatre hommes et deux femmes, tous professeurs. Comme ils connaissaient bien la philosophie allemande, j’ai parlé de Carl Améry (ancien président du PEN) et qui, épluchant les comptes rendus des rencontres d’intellectuels de l’Est et de l’Ouest dans les années 80, s’est étonné : « nous (...)

A group of actors around the text of the Charter by Marina Avaliani, 1 September 2006
A group of actors was created around the text of the Charter, at the Institute of Non Organic chemistry of the Academy of Sciences. Three first meetings have already been organized. During the first meeting the text of the Charter in Georgian and Russian was distributed. We had discussions on the activities in Tbilissi on the Charter of Human Responsibilities. Then we examined the text, we (...)

Un groupe d’initiative autour du texte de la Charte by Marina Avaliani, 1 July 2005
Un groupe d’initiatives a été formé autour du texte de la Charte, à l’lnstitut de Chimie Non Organique de l’Académie des Sciences.

Plans to go on with: initiative proposals by Ina Ranson, 1 July 2005
There were a number of initiatives put forward by Georgians. A number of people would be ready to take part in a work group on a new translation, adapting the Charter to a Georgian context. Anastasia Zakariadze, philosophy professor at the State University, who has just set up the organisation “Center of Bioethical Investigations and Culture”, would like to take part in the Alliance processes (...)

Des pistes pour continuer : propositions d’initiatives by Ina Ranson, 16 January 2005
Il y a eu plusieurs propositions d’initiatives faites par des Géorgien(ne)s : un certain nombre de personnes seraient prêtes à participer à un groupe de travail sur une nouvelle traduction - adaptation de la Charte au contexte culturel géorgien. Anastasia Zakariadze, professeur de philosophie à l’Université de l’Etat qui vient de créer une association, « Center of bioethical investigations and culture (...)

Series of conferences-debates,Tbilissi, October 2004

1 July 2005 New humanism and diversity of cultures by Ina Ranson

Globalisation, diversity and minorities: discussion among teachers over the Charter’s first principle by Ina Ranson, 1 July 2005 Meeting of Teachers in the German department of the University of Western Languages and Culture, 23rd October 2004

Mondialisation, diversité et minorités : débat entre enseignants autour du principe 1 de la Charte by Ina Ranson, 16 January 2005 Réunion des enseignants dans la section allemande de l’Université des Langues et des Cultures Occidentales, 23 octobre 2004.

Individual and public responsibilities by Ina Ranson, 1 July 2005 Meeting with a few teachers and some fifteen students in the French department of the University of Western Languages and Cultures, 25th October 2004.

Responsabilités individuelle et publique by Ina Ranson, 16 January 2005 Réunion de quelques enseignants et d’une quinzaine d’étudiants dans la section française de l’Université des Langues et des Cultures Occidentales, le 25 octobre 2004.

Moving from the Charter to concrete problems by Ina Ranson, 1 July 2005 Small informal meeting, 22nd October 2004

Reflections of a reality: Civil society, terrorism, democracy, concrete actions , 1 July 2005 Round Table in Caucasus House, 26th October 2004.

From incredulity to cautious interest by Ina Ranson, 1 July 2005 Preliminary meeting to the conference at the Academy of Political Science, 18th October

De l’incrédulité à l’intérêt prudent by Ina Ranson, 16 January 2005 Réunion préparatoire à la conférence à l’Académie des Sciences Politiques du 18 octobre.

Un groupe d’initiative autour du texte de la Charte by Marina Avaliani, 1 July 2005 Un groupe d’initiatives a été formé autour du texte de la Charte, à l’lnstitut de Chimie Non Organique de l’Académie des Sciences.