50th ABS Annual Conference: Full Schedule

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9:00am EDT

International Law in a Divided World: Back to the Future?

Saturday August 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT

Limited Capacity seats available

A world civilization founded on justice is at the core of a Baha'i vision of the future. The historical evolution of international law has been shaped by both the unprecedented violence and globalization of the modern age. Despite significant progress in the proliferation of global norms and international courts however, the prevailing order remains "lamentably defective," and the entrenchment of divisive ideologies and power politics has become a cause for alarm. Yet these past realities of interdependence have only intensified and will eventually force humankind to radically transform the prevailing order into one that is suited for our common survival.

Speakers

Payam Akhavan

Professor Payam Akhavan FRSC is the Human Rights Chair at Massey College, University of Toronto, Barrister at Twenty Essex in London, UK, and counsel and advocate before the International Court of Justice. He was previously a UN prosecutor at The Hague and Special Advisor to the International... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT
214

Political science, Breakout

10:30am EDT

When Activism Falters: Pathways to Social Change in an Era of Institutional Erosion

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT

214

Limited Capacity seats available

Across political contexts, traditional modes of activism are losing traction. Mechanisms that once translated civic mobilization into institutional response—litigation, advocacy campaigns, and transnational leverage—have become unreliable or blocked. What forms of durable collective power persist amid this strategic exhaustion? This book examines 14 initiatives that thrive under institutional erosion by neither resisting nor reforming. It conceptualizes a generative mode of action through which communities construct governance, social-care, economic, and epistemic infrastructures. By theorizing this mode, it offers an understanding of how collective power develops when institutions falter.

Speakers

May Farid

Assistant Professor, University of San Diego

May Farid is an Assistant Professor at the University of San Diego. Her research explores how community groups shape state policies, with a focus on China and its overseas engagement. She also studies NGO interventions to empower citizens in the global South, such as fighting misinformation... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT
214

Political science, Breakout

2:00pm EDT

Transcending Polarization in Social Discourse and Sociological Theory: Learning from the "Re-Uniting America" Movement

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

214

Limited Capacity seats available

Dynamics of polarization in social discourse have become increasingly acute in many regions of the world. This presentation is a sociological study of the Re-Uniting America Project (2003-2011), a movement that sought to transcend and overcome ideological divisions. We use this case to illuminate the cultural sociology of both polarization and integration, identifying social practices and structures that can explain the successes and limitations of the movement. The presentation will also open a space for reflection on potential convergences and mutual learning between Baháʼí efforts in social discourse and initiatives that arose in the Re-Uniting America Project.

Speakers

David Palmer

I am a Professor of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong. I am the author of several award-winning books on religion, spirituality, and civil society in Asia; as well as several articles on Baha'i perspectives on human rights, religious pluralism, civil society, business, and... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
214

Political science, Breakout

3:30pm EDT

The Crisis of Conversation: Reimagining Dialogue in a Disintegrating World

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT

214

Limited Capacity seats available

As processes of disintegration intensify around the globe, the prospect of peace increasingly resides in the world of fantasy. Dialogue, an instrument capable of fostering connection, harmonising diverse perspectives, and cultivating unity, is reduced to adversarial methods of debate not conducive to building a shared vision and a collective will to act. Integrating psychological studies with social justice literature, this presentation will explore the role of language and meaning-making in contemporary public discourse, examining why conversation no longer appears to generate consensus, and how communication can be reimagined to recover the transformative, unifying potential of dialogue.

Speakers

Shauya Ighani

Shauya Ighani graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia double majoring in Psychology and Social Justice. Since graduating she has been serving in Sydney, Australia at the Office of External Affairs of the Australian Baha'i Community supporting their... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT
214

Political science, Breakout

50th ABS Annual Conference

9:00am EDT

Payam Akhavan

10:30am EDT

May Farid

2:00pm EDT

David Palmer

3:30pm EDT

Shauya Ighani

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