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 full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

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
202

Political science, Breakout

10:30am EDT

Redefining the 'Fundamentals of Music Composition' for a Universal Cause

LIMITED

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

202

Limited Capacity seats available

When Shoghi Effendi provided guidance on music in the Baha’i community, he cautioned against the creation of any sort of aesthetically homogenous "Bahá’í music," and went on to say that “the further away the friends keep from any set forms, the better, for they must realize that the Cause is absolutely universal” (20 July 1946 to a National Spiritual Assembly). “What is music?” and “What does it mean to be a composer?” are questions whose answers often unconsciously influence how a community engages with music. If uninterrogated against the advancements of a rich theoretical discourse and the spirit of Shoghi Effendi’s guidance, our answers to these questions risk perpetuating limiting and eurocentric understandings of what music is, who gets to be composers and what becoming/being a composer looks like. Drawing from the fields of experimental composition, music theory, sound studies and ethnomusicology, I present a new set of "fundamentals of music composition" that seek to operationalize the spirit of Shoghi Effendi’s guidance, and open up a pathway towards a community that can make, meaningfully engage with and support music practices that are more diverse and innovative than we can imagine.

Speakers

Calla Paleczny

Calla Paleczny is a composer, musician and sound artist who explores the intersection of wilderness, mysticism, non-metered musical time and the materiality of sound. She builds richly textured multichannel sound installations and composes pieces for fixed media and ensembles using... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT
202

Arts, Breakout

2:00pm EDT

Two-Eyed Seeing in Education: Reflections on Indigenous Wisdom and Holistic Practice at Roger White Academy

LIMITED

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

202

Limited Capacity seats available

This joint presentation explores Two-Eyed Seeing as a framework for learning through dialogue between Indigenous wisdom in education and the experience of Roger White Academy as a Bahá’í-inspired holistic school. Drawing on Indigenous traditional knowledge and spiritual principles of intergenerational responsibility, harmony, and relationality, alongside Bahá’í-inspired approaches to moral and spiritual education, the session examines areas of convergence and complementarity. Particular attention is given to how the JY Spiritual Empowerment Program, in partnership with Indigenous communities, might assist in strengthening cultural identity, agency, and collective wellbeing as defined by those communities.

Speakers

Farzaneh Peterson

Farzaneh Peterson is an architect and educator with an MA. She worked with Arc Design International for Mr. Hossein Amanat and served three years at the Bahá’í World Centre site office in Haifa. Owner and director of Roger White Academy, a Bahá’í-inspired holistic school... Read More →

Michael Orona

Dr. Michael Orona has served in senior-level U.S. foreign policy positions, including the White House Director for Africa Affairs and Senior Advisor for International Indigenous Issues, co-leading the White House Committee on International Indigenous Rights. He holds a JD and MS... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
202

Indigenous studies, Breakout

3:30pm EDT

The Role of Indigenous Peoples in the Growth of Northern Canadian Bahá’í Communities

LIMITED

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

202

Limited Capacity seats available

Drawing on unpublished memoirs and oral interviews, this presentation will relate how the growth of the Faith in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut from 1960-2000 was fostered by Indigenous believers who found parallels between their traditional spirituality and the Bahá’í teachings, and recognized in them the means to transcending differences and working towards a just and equitable society. Early pioneers collaborated with First Nations and Inuit to establish Northern institutions with the goal of advancing spiritual and material progress. A panel of Northern Bahá’ís will share how community-building efforts are renewing the role of Indigenous believers in the North.

Speakers

Leslie Cole

Leslie Cole became a Bahá’í in the Yukon in 1981 and lived and worked in the North for eight years. Her M.A. was on cultural change on Baffin Island from the 1950s-1980s. Leslie’s book Under One Tent: A History of Bahá’ís in Northern Canada will be published in Spring 2026... Read More →

Cheryl Fennell

Owner, Indigenous Fashion Design & Art & Indigenous Consulting, SNOWFLY

Cheryl Fennell is of Metis background and was born in Yellowknife. She has traveled all over the circumpolar world and has lived in Cambridge Bay, Inuvik, Fort Smith and Yellowknife, where she now resides. Cheryl is a sealskin artist who integrates traditional designs with contemporary... Read More →

Pat Parks

Patricia Parks is a retired school teacher who has lived in Pond Inlet for 48 years, loving and nurturing a spiritual family and vibrant community and curating the translation of the Bahá’í Holy Word into Inuktitut. She is currently developing a digital library for sharing this... Read More →

Maggie Crump

Maggie Crump was born in Whitehorse and has spent most of her career working in Indigenous governance, treaty implementation, and intergovernmental relations in Inuvik, Ottawa and Whitehorse. Maggie has lived in a number of cities across Canada, as well as in Denmark, Ghana, and Norway... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT
202

Indigenous studies, Breakout

9:00am EDT

10:30am EDT

2:00pm EDT

3:30pm EDT

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