Suggested statements for the barometer:

• If I felt under threat, I would use violence in such circumstances.
• Better violence than cowardice.
• A victim can be the perpetrator of violence.
• Violence is the opposite of nonviolence.

Kobe

jstor

Workshop Example

Game

Brainstorming: Violence

Duration: 5–10 minutes

Large Barometer: Violence

Type of exercise: Large barometer

Duration: 90–120 minutes

Materials: Pieces of paper prepared with statements (see exercise description)

Opis vežbe

The large barometer method

Some statements for the barometer:

1. Balkan countries are racist.
2. The diaspora shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
3. The state should help cure homosexuality.
4. Citizens are against Roma moving into their neighbourhood because they don’t want to see it turned into a dumpsite.
5. HIV-positive children should not attend school with other children.
6. Christianity is the most peace-loving religion.
7. Refugees from Muslim countries spread fundamentalism in Europe.
8. Minority languages should be mandatory school subjects.
9. If you don’t like the country you live in, you can leave.
10. People should be allowed to display any flag they want on their homes.
11. Macedonia is the country of all Macedonians.
12. Minorities should fight for their rights themselves.
13. National minorities and persons with disabilities should have priority when it comes to employment.
14. The international community is establishing democracy in Libya.
15. It would be best to build a special residential area completely adapted to the needs of persons with disabilities.
16. It’s easiest to find employment if you’re a member of a ruling party.
17. NATO countries bombed Yugoslavia to prevent a humanitarian disaster.
18. Let revenge become justice.
19. The German people started the Second World War.
20. Unemployed refugees are getting their power shut off because they did not pay the bill.
21. Operation “Storm”.
22. He is a loyal citizen of this country.
23. A third entity should be established in BiH for Croat national interests.
24. Laundry is women’s work.
25. Those who came first have the right to the land.
26. War criminals have the right to repentance.
27. Republika Srpska should be abolished.
28. The Roma are a carefree people.
29. A call to prayer can be heard from the only mosque in a majority Christian town.
30. Sexual orientation is a private matter to be kept within your own four walls.
31. Serbia is a country of the Serb people and all the citizens that live in it.
32. Serbia is a Christian Orthodox country.
33. Everyone should learn the official language of the country they live in.
34. All the Chinese should learn our language.
35. All those who served in the army during the war were in favour of the war.
36. We should help Africa become civilised.
37. At the Hague Tribunal they decide how guilty we are.
38. All sides are always to blame in a war.
39. The army makes a man out of you.
40. If people can’t live together, it’s best to separate them.
41. Great Albania
42. Great Britain
43. Great Serbia
44. Religious instruction ennobles the spirit.
45. Women are more peace-loving than men.

Note

The large barometer method is one of our favourites because it can be useful in many ways. It is excellent for developing sensitivity towards violence and bringing to light less visible forms of violence structural and cultural. Listening to others explain why they experience something as violence adds nuance to our own perceptions and creates room for empathy, or at least makes us think before we start justifying a behaviour or policy. It is also useful for sharing information about the social contexts we come from and better understanding of those contexts.

At the very beginning participants may be reluctant for fear of conflict, because the suggested statements are closely linked to social conflicts as well as our emotions and identities. However, when they see that opposing views can be discussed constructively, they will be encouraged to continue the dialogue. And that dialogue is what we sorely need. Dialogue about difficult topics can bring us closer together and build trust.

This is an exercise that is difficult to stop and it can go on until everyone is completely exhausted. You should bear in mind that it can be very demanding for participants who are not used to listening to and following what some twenty people are saying, because it requires a high degree of concentration over a long time period. If possible, this exercise should be done in the morning session, because concentration tends to decrease in the afternoon. You should also take a break after 90 minutes. Depending on the energy of the participants, the exercise can be continued in smaller groups (but not too small) that can discuss the statements from the barometer they care about the most, because working in small groups is not as demanding and can be helpful for people who do not feel comfortable speaking in larger groups. If you are not sure whether to continue in smaller groups or in the plenary, ask the participants. Sometimes, despite being tired, they want to continue working in the plenary.

Wall Newspaper: Type of Violence

Duration: 10–15 minutes

Violence According to Galtung, Structural and Cultural Violence

Type of exercise: Short presentation

Duration: 10–15 minutes

Between these two poles is a progression of positions. The trainer reads the first statement and the participants arrange themselves along the barometer to reflect their attitude, i.e. degree of agreement or disagreement with the statement. A number of participants then explain why they took their particular position. The explanations are given from one end of the barometer to the other, but the direction of movement (from Agree to Disagree and the other way around) may be switched from statement to statement. Then the next statement is read out.

It is important not to comment on what others have said, but instead to try and articulate our own opinion, without expressing agreement or disagreement with other people along the barometer. The trainer leading the exercise should not ask questions or engage the participants in dialogue. The aim of the barometer method is not to find the right solution, but to exchange opinions and come to understand that seemingly proximate positions can be based on completely different considerations, just as seemingly diverse attitudes can be based on similar starting points, and that endeavouring to understand others is key to identifying similarities and differences.

Exercise description Split into two groups. One group is to map the patriarchy and the other is to map militarism in our societies. They should also prepare a wall newspaper. They should gather as many examples as possible about where and how these phenomena appear in society, who supports them, what forms they take, etc. This is followed by brief presentations with the possibility of questions for clarification.

Discussion in the Plenary Suggested questions for the discussion: What are the similarities between the patriarchy and militarism? Where do they overlap?

Pieces of paper with the statements should be arranged so that everyone can come up and see them, for example in a line on the floor or along a larger conference table. Each participant picks up at least one statement (or at most two if you have twice as many statements as participants) and places it on the barometer between the opposite poles of, for example, Violenceand Not violence or Builds peaceand Degrades peace, based on his or her understanding of the statement and opinion on whether it constitutes violence or not. After the statements have been arranged along the barometer, invite the participants to look them over and make a note of those with whose position they agree.

This is followed by a discussion: Would anyone change the position of any of the statements in the barometer? Why? What do others think?

Each statement proposed for discussion is considered in turn for at least 15 minutes or less.

Additional discussion rules:

• You may only explain why you would change the position of a statement on the barometer, but you may not physically move the statement/paper placed by someone else.
• The aim is not to reach group agreement about what position would be ideal for a given statement, but to exchange opinions.

Of course, not all statements can be discussed, only a selection.

Exercise description

The participants split into four groups: two of just men and two of just women. One men’s and one women’s group (independently) write out examples of discrimination of women in society on their flipchart paper; and the other women’s and men’s group write out examples of discrimination against men (about 15 minutes). Then each group presents their work and is asked questions for clarification.

Discussion in the plenary

Suggested questions for the discussion:

• “How does this seem to you?
• How do you usually react in situations when you are discriminated against?
• Or when you witness the discrimination of someone else?”

Exercise description Split into pairs or threes. Each pair or group of three is to come up with their definition of violence. The definitions are read out in the plenary. Then they are discussed.