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It was at the initiative and with the personal collaboration of Sir Peter Ustinov that the Institute was founded in Vienna on 11 August 2003, under the legal form of an incorporated association. The Board was appointed at a General Meeting on 4 September 2003: Sir Peter took the chair and the Institute became operational.
A "Letter of Intent" signed by Sir Peter, by the Mayor of Vienna Dr. Michael Häupl and by the Vienna City Councillor Dr. Andreas Mailath-Pokorny had ensured basic funding and thus paved the way for the Institute’s foundation. .
Sir Peter considered prejudice as a widespread cause of suffering and discord, with pure ignorance as its weapon.
He wished to call upon people to test conventional beliefs and traditions for their veracity and to consistently question them. He was seeking to have the structures that spawn prejudices unmasked and to make options for learning and accessing knowledge more widely known. This is how he wished to undercut prejudices and hostile perceptions.
"His" Institute was intended to work towards this objective. Being both cosmopolitan and a humanist, Sir Peter sought to add to his impressive work as an artist and to make his personal contribution to the creation of a better, peaceful world, free of conflicts.
Sir Peter has left us many warnings against prejudices and their harmful consequences. The passage he wrote on 13 December 2003 for the Institute’s homepage is a case in point:
"Prejudices are the starting point of many accumulating disasters in this world.
At first as innocuous as land mines, to which they bear a certain resemblance when inactive, they become lethal when children toy with them. Every human needs opinions to express. But they must be fresh, freely expressed, considered. Beware stale opinions, dead opinions, inherited opinions thoughtlessly adopted. When they turn into contagion, they can humiliate entire nations. Death is there to survive. Humiliation can last for centuries. Palestine is a flagrant example."
Sir Peter derived his insights into the detrimental effects of prejudices from his own experience of life.
This was aptly expressed in a report carried by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of 10 November 2001 (Den Sumpf trockenlegen. Peter Ustinov richtet Lehrstuhl gegen Vorurteile ein / Draining the swamp. Peter Ustinov establishes chair against prejudices):
The artist talks about his first days at a British school, where prejudices were drummed into the six-year-olds that were to make them narrow-minded and dull in their adult lives. Later, in the army, it had been even worse. In Ustinov’s eyes, schools, churches and family are strongholds of prejudice, where long established views and traditions are handed on, without being tested for their veracity and without being consistently called into question.
About his book, "Achtung! Vorurteile" (Look out! Prejudices), which was published in 2003, Sir Peter said that it was his "legacy".
With humour and charm he tackles all forms of prejudices, frequently referring to episodes from his own life. He covers the range from impressions from his school days in England, via the impact of national stereotypes and jokes, the misuse of prejudices as a political weapon to the question: "Do children have prejudices?" The book ends with the noteworthy appeal to extend to ‘the Other’ not merely tolerance, but respect!
A few extracts are given below:
I was still only six years old, in the first class of primary school, and there was this picture of Jesus on the wall - an oil painting showing him with long wavy hair, a little feminine, a little gay. With one of his hands extended to a boy scout, he used his other hand to draw the boy’s attention to the vast size of the British Empire on a map. The expression on Jesus’ face left no doubt about the side he was on. I, as a tiny German, was greatly upset by it all and called it utter cheek. Our teacher turned round: ‘What impudence; the picture belongs on this wall, the wall of a British school. It is patriotic, it is right-minded, don’t you ever dare repeat what you’ve just said...’ (From Schulzeit in England - School days in England)
(National stereotypes) are often harmless and occasionally even amusing, such as this widespread notion of perfect happiness - with a Chinese cook, a villa in Italy, a French wife, an English butler, a Swiss bank account, and a German car... Actually, things turn nasty and dangerous only when such stereotypes become guidelines for action: The Germans have no sense of humour, the French are sex-mad, the Dutch are misers, the Poles are slovenly, the Italians lazy! - which is mostly rubbish.’ (From Nationale Stereotypen - National stereotypes)
Children are born without prejudices; they have no prejudices that could be traced back to their birth. It is something they pick up later, at school, through education and religion... However, I would not go along with Rousseau in saying that man is good by nature. It would seem more correct to say: man has the option to be good...' (From Haben Kinder Vorurteile? - Do children have prejudices?)
Tolerance was preached to us as an antidote to contempt - and there were many centuries when this was anything but a matter of course - and would have made the coexistence of diverse cultures bearable. But can tolerance really solve the problems on our globe?... So, to my mind, it is not merely tolerance of the Other that counts, but respect. Because the (male or female) Other, whom I meet in the street, sitting in a wheelchair, in some distant country - this other man or woman could well be me. Nothing but coincidence, sheer coincidence has willed it otherwise.’ (From Der andere, das könntest Du sein - Tolerance or the Other could well be you)
In compliance with the wishes of its founder, the Institute is, generally speaking, expected to perform the tasks of an international centre of excellence, to advance research into and strategies against prejudices and to foster a rethinking process among the general public.
In the Statutes the purpose of the Institute is described as follows (extract):
§2 (1)
The association is not profit-oriented. It is a non-material, exclusively non-profit and beneficent association in compliance with §§ 34 ff Federal Tax Code.
§2 (2) a
Support and conduct studies investigating the origins of prejudices and their impact on the resolution of conflicts and on human behaviour, with a view to combating and overcoming prejudices seen as a root cause of poverty, discrimination and conflicts in the world and thereby contribute to a non-confrontational social coexistence among peoples.
In a "Letter of Intent" signed by Sir Peter Ustinov, Mayor Dr. Michael Häupl and City Councillor Mailath-Pokorny on 24 June 2003, the City of Vienna provided the funds required for setting up the Institute.
Currently, City-of-Vienna funding covers the expenditure for the guest professorship and part of the expenditure for specialist conferences as well as the reimbursement of the Institute of Conflict Research for essential organisational core activities (accounting, telecommunications, organisation of General Meetings and Board Meetings, meetings of the Academic Advisory Council, etc). The Sir Peter Ustinov Institute has benefited substantially from its cooperation with the Institute of Conflict Research.
For additional projects, such as the manual, practical tools for teachers and specialist literature, the Institute depends on funding from sponsors. In this context we are greatly indebted to the Ustinov Foundations in Düsseldorf/Munich and Geneva, to voestalpine AG, Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture and to a number of other institutions.
The Institute is obliged to practise the strictest economy. Nobody is employed. The conceptual tasks, but also many routine tasks are performed by the members of the Board and of the Academic Advisory Council. All members of these bodies work on a voluntary basis.
In § 4 the Statutes provide for "supporting membership" of physical and legal persons wishing to assist the Institute with a one-off payment or regular financial contributions. Supporting members have an advisory vote at General Meetings.
With a view to the optimum utilisation of its human and financial resources, the Institute’s activities are focused on the following areas:
Gastprofessur
In 2004, the Sir Peter Ustinov Institute in collaboration with the University of Vienna established the "Sir Peter Ustinov Professorship of the City of Vienna", a guest professor being appointed every year.
The idea is to secure top calibre academics from all parts of the world for lectures designed to add to the knowledge about how prejudices function and to spread such knowledge more widely. The lectures are open to the public and linked with a seminar for students. The guest professorship has been established at the Institute for Contemporary History of the University of Vienna to underline the link to current issues. The Ustinov Institute’s Academic Advisory Council deliberates as to the selection of the professor.
Previous guest professors:
Research conferences
Every year, the Institute organises an international research conference, which is open to the public. The idea is to critically evaluate current developments of political or socio-political importance in which prejudices and hostile perceptions act as driving forces. The results are published in books and/or on the Institute's homepage.
Previous research conferences:
All events have been documented in publications of Verlag Braumüller, Vienna.
Handbook of Prejudice
The institute promoted the publication of a "Handbook of Prejudice" - a specialised book of academic standing, which serves as a source of information and a decision-making aid for academics, teachers, social workers, personnel managers and other people interested in the subject. It contains texts by internationally renowned authors who describe and analyse the principal groups of prejudices.
The Handbook was put together by the Institute of Conflict Research Vienna, more particularly by Professor Anton Pelinka, Dr. Karin Stögner and Mag. Karin Bischof. It was funded by voestalpine AG acting as sponsor. (For more information see separate section)
Cambria Press, NY, will publish the English version in 2009; a German version will follow in 2010.
Support for teachers
The Institute produced materials for teachers and school administrations under the title Kompetenz im Umgang mit Vorurteilen (How to deal with prejudices), with a view to assisting them in designing teaching methods that take account of prejudices. The need for such guidance documents had become apparent at the research conference Vorurteile in der Kindheit (Prejudices in Childhood).
The edition for primary schools appeared in the autumn of 2009. An edition for the secondary level will follow in 2010. (For more information see separate section)
Specialist literature
The Institute assists in or fosters the publication of specialist literature. A work on Vorurteile und Genozide (Prejudices and Genocides), edited by Prof. Wolfgang Benz, is under preparation. It will point out -as it were as a warning - the pronounced share prejudices and hostile perceptions had in genocides in the past century. The Institute is currently looking for ways of expanding its involvement in the publication of specialist literature.
Vorurteile und Genozide will appear in 2010. (For more information see separate section)
Homepage
Since 2004, the Institute has maintained its own homepage with information on its activities as well as an information database on specialist literature and research work in the field of prejudice.
The Institute is currently looking for ways of upgrading this function.
The Institute’s activities are overseen by an Academic Advisory Council chaired by Professor Anton Pelinka. As a rule, meetings are held once a year. The Advisory Council issues recommendations for the selection of guest professors and is consulted by the Board on the Institute’s activities. Additional members are Dr. Josef Berghold, Dr. Hubert-Christian Ehalt, Dr. Dietmar Larcher, Dr. Helga Nowotny, Dr. Oliver Rathkolb, Dr. Sieglinde Rosenberger, Dr. Leopold Rosenmayr, and Margit Schmidt.
2003
The Institute was founded on 11 August 2003. The Board was appointed at a General Meeting on 4 September 2003. Sir Peter took the chair and the Institute became operational.
2004
Dr. med. Dr. phil. Horst-Eberhard Richter (Universität Gießen) was the first to take on the Ustinov Guest Professorship at the University of Vienna. The topic of his lectures was Umgang mit dem Bösen (Instrumentation of evil).
Prof. Richter expounded on the Wirkungsgeschichte des Bösen - Vorurteilsbeladene Weltbilder (History of the effects of evil - prejudice-laden philosophy) and went into the role of "evil" as an instrument in political power play (e.g. "rogue states") and of the churches (e.g. "witch hunt" and "inquisition"). He put special emphasis on "scapegoat mechanisms".
Many of the ideas ventilated in his lectures found their way into Professor Richter’s book Die Krise der Männlichkeit (The crisis of virility), which was published in 2006.
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Sir Peter died that year on 28 March. He had planned a public presentation of "his" Institute. This presentation had to be replaced by a conference entitled Achtung! Vorurteile (Beware! Prejudices) organised by the Institute in his honour at the Vienna City Hall on 19 May. At this conference the well-known publicist Dr. Hugo Portisch chose the example of France and Germany to demonstrate that even deeply rooted prejudices can be dismantled. Also present were Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric, Arabella Kiesbauer and Professor Anton Pelinka.
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The Institute’s homepage was set up.
2005
Professor Dr. Aleida Assmann (Universität Konstanz) took on the guest professorship. The topic of her lectures was Geschichte, Gedächtnis, Identität (History, memory, identity).
She explained how, when and from what sources people formed their philosophy and to which pressures for change it is subjected, e.g. by the generation leaps or by the social environment; in this context she emphasised the significance of objectifying institutions, such as museums. As to identity, she mentioned with reference to Europe that it could be strengthened by both values shared in the past and common notions of the future.
Many of the ideas she put forward in her lectures found their way into Professor Assmann’s book Der lange Schatten der Vergangenheit - Erinnerungskultur und Geschichtspolitik (The long shadow of the past - Culture of remembrance and the politics of history), which was published in 2006.
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The Institute’s first research conference was devoted to Europa - USA: Values and Prejudices (Diplomatische Akademie Wien, 29 May 2005). The evolution of anti-Americanism was analysed, starting from colonial times, and the development of different moral concepts in Europe and the United States (as to state, religion and law) was highlighted. It was the sense of the conference, that prejudices should be combated, while different moral concepts should be respected.
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Negotiations were concluded on the publication of a Handbook of Prejudice between voestalpine AG as the sponsor and the Institute of Conflict Research as the partner responsible for content.
2006
Peter Loewenberg (UCLA) took on the Ustinov Guest Professorship. The topic of his lectures was: Kulturgeschichte und psychoanalytische Tiefenpsychologie in der modernen amerikanischen Geschichtsforschung (Cultural history and psychoanalytic depth psychology in modern American historical research). He addressed, inter alia, the role of historical literature and biographies, the fact that traumata are handed down from generation to generation and the psychology of the modern nation state.
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The research conference was devoted to Der Westen und die Islamische Welt: Fakten und Vorurteile (The West and the Islamic world: facts and prejudices) and addressed stereotypes, prejudices and hostile perceptions on both sides as well as their roots in history (Kreisky Forum Wien, 4 und 5 May 2006).
Special attention was given to the fact that cultural and religious content is frequently interchanged, to Islamism as a phenomenon of modernity, to the Islamic world as a heterogeneous configuration, to the causes underlying the view of the Islamic world as menacing and outdated as well as to the implications of fears of forfeiting jobs and of being swamped by foreign influences in Europe and of identity loss in the Islamic world.
A documentation of the research conference was published in 2006 by Verlag Braumüller under the title Der Westen und die islamische Welt - Fakten und Vorurteile (The West and the Islamic world - facts and prejudices).
2007
Professor Dr. Wolfgang Benz, head of the centre for anti-Semitism research at Technische Universität Berlin took on the Ustinov Guest Professorship. The topic of his lectures was Völkermord im 20. Jahrhundert. Zur Geschichte des Genozids - vom Vorurteil zur ‚ethnischen Säuberung’ (Genocide in the 20th century. On the history of genocide - from prejudice to ‘ethnic cleansing’). The lectures evidenced the pronounced share of prejudices and threat perceptions involved in the genocides committed in the 20th century in Europe, Africa and Asia.
To spread the word about this topic to a broader public - as it were as a warning against the consequences arising from demonising population groups - talks with Professor Benz on the publication of a book were initiated. (For more information see separate section)
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The topic of the research conference was Vorurteile in der Kindheit: Wie entstehen sie? Wie kann man gegensteuern? (Prejudices in childhood: What is their origin? How can they be counteracted?) (Jugendstiltheater des Otto Wagner Spitals Wien, 8 March 2007).
Among the subjects addressed were the consequences of the fact that prejudices arise already in early youth and may cause children and young people to become either perpetrators or victims. The point was made that it is never too early to counteract prejudices, since the contempt experienced by children makes them feel denigrated and discriminated against and that causes them harm.
A documentation of the research conference was published by Verlag Braumüller in 2007 under the title Vorurteile in der Kindheit, Ursachen und Gegenstrategien.
2008
Professor Verena Kast (Universität Zürich) took on the Ustinov Guest Professorship. The topic of her lectures was: Die Schatten und die Komplexe - Vorurteile aus tiefenpsychologischer Sicht (The shadows and the complexes - prejudices viewed from the depth-psychology perspective).
She described the mechanisms that cause prejudices to develop and that may influence them, focusing on the interaction between prejudices and emotions, such as anger and frustration, fear, shame and envy, and on the role played by the feeling of self-esteem in the emergence of prejudices.
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The topic of the research conference was Feindbilder in Europa - was kann dagegen getan werden? (Threat perceptions in Europe - how to counteract them) (Österreichisches Parlament, Palais Epstein, 2 and 3 April 2008).
It was demonstrated that powerful threat perceptions are still holding sway in Europe; threat perceptions that continue to make groups of Europe’s population appear as hostile elements - be it between nations, between nations and minorities and across borders, between majority society and minority groups. Moreover, cases in which hostile perceptions vanished - for example between France and Germany - were studied in the quest for counter strategies.
A documentation of the specialist conference was published by Verlag Braumüller in 2008 under the title Feinbilder in Europa. It was presented at an event at the Ustinov Foundation Düsseldorf/Munich on 24 November 2008 and at an event at the Diplomatische Akademie Wien, on 29 January 2009.
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The publication of the book Vorurteile und Genozide was arranged with Professor Wolfgang Benz, as editor, and a number of renowned authors. The funding of the project was secured through sponsors. (For more information see separate section)
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A concept was drafted for the publication of materials for teachers and school administrations (title Kompetenz im Umgang mit Vorurteilen - How to deal with prejudices) and agreed with the partners in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The need for such materials had become apparent at the research conference 2007 on Vorurteile in der Kindheit (Prejudices in childhood). The idea is to facilitate education that takes account of prejudices. (For more information see separate section)
2009
Professor Dr. András Kovács (Central European University, Budapest) took on the Ustinov Guest Professorship. The topic of his lectures was Roma, Juden und andere Minderheiten in Osteuropa: historische Vorurteile aus sozialwissenschaftlicher Perspektive. (Roma, Jews and other minorities in Eastern Europe: historical prejudices viewed from the social-science perspective)
The focus was on national prejudices and stereotypes, anti-Semitism in the communist systems, animosity towards Jews and the situation of the Roma as well as prejudices and discrimination in the Eastern European post-communist societies.
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The topic of the research conference was Zuwanderer als Feindbild (Immigrants seen as enemies) (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 18 and 19 May 2009).
Among the subjects addressed was the fact that more often than not immigrants, especially those who are poor and displaced, meet with unwarranted animosity and that in our time the corresponding threat perceptions have become more widespread and forceful than ever. Special attention was paid to the following questions: the "immigrant" as an inimical figure: what is the cause and what the effect? Prerequisites and positive effects of successful "integration", guidelines for dismantling the enemy image.
The research conference was documented in a book published by Verlag Braumüller in the autumn of 2009.
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The English-language edition of the Handbuch der Vorurteile will be published by Cambria Press NY under the title Handbook of Prejudice.
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The first part of the support for teachers and school administrations designed for elementary schools was finalised and circulated. (For more information see separate section)
Handbook of Prejudice
At the request of the Sir Peter Ustinov Institute, the Handbook was developed at the Institute of Conflict Research by Professor Anton Pelinka, Dr. Karin Stögner and Magistra Karin Bischof. It contains descriptions and analyses of the major socio-political prejudices. It serves as a source of information and as a decision-making aid for academics, teachers, social workers, personnel managers and people interested in the subject.
All the texts were authored by renowned academics: Werner Bergmann, Dietlinde Gipser, Saskia Sassen, Susan T. Fiske, Rainer Kampling, Klaus Ottomeyer, Wilhelm Heitmeyer/Andreas Zick, Ruth Wodak, Manfred Nowak/Konstanze Pritz, Phyllis Chesler, Dietmar Mieth, Wolfgang Benz/Peter Widmann. Previous Ustinov guest professor Aleida Assmann was enlisted as author of the preface.
Special thanks are due to voestalpine AG, which acted as sponsor and funded the project.
Cambria Press NY will publish the English-language version in 2009 under the title Handbook of Prejudice (for more information see www.cambriapress.com). A German-language edition is planned for 2010.
Materials on "How to deal with prejudice"
This project is the direct outcome of the research conference on Vorurteile in der Kindheit: Wie entstehen sie? Wie kann man gegensteuern? (Prejudices in childhood: What is their origin? How can they be counteracted?), held in March 2007. The principal insight gained was that children can both spread and become victims of prejudices at a much earlier age than generally assumed - and that consequently due attention needs to be paid to this problem already when children are still in their infancy.
The object of the project is to craft materials for teachers and school administrations. The idea is to help understand the impact of prejudices and hostile perceptions on and among children and to respond to them at school level, because those exposed to contempt even in their infancy feel denigrated and discriminated against. This is the seedbed for self-doubts, uncertainty and ultimately learning inhibitions - each one of them the possible cause of blighting the chances of leading a fulfilled life and finding a satisfying job.
The materials will appear in two editions, each adjusted to the children’s development level:
primary school (age group 6 to 10 years) and
general secondary school/secondary level I (age group 10 to 14 years).
The materials are designed for use in schools in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. They have been formulated by the authors with the support of a team of academics coming from the three countries. The funding, too, is provided by the three countries: by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture and by the Ustinov Foundations in Düsseldorf/Munich and Geneva.
The special Academic Advisory Council is composed of Prof. Wolfgang Benz, Head of the Centre for Antisemitism Research at the Technische Universität Berlin, Dr. Kurt Messmer, University of Teacher Education Central Lucerne, Switzerland, Siegried Frech, Agency for Civic Education, Baden Württemberg, and Prof. Anton Pelinka, Head of the Institute of Conflict Research, Vienna.
The project is run by the Democracy Centre Vienna under the guidance of Mag. Gertraud Diendorfer. The materials are published by the Sir Peter Ustinov Institute. The first part for primary schools was finalised in the summer of 2009. It was authored by: Petra Wagner, Hedwig Huschitt, Tamara Sturm-Schubert, Elisabeth Nevyjel, Brigitte Glur, and Elfriede Windischbauer.
In Austria, materials are distributed to schools by the Ministry of Education, and they can be downloaded from the homepages of the Ustinov Institute: www.ustinov.at and of the Democracy Centre: www.demokratiezentrum.org. In Germany, the Sir Peter Ustinov Foundation will make the materials accessible for downloading at the homepage: www.ustinov-stiftung.org. Distribution in Switzerland is still to be decided on.
The second part - designed for secondary level I - is planned to be published in 2010.
Publication of the book Vorurteile und Genozide (Prejudices and genocides)
This book will be edited by Professor Wolfgang Benz at the request of the Sir Peter Ustinov Institute. In addition to an introductory essay, covering, inter alia, the effects of prejudices and hostile perceptions, the book will contain eight specialist articles on the following genocides: Herero war, Armenian genocide, holocaust, genocides of Sinti and Roma, Pol Pot regime, Yugoslavia, Ruanda, and Darfur.
The Sir Peter Ustinov Institute is especially interested in the publication of this book, because in his guest lectures entitled Völkermord im 20. Jahrhundert, Zur Geschichte des Genozids vom Vorurteil zur ‘ethnischen Säuberung’ (Genocide in the 20th century. On the history of genocide - from prejudice to ‘ethnic cleansing’) Professor Benz highlighted how threat perceptions had had a major share in making the above-mentioned genocides possible. This aspect deserves maximum attention. The book is intended to point out the potential consequences of demonising minorities and to spread this warning to the widest possible circle of readers.
Sponsors have provided us with the means for realising this project, and we should like to take this occasion to express special thanks to them. The book Vorurteile und Genozide (Prejudices and genocides) will appear in 2010.
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