Izjava Odsjeka za psihologiju povodom održavanja 46. STAR konferencije
Odsjek za psihologiju Filozofskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu ponovno je domaćin STAR konferencije, koja okuplja znanstvenike iz različitih dijelova svijeta posvećene razumijevanju stresa, traume, anksioznosti i otpornosti. Konferencija i samim odabirom ovogodišnje teme – Digital Minds, Human Hearts: Resilience in the Time of Anxiety and Disruption – upućuje na složenost vremena u kojem živimo. Stres i trauma diljem svijeta bolna su svakodnevica milijuna ljudi izloženih ratu, nasilju, gubicima, raseljavanju i dugotrajnoj nesigurnosti.
Program ovogodišnje konferencije potaknuo nas je na razmišljanje o nejednakim mogućnostima da iskustva ljudi izloženih ratu, nasilju i traumi budu prisutna u međunarodnoj znanstvenoj razmjeni. Važno je što je to promišljanje rezultiralo programskim prostorom za perspektive zajednica koje su u međunarodnom znanstvenom prostoru manje vidljive.
Kao psiholozi imamo posebnu profesionalnu i etičku odgovornost voditi računa o iskustvima najranjivijih, osobito onih kojima rat i nasilje priječe da se njihov glas čuje i da njihova iskustva budu zastupljena u međunarodnom akademskom prostoru.
Znanstveni prostor nije neovisan o nejednakostima svijeta u kojem nastaje znanje: mogućnosti istraživanja, međunarodne suradnje, putovanja i sudjelovanja na znanstvenim skupovima nisu svima jednako dostupne. Međutim, ograničena mogućnost sudjelovanja u akademskom prostoru ne smije značiti da iskustva tih ljudi ostanu izvan našeg profesionalnog vidokruga.
Ta nas odgovornost na ovoj konferenciji posebno usmjerava prema patnjama civilnog stanovništva izloženog ratovima, masovnom nasilju i teškim kršenjima ljudskih prava u Palestini, Ukrajini, Sudanu, Demokratskoj Republici Kongo i drugim zaraćenim područjima. Posebnu odgovornost osjećamo zbog položaja djece i drugih ranjivih skupina koje nemaju mogućnosti zaštite, izbora ni utjecaja na okolnosti u kojima žive. Našu profesionalnu osjetljivost dodatno pojačava činjenica da kao društvo imamo neposredno iskustvo rata i njegovih dugotrajnih posljedica za pojedince, obitelji i čitave zajednice.
Kao domaćini ove značajne konferencije želimo da ona bude prostor dijaloga i razmjene, otvoren različitim iskustvima i perspektivama, ali i posebno osjetljiv na iskustva onih koji su najranjiviji i čiji glasovi najteže dopiru do nas. Mi kao profesionalna zajednica nastojimo razumjeti ljudsku patnju. No naša je zadaća također svojim znanjem, djelovanjem i javnim glasom pridonositi tome da ljudska patnja ne ostane nevidljiva zato što oni koji je proživljavaju nemaju mogućnost o njoj govoriti.
Department of Psychology Statement on the Occasion of the 46th STAR Conference
The Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, is once again hosting the STAR Conference, bringing together researchers from around the world who are committed to understanding stress, trauma, anxiety, and resilience. This year’s theme—Digital Minds, Human Hearts: Resilience in the Time of Anxiety and Disruption—speaks to the complexity of the times we are living through. Across the world, stress and trauma are a painful daily reality for millions of people exposed to war, violence, loss, displacement, and prolonged insecurity.
The programme of this year’s conference has also prompted us to reflect on the unequal opportunities people affected by war, violence, and trauma have to have their experiences represented in international scientific exchange. It is important that this reflection has translated into space within the programme for the perspectives of communities that are less visible in the international academic community.
As psychologists, we have a particular professional and ethical responsibility to remain attentive to the experiences of the most vulnerable—especially those whose voices are silenced, or whose experiences are underrepresented in international academic spaces because of war and violence.
The scientific community does not exist apart from the inequalities of the world in which knowledge is produced. Opportunities to conduct research, collaborate internationally, travel, and participate in academic conferences are not equally available to everyone. Yet limited access to academic spaces must not mean that the experiences of these people remain outside our professional field of vision.
At this conference, this responsibility draws our attention in particular to the suffering of civilians affected by war, mass violence, and grave human rights violations in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other areas affected by armed conflict. We feel a particular responsibility toward children and other vulnerable groups who have little or no ability to protect themselves, exercise meaningful choice, or influence the circumstances in which they live. Our professional sensitivity is further deepened by the fact that, as a society, we have our own direct experience of war and its long-term consequences for individuals, families, and entire communities.
As the hosts of this important conference, we want it to be a space for dialogue and exchange—open to diverse experiences and perspectives, while remaining especially attentive to those who are most vulnerable and whose voices are least likely to be heard. As a professional community, we seek to understand human suffering. But our responsibility also extends to using our knowledge, our work, and our public voice to help ensure that human suffering does not remain invisible simply because those who experience it lack the opportunity to speak about it.