This multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary conference aims at identifying and understanding the prevailing extent of violence in contemporary life. It likewise aims at probing the representation of violence in media, art and literature. Violence has been part of societies purporting to unite people, e.g., totalitarian regimes. It has been no less part of societies that set great store on diversity. It remains a horrifying feature of today's world.

Papers are invited on the following themes:

• is violence part of human nature?
• war, civil war, terrorism and the metropolis
• policies of extermination
• religion, religious institutions, and their role in curtailing or propelling violence; religious fundamentalism and violence
• institutional life - including schools and hospitals
• ethnicity, nationalism, and sub-nationalisms; racism and violence
• violence in the private domain - abuse of women and children
• violence in the public domain - the legitimation of violence, law, concepts of punishment, capital punishment
• state violence - militarism and arms competition
• market economy and globalization; poverty and violence
• violence and modernity - the role of science and technology
• youth and violence - gang violence, children soldiers, hooliganism
• can there be a culture counter to the culture of violence and how is it to be promoted?

Papers will be considered on any related theme. The conference is part of a larger series of on-going conferences, run under the general banner 'At the Interface'. It aims to bring together people from different areas and interests to share ideas and explore various discussions which are innovative and exciting.

The first Diversity within Unity conference was held in Prague in 1999 and focussed on the theme of Human Community and Civil Society. The second conference was held in Oxford in 2000 and focussed on the theme of Culture, Conflict, and Belonging. The third conference met in Prague in 2002 and looked at Cultures of Violence; the theme has been carried over to the 2003 conference.

300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 13th June 2003; please send to: Dr Rob Fisher via email.

Full draft papers should be submitted by Friday 22nd August 2003. Papers accepted for previous conferences have been published in themed volumes. All papers accepted for and presented at this conference will be published in an ISBN eBook. Selected papers will be developed in light of conference discussions for publication in a themed hard copy volume.

For further details and information please visit the conference web site.