Emily Drani

Emily Drani is the Regional coordinator of the programme in Uganda. She is one of the founder members and executive director of the Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda. CCFU is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting culture as essential for equitable and sustainable development in Uganda. Emily is in charge of much of the Foundation’s research, its advocacy work and its strategic development.

Ram Kakarala

Prof. Ram Kakarala is the Regional Coordinator of the programme in India. He is Director of the Centre for Culture and Society in Bangalore. CSCS was established in 1996 by scholars interested in new approaches to studying culture in India. The need was felt to reframe the social sciences and humanities disciplines to deal with the transformations and political mobilizations currently taking place in the area of gender, caste and community. CSCS understands culture in its most inclusive sense...

Zainal Bagir

Dr. Zainal Abidin Bagir is the Regional Coordinator of the programme in Indonesia. He is Executive Director of the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies [CRCS] at the Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University. He is one of the authors of the mapping study on the state of pluralism in Indonesia, and involved in the Annual Report on Religious Pluralism. His research interest: higher education in the Muslim context, religion and contemporary issues, and pluralism and interreligious di...

Henk Manschot

 Prof. Henk Manschot is Director of the Kosmopolis Institute and the coordinator of the International Consultation Network. His own research focuses on human and sustainable development and cultural knowledges. Apart from that he is one of the key actors in organising and conducting the International Summer School on human rights and human development that takes place annually.

Caroline Suransky

 Dr. Caroline Suransky is Deputy Director Kosmopolis Institute, co-chair of the Knowledge Programme and member of the daily management committee. She is responsible for the PhD project and also one of the key actors organizing and conducting the International Summer School that takes place annually. Her own research focuses on identity politics and education & training.

Centre for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies

 In Indonesia, Hivos cooperates with the Center for Religious & Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS) associated with the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. CRCS is the only institution in Indonesia offering a graduate programme on religious studies from a non-religiously affiliated perspective. CRCS aims to promote the development of a democratic, multicultural and just society in Indonesia.

Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda

  The Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda is an NGO that promotes the recognition of culture as vital for equitable and sustainable development, and to respond to national identity and diversity. CCFU therefore carries out studies and documents initiatives where taking culture into account has made a positive contribution to development efforts. These include studies on harnessing the positive aspects of culture in the fight against HIV/AIDS, on gender and culture, herbal medicine a...

Ute Seela

Ute Seela works as Knowledge Officer for Hivos. She is co-chair of the knowledge programme and takes care of relating the output of the Knowledge Programme on Promoting Pluralism to the work of Hivos and its partner organisations. She is therefore responsible for organising knowledge management activities and knowledge dissemination. She also advises relevant Hivos bureaus on how to support pluralism-related activities in their workfields.