| Introducing Daniel Petz - |
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"An Element for Change” bridges vol. 26, July 2010 / News from the Network: Austrian Researchers Abroad By Juliet M. Beverly mp3 download 5:53 a.m., May 27, 2006, Yogyakarta - On the Indonesian island of Java, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook the ground. More than 5,000 people were killed, 38,000 were injured, and as many as 600,000 people were displaced in the Bantul-Yogyakarta area. Over 127,000 houses were destroyed and an additional 451,000 were damaged in the area. 
Daniel Petz in front of the Brookings Institution.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, during any given year as many as 50 million people are displaced due to natural disasters. Petz, senior research assistant on natural disaster at the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement in Washington, DC, monitors natural disasters and the responses regarding displaced persons, and protects vulnerable groups by advocating for their rights. History, Peace & Conflict Born in Güssing, Austria, Petz is the son of teachers - his mother a history teacher and his father a science teacher. His parents' profession would come into play during his life as he discovered that he enjoyed history, philosophy, and teaching. In his high school years, Petz was enrolled in a school for tourism management ("Modul") in Vienna, Austria. While working several hospitality and travel internships and preparing for university, Petz changed his mind and decided to leave tourism management for international economics studies at the University of Vienna. Afterwards he entered the Erasmus Program in Contemporary History Studies at the University Paris IV in La Sorbonne, France, and finally earned a degree in philosophy and history from the University of Vienna.
Through his interest in politics, Petz also became interested in conflict resolution and in 2004 went on to receive a master's degree in peace and conflict studies at the European University Center for Peace Studies in Stadtschlaining, Austria. "There were people there from all over the world at the Center for Peace Studies, and from many different fields of study," said Petz. "In the western media, you often see reports on the negative things that are going on in the world, but very little of the positive things. This can make you feel cynical and powerless to change society. Studying there really opened my eyes to see that many people are out there doing very good things and I wanted to be a part of it; and studying there showed me ways to do that." While Petz was opening his eyes to new things and people he happened to see his future wife, Diah Kusumaningrum. The couple was married in December 2006. After graduation, Petz followed his future wife to Indonesia, where she continued working as a lecturer at the Department for International Relations and researcher at CSPS-UGM. Pursuing his enjoyment of teaching and subsequently following in the footsteps of his parents, he was accepted for a position at Budi Mulia Dua International Senior High School in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where he taught a course on "civics and globalization," and designed the course curricula. Petz felt in the year he was there that he, the school, and the children all "grew up together." "It was very tough for me because my Indonesian wasn't very good at that time and the students' English was not that developed yet, so sometimes we used a lot of hand signs or a mixture of both languages. I found it very interesting that the high school approached me for the position - me as a foreigner teaching civics and globalization and designing the curriculum," said Petz, "but it was a very interesting experience and I got to have my hand in deconstructing the national curriculum and incorporating peace issues, conflict resolution, the ideas of global citizenship, projects, and debates. It was very rewarding." While Petz was working at the high school, he also was a guest lecturer and research assistant at the CSPS-UGM in Yogyakarta where he worked more than three years and coordinated a week of activities for the International Day of Peace. After the position at Gadjah Mada University, Petz moved along with his wife to New Jersey where she is pursuing her Ph.D. in political science at Rutgers University as a Fulbright fellow. While his wife was working toward her degree, Petz applied for his current position at the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, and began working there in January 2010. Access to the full article is free, but requires you to register. Registration is simple and quick – all we need is your name and a valid e-mail address. We appreciate your interest in bridges. |
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