Investing In Cultural Diversity And Intercultural Dialogue

This report analyses all aspects of cultural diversity, which has emerged as a key concern of the international community in recent decades, and maps out new approaches to monitoring and shaping the changes that are taking place. It highlights, in particular, the interrelated challenges of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue and the way in which strong homogenizing forces are matched by persistent diversifying trends. The report proposes a series of ten policy-oriented recommendations, to the attention of States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, international and regional bodies, national institutions and the private sector on how to invest in cultural diversity. Emphasizing the importance of cultural diversity in different areas (languages, education, communication and new media development, and creativity and the marketplace) based on data and examples collected from around the world, the report is also intended for the general public. It proposes a coherent vision of cultural diversity and clarifies how, far from being a threat, it can become beneficial to the action of the international community.

"The objectives of the World Report on Cultural Diversity are: 1. to analyze cultural diversity in all its aspects, by attempting to show the complexity of the processes at work while at the same time identifying a main thread among the wide range of possible interpretations; 2. to show the importance of cultural diversity in different areas (languages, education, communication and creativity), which, their intrinsic functions apart, may be seen as essential for the safeguarding and promotion of cultural diversity; 3. to convince decision-makers and the various stakeholders of the importance of investing in cultural diversity as an essential dimension of intercultural dialogue, since it can renew our approaches to sustainable development, is a prerequisite for the exercise of universally recognized human rights and freedoms, and can serve to strengthen social cohesion and democratic governance"--Page 2

This book examines the relationship between two policy approaches for managing the cultural diversity of contemporary societies: interculturalism and multiculturalism. The relationship between these two approaches has been a matter of intense debate in recent years. Some commentators argue that they represent two very different approaches, while others argue that interculturalism merely re-emphasises some of the core elements of present day multiculturalism. The debate arises, in part, because multiculturalism can take a variety of different forms, which makes it difficult to identify its key features in order to compare it with interculturalism. The debate has gained added momentum from the backlash against multiculturalism in recent years, and from the Council of Europe’s prominent championing of interculturalism as an alternative approach. This book aims to clarify the concepts of interculturalism and multiculturalism, and to bring the various arguments together in a way that will assist politicians, policy makers, practitioners and interested lay people to understand the concerns that are driving the different orientations. The book is also intended to facilitate a comparison of the policy implications of interculturalism and multiculturalism. To this end, each chapter concludes with a concise statement of the implications for policy that follow from the viewpoint that has been expressed.

Both interculturalism and multiculturalism address the question of how states should forge unity from ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. But what are the dividing lines between interculturalism and multiculturalism? This volume brings together some of the most prominent scholars in the field to address these two different approaches. With a Foreword by Charles Taylor and an Afterword by Bhikhu Parekh, this collection spans European, North-American and Latin-American debates.

The speed, scale and spread of international migration and globalisation have firmly placed the issue of intercultural dialogue at the top of the educational agenda in Europe and elsewhere. In this book, Skrefsrud sheds light on intercultural dialogue as a key competence for teachers working in changing and diverse classrooms. In the first part, the notion of dialogue is explored with the theory of culture, religion and communication as the focus. In the second part, Skrefsrud analyses the government-initiated curriculum framework for teacher education in Norway and discusses the preconditions for intercultural dialogue in educational policies. The analysis illustrates how difficult it is to make issues of difference permeate all aspects of teacher preparation. Thor-André Skrefsrud works as an associate professor in education at the Hedmark University of Applied Sciences in Norway. His research interests include intercultural education, religious education and educational philosophy. In 2012 he received his Ph.D. for a thesis on the concept of intercultural dialogue in teacher education.