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Background
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What is “Intercultural
Dialogue”?
The idea of
“intercultural dialogue” takes as its starting point the recognition of
difference and multiplicity of the world in which we live. These
differences of
opinion, viewpoint, and values exist not only within each individual
culture
but also between cultures.
'Dialogue’ seeks
to approach these multiple viewpoints with a desire to understand and
learn
from those that do not see the world in the same way as ourselves. An
effective
‘dialogue’, therefore, is an enriching and opening interaction which
encourages
the respectful sharing of ideas and an exploration of the different
thought-processes through which the world is perceived and understood.
This interaction
emphasizes opportunities for broadened and deepened self-knowledge
and worldview. As a process, intercultural dialogue encourages an
identification of the boundaries that define individuals, and then asks
them to
relate across those boundaries and even to call them into question.
In an
increasingly globalised and interdependent world, where encountering
cultural
difference can scarcely be avoided, the ability to enter into a
tolerant and
respectful dialogue is a vital skill for nations, communities, and
individuals.
In this context, higher education institutions have an important role
to play.
Disciplines, teaching methods, student skills, and knowledge itself can
be
deepened and strengthened through an intercultural dialogue
approach.
The
IAU Working Group on Intercultural Dialogue
As an
international representative of the universities of the world, one of
the IAU’s
primary functions is to identify and research issues that are of
concern and
interest to university institutions. In this capacity, the IAU
has been
working on the issues of globalization and internationalisation for
some time.
While closely related, the IAU has chosen to define these two issues
separately. Generally, globalisation is used to indicate the
increased
movement of goods, services and knowledge around the world for economic
purposes. In opposition to this stands ‘internationalisation’, which
chooses to
see the increased mobility of ideas and people not as a homogenising
force, but
as an impetus to working more closely together and to examining the
qualities
that are needed to live together in communities that are increasingly
defined
by cultural complexity.
The concept of
'internationalisation' combined with the IAU mission to allow room for
divergent opinion, to respect diversity, and to foster mutual
understanding,
has led the IAU to reflect on intercultural dialogue issues in many
forms. The international nature of the Association has
contributed to the
diversity of voices that have been involved in these
considerations. Most
recently, IAU discussions were focused and narrowed to include
intercultural
dialogue at the IAU conference “Internationalisation of Higher
Education:
Policy and Practice” held from April 12 – 13, 2002 in Lyon -
Rhône-Alpes,
France. Among the included workshop topics were:
- the increased
mobility of staff and students,
- internationalisation of curriculum, and
- intercultural dialogue on campus.
At the IAU
Administrative Board Meeting held in Quebec City, Canada, in 2002, an
IAU
working group on Intercultural Dialogue, chaired by Paolo Blasi
(Florence,
Italy) was formed. Based in the ideas and work of the previous
conferences, the working group examined intercultural dialogue and
proposed a
plan of action for the IAU. One of the outcomes of the work undertaken
by the
Working group, and Experts’ Seminar on Intercultural learning and
Dialogue was
held in Budapest and hosted in November 2004
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