Creating Spaces for Intercultural Dialogue

Sample

In a world where members of different cultural groups find it hard to avoid contact, intercultural dialogue is essential. As a result, politicians and diplomats frequently call for intercultural dialogue, naming this as the way the world will avoid conflict and achieve peace between the many neighboring cultural groups. Yet there have been surprisingly few academic studies of intercultural dialogue: what it is, what aspects are essential, whether and how these can be taught, how can dialogues be started, and how can they impact a larger group than only those who participate. We need to know how to create a space within which intercultural dialogue can be established, where it will flourish, and how it can have an impact on participants. Too often, the scholars have left intercultural dialogue to the practitioners, as if it were none of their concern. This book makes a substantial contribution to the scholarly conversation. Much more remains to be done, of course, as might be expected with such a potentially large and significant topic, but this book provides a strong starting point.