Month: September 2022

Example of Multicultural Confusion: English-French Toast

Intercultural Pedagogy

This image is of “English-French toast,” also identified as American and German, marked with the Spanish flag and an image of (Italian) pizza, marketed to the Japanese, and made in China.

This astonishing photo showed up on my Twitter feed, and I was sure others would find it fascinating as well.

English-French toast
Intercultural incompetence and/or misappropriation (?)

The person who posted it, Dr. Duane Watson, a professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University, used it as illustration of what a manuscript can look like after multiple rounds of reviews. But to me, this is a great example of the role of food in intercultural communication, as well as multiculturalism gone wild.  Dr. Byron Ahn, a professor of linguistics at Princeton, mentioned in a comment that, in addition to the English words “English,” “French,” and “American” that show up, the Japanese script translates to “German style.”  And there’s a Spanish flag, and an image of a pizza (presumably Italian), with the word “pizza” next to it. (Is the suggestion perhaps that   buyers might use French toast as the bread layer for a pizza?) So it’s American-Spanish-Italian-English-French-toast made in the German style, marketed to the Japanese, and made in China.

The image is posted here with thanks to both Watson and Ahn, and for anyone who needs a smile today, or who needs an example guaranteed to spark some class discussion.

Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Director
Center for Intercultural Dialogue

East-West Center: Projects Coordinator (USA)

“Job

Projects Coordinator, East-West Center, (Center is based in Hawaii, but this position is in Washington, D. C.), USA. Deadline: Open until filled.

The East-West Center is accepting applications for a limited, two-year appointment (with possibility of extension) for a Projects Coordinator within the EWC Washington (EWCW) office. This position provides direct assistance in organizing and executing the ongoing projects coordinated within the EWCW office which include the Asia Matters for America initiative; research, dialogue, and publication projects such as policy dialogues on various US-Indo Pacific relations; the Asia Studies and other Visiting Fellows programs; the seminars and events program; Congressional Staff Program on Asia; and other various education, research and exchange activities.

Other positions currently available at the East-West Center are listed here.

U Glasgow: Head of Operations, Scottish Council on Global Affairs (UK)

“Job

Head of Operations, Scottish Council on Global Affairs, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Deadline: 18 September 2022.

The Scottish Council on Global Affairs (SCGA or ‘the Council’) seeks to appoint a Head of Operations to provide strategic leadership and to manage all aspects of its research and public engagement operations. The SCGA, which is formed of a partnership of the Universities of St Andrews, Glasgow and Edinburgh, is Scotland’s first independent institute of international affairs. It will provide a hub for collaborative, policy-relevant research and a home for evidence-based debate on all aspects of global affairs. The Council will bring together the public, private and not for profit sectors with academic expertise to encourage dialogue, debate and the dissemination of expertise on issues of international importance. It will deepen existing ties and forge new relationships between researchers and institutions in the United Kingdom and with centres of expertise in Europe and around the world.

Intercultural Cities: Refugees & Diverse Societies Videos

Applied ICD

The Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Programme has prepared 2 versions of a video (about 10 minutes long and 3 minutes short) on refugees and diverse societies, and made them publicly available.

Their goal is to raise awareness among policy makers, practitioners and the wider public to the main principles of the intercultural cities successful approach to refugee inclusion. The longer version includes examples drawn from ICC member cities. The shorter version is intended just for general awareness of major issues.

The Intercultural cities programme supports local and regional authorities worldwide in reviewing their policies through an intercultural and intersectional lens, and accompany them developing comprehensive intercultural strategies to help them manage diversity positively and realise the diversity advantage. The programme provides a set of analytical and practical tools to help local stakeholders through the various stages of the process.

CFP International Symposium on Bilingualism: Individual Papers (Australia & Hybrid)

Conferences

Call for papers: 14th International Symposium on Bilingualism: Diversity Now, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, 26-30 June 2023. Deadline: 30 November 2022.

The conference theme of ISB14 is Diversity Now:
The United Nations General Assembly has declared the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages to draw attention to the critical status of many Indigenous languages across the world and encourage action for their preservation, revitalisation, and promotion. As we move into this decade, ISB14 encourages work especially involving lesser studied bilingual communities and interdisciplinary work to tackle bilingualism across the life-span, cultures and societies. In service to the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, IBS14 will focus on collaborative work with Australian Indigenous communities on various Indigenous languages and issues.

Organizers now invite abstracts for two categories of submissions: individual papers and posters. (They previously invited submissions for panels, but that deadline has passed.) Individual papers are formal presentations on original research or pedagogy-focused topics by one or more authors, lasting a maximum of 20 minutes with 5 additional minutes for discussion. Posters on original research or pedagogy will be displayed in sessions that offer the opportunity for individualised, informal discussion with others in the field. Posters are especially effective for presenting work-in-progress, fieldwork, and results of empirical research for which data can be presented visually. Posters will be available throughout an entire day of the conference with presenters in attendance for a 90-minute poster session.

CFP Howard J of Communications: Intersectionality

“PublicationCall for articles: Special Issue of Howard Journal of Communications: Investigating Intersectionality in Communication. Deadline: 30 September 2022.

Kimberlé Crenshaw, a few decades ago, conceptualized the term intersectionality to vividly argue the impact of a person’s multiple and interacting social identities on how they are treated by others. For communication scholars, it exposed the insufficiency and inadequacy of work that focus on studying single variables and it alerted us to the need to incorporate the effects of multiple embedded variables during communication. For instance, the fact that one is a woman, African American, and lesbian and/or living with a disability may interactively impact her status within society and the effects of how others communicate with her. This complexity identifies the realism of life. Although, Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality in 1989 and it was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2015. Although the concept is increasingly discussed in academic literature, it is not yet fully explored and understood.

Therefore, the Howard Journal of Communications calls on scholars to submit manuscript for a special issue intended to deeply explore intersectionality within the field of communication as it pertains to African American social conditions. This call provides a wide range of choices for exploring communication and social conditions with the central theme of intersectionality. Submissions should be, preferably, research-based, and no more than 10,000 characters (including references) long. Suggested themes are listed as follows.

– Reconceptualizing identity in intersectionality
– Intersectional rhetoric
– Intersectionality: Theory or praxis?
– Research methods for exploring intersectionality
– Intersectionality critique
– Re-examining historical scholarship in communication and intersectionality
– Communication technologies and intersectional issues
– Other possible topics

CFP 8th International Conference on Multicultural Discourses (South Africa)

ConferencesCall for papers: 8th International Conference on Multicultural Discourses, December 12-14, 2022, University of the Western Cape, Rondebosch, South Africa. Deadline: 1 October 2022 (extended to 15 November 2022).

The 8th International Conference on Multicultural Discourses, under the auspices of the International Association of Multicultural Discourses, will be co-organized by the Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS), the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, and the School of Contemporary Chinese Discourse Studies, Hangzhou Normal University, China. The conference theme will be: The Choice/Voice of Cooperation in the Post-pandemic World.

Mankind is witnessing yet again the centennial moment of global transformation and the world is ridden with grave challenges and great opportunities. To answer to these uncertain winds of change, scholars from diverse fields such as communication, media, language, literature, culture, history, international relations, etc. are invited to offer their insights into topics of, but not restricted to:
· Discourses of globalization, cultural equality, interconnection;
· Discourses of security, conflict, war, peace;
· Discourses of protectionism, (in)tangible borders, immigration, racism;
· Discourses of development, cooperation, common prosperity;
· Discourses of digital, multi-modal, cinematic representations;
· Discourses of nuclear armament, climate change, poverty.

A World Without Borders?

Resources in ICD“ width=Crawford, James. (2022). The edge of the plain: How borders make and break our world. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate.

Crawford blends history, travel and reportage to take readers on a wide-ranging journey through the history of borders and an examination of their role in shaping our world today. This seems a useful discussion for courses considering intercultural dialogue as a topic, given that such dialogue assumes the existence of various sorts of borders.

There’ve been all of these issues around borders, and I wanted to understand where they came from…Every border, in a sense, is a story, and it’s a story that we tell our selves

James Crawford (from CNN interview)

The Edge of the Plain explores how borders have grown and evolved to take control of our landscapes, our memories, our identities and our destinies. As nationalism, climate change, globalisation, technology and mass migration all collide with ever-hardening borders, something has to give. And Crawford asks, is it time to let go of the lines that divide us?

There is an interview of the author by Christiane Amanpour on CNN which also might be useful as a course resource.

 

 

Hebrew U: Communication & Journalism (Israel)

“Job

Tenure track position in Communication and Journalism, Faculty of Social Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel. Deadline: 30 September 2022.

The Noah Mozes Department of Communication and Journalism at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem invites outstanding candidates in communication to apply for a tenure-track position starting July, 2023. The department is particularly interested in candidates with demonstrated expertise in one of the following fields of research:

* Language, media and communication
* Cinema and visual media

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. degree at the time of hire, and demonstrate an active research program including peer-reviewed international publications in the relevant area. The person hired will teach introductory and advanced courses in communications in their areas of specialization. They will also be expected to supervise Masters and Ph.D. students and to contribute to departmental and university service.

U Hong Kong: Japanese Studies: Japan and the World (Hong Kong)

“Job

Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor in Japanese Studies (Japan and the World) in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Deadline: 1 October 2022.

Applications are invited for appointment as Tenure-Track Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor in Japanese Studies (Japan and the World) in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, to commence on July 1, 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter, on a three-year fixed-term basis, with the possibility of renewal and with consideration for tenure before the expiry of a second three-year fixed-term contract. The level of appointment will be determined based on qualifications and experience of the successful candidate. Exceptionally outstanding candidates at the Professor/Associate Professor level may be considered for appointment on tenure terms subject to approval.

Applicants should have an internationally recognised record of research excellence and possess proficient or near-proficient fluency in Japanese and English. We particularly encourage applications from scholars specializing in modern or contemporary Japan, whose work engages in the study of Japan in connection to other cultures and world regions, including in East Asia and beyond. Relevant areas of specialization include such fields as Anthropology, Sociology, International Relations, Media and Cultural Studies, Popular Culture, Literature, History, and other related areas. A digital approach to humanities, either methodologically or as research involving digital media (animation, gaming, etc.), is an additional advantage.