Author: Center for Intercultural Dialogue

Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, the Director of the Center for Intercultural Dialogue, manages this website.

Faberllull: Residency in Migration & Refugee Movements (Spain/Andorra)

Professional OpportunitiesResidency in Migration and Refugee Movements in the 21st Century, faberllull, Olot, Spain or La Massana, Andorra, 1-11 February 2022. Deadline: 24 November 2021.

This is an open call to researchers from the social sciences, writers or journalists, or other professionals, who are currently working on a project related to this topic and who would like to benefit from one of the grants offered at faberllull.

In recent years, we have been witnessing a change of era in human mobility. In an increasingly turbulent world, international migration can no longer be explained from the classic standpoint of going to work in another country in search of greater economic well-being. Increasingly, migratory movements are conditioned by a whole host of factors related to political change, opposition to a regime, war, ideological persecution and the effects of climate change or speculative capitalism.

In recent years, the need has also arisen to think critically about migrant reception policies and to identify systematic and grassroot initiatives that could promote greater solidarity and social justice.

The aim of this residency is to offer a working space that will help fuel the inspiration and exchange of ideas between researchers from the various social sciences, as well as writers and journalists working in the fields of migration and asylum, so that they can further their current investigations and writings, and share their knowledge with other professionals in the sector.

CFP ESTIDIA 2022: Dialogue-Shared Experiences (Spain)

ConferencesCall for proposals: 6th ESTIDIA Conference: Dialogue-shared Experiences across Space and Time: Cross-linguistic and Cross-cultural Practices, 15-17 June, 2022, University of Alicante, Spain. Deadline: 1 December 2021.

The European Society for Transcultural and Interdisciplinary Dialogue (ESTIDIA) will hold their 6th Conference, Dialogue-shared Experiences across Space and Time: Cross-linguistic and Cross-cultural Practices, at the University of Alicante in Spain. The 6th ESTIDIA conference, like the preceding ones, offers an open forum for cross-disciplinary and multi-level dialogue among researchers and practitioners interested in exploring dialogic and discursive interaction observable across communities of practices and various social-cultural contexts.

From the Socratic dialogues to post-modern cyberchats, it is only in and through communicative interaction that we can understand the world, people, and how things are working around us. By means of dialogue people are able to argue for their viewpoints, to come to terms with each other, to jointly solve problems, and to resolve conflicts. Dialogue brings together women and men, young and old, people from the east and the west, from the north and the south. Through the creative synergy of shared thoughts, ideas, and experiences, we can travel anywhere in space and time. The ongoing proliferation of new communication channels on social media platforms (Whatsapp, Facebook, YouTube, webchat, chatbots) is expanding the opportunities for multi-participant and multi-purpose dialogue involving people from across the world willing to share information and current concerns. At the same time, however, recent trends in dialogue practices, primarily on new digital platforms, reveal worrying signs of growing misunderstanding, opinion bias, as well as extreme and conflicting position-takings. Many situations of communication break-down are caused not necessarily by faulty technology, but rather by certain users’ deliberate interference with and suppression of free public dialogue. At the core of these situations lie several communication-related paradoxes.

NOTE: The event will become hybrid if that seems necessary at the time.

Atika Alkhallouf Profile

Profiles

Atika Alkhallouf is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Communication, American University, Washington, DC.

Atika Alkhallouf

 

Her research interests lie at the intersection of global media, technology, and the Arab world. She has a master’s degree in Intercultural and International Communication from American University’s School of International Service. In 2020, she held the position of Adjunct Professor at American University’s Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies Department: Arab World Studies Program.

As an experienced translator, she believes in the power of translation in building bridges of mutual understanding and dialogue. Translation for her is an invigorating mental exercise that she highly values as a tool for knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer.

Publications:

Alkhallouf, A. (2021). Parental cyberbullying through a global lens: Children’s digital rights and social media policies. Journal of Children and Media, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2021.1942662

Aufderheide, P., Lieberman, D., Alkhallouf, A., & Ugboma, J. M. (2020). Podcasting as Public Media: The Future of U.S. News, Public Affairs, and Educational Podcasts. International Journal of Communication, 14(0), 22. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/13548

Work for CID:

Atika Alkhallouf serves as a reviewer for Arabic.

Grand Valley State U: Intercultural Communications/International Business (USA)

“JobAssistant Professor of Intercultural Communications / International Business, Seidman College of Business, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA. Deadline: 22 November 2021 or until filled.

Grand Valley State University Department of Management in the Seidman College of Business invites applications for faculty positions beginning in Fall 2022. The open position is for an Assistant Professor. Applicants are expected to have earned a Ph.D. or an appropriate terminal degree in Management or closely related field, with expertise in Intercultural Communications and International Business from an accredited institution by August 2022. The chosen applicant will be expected to teach courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. Salary is competitive. Visit our Web site at: jobs.gvsu.edu for more information, additional requirements, a full description of the position, and details on how to apply. The Seidman College of Business, fully accredited by AACSB International, values and supports a blend of excellent teaching and scholarly productivity. The atmosphere at the Seidman College of Business is highly collegial, with opportunities for outstanding professional growth. The Grand Rapids community is a vibrant, exciting area, with significant leisure time activities available. Candidates must be committed to GVSU’s vision of inclusion and equity.

San Jose State U: Digital Communication (USA)

“JobAssistant Professor of Digital Communication, Department of Communication Studies, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA. Deadline: Open until filled (posted October 15, 2021).

San Jose State University invites applications for an assistant professor in digital communication with expertise in digital media and power and the implications for various identity backgrounds such as race, gender, sexuality, disabilities, and intersectional identities. We especially welcome applicants whose digital communication scholarship illuminates issues and opportunities related to Latinx/a/o communities.

Experts in this area examine digital media’s potential to empower creative expression and civic life, as well as the economic and social implications of the digital divide and structural inequalities. Successful candidates may employ an array of methods including collection and analysis of large-scale behavioral data, ethnographic and participatory action research, and critical methods. The successful applicant will teach a range of courses, from core and capstone offerings to undergraduate and graduate courses in their area of specialty that prepare students to understand the aesthetic practices, social and political impacts, and cultural and community implications of digital media.

This position is one of several recruitments focused on Latinx/a/o experiences across campus, including in Educational Counseling, English and Comparative Literature, Journalism and Mass Communications, the School of Information, the School of Management, Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, and Chicana and Chicano Studies.

MacEwan U: Communication (Canada)

“JobAssistant Professor of Communication, Department of Communication, MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Deadline: 15 January 2022.

MacEwan University’s Department of Communication invites applications for a full-time tenure track position at the rank of Assistant Professor, commencing July 1, 2022. This new faculty position will play an important role in teaching core courses primarily in the Professional Communication major of the Bachelor of Communication Studies (BCS) degree.

Preference will be given to candidates who can teach the following courses: strategic communication, advanced strategic communication, professional communication, intercultural communication, organizational communication theory, and communication theory.

Deliberative Democracy & ICD

Applied ICDThomas, Nancy L. (2009). Deliberative democracy and intercultural dialogue: An international agenda. Diversity & Democracy, 12(1).

Although their language and context differ, the forces behind the American deliberative democracy and the European intercultural dialogue initiatives–the goals of inclusion, justice, and freedom in society and in policymaking–are similar.

“Both emphasize intergroup relationship building and understanding. American democracy-builders have come to understand the importance of dialogue as more than “just talk.” Dialogue and informed deliberation are necessary for realizing goals of personal and cultural transformation and collective action. For colleges and universities throughout the world, the challenge is to create teaching and learning experiences that cultivate students’ skills in inclusive dialogue, public reasoning, conflict negotiation, and social and political action. If recent conversations are any indicator, this is indeed a global agenda.”

Nancy L. Thomas directs the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life. IDHE is an applied research center that studies higher education’s role in American democracy and supports college and university student political learning and participation.

UNESCO Futures of Education Report Issued

“UNESCO”

UNESCO Futures of Education Commission. (2021). Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education. Paris, France: UNESCO.

UNESCO launched its Futures of Education Initiative in September 2019. Drawing on extensive consultations, the International Commission has just released their final report, Reimagining Our Futures Together: a new social contract for education. The brief overview of their conclusions is here. Most critically, they conclude that: “we need a new social contract for education that can repair injustices while transforming the future. This new social contract must be grounded in human rights and based on principles of non-discrimination, social justice, respect for life, human dignity and cultural diversity. It must encompass an ethic of care, reciprocity, and solidarity. It must strengthen education as a public endeavour and a common good.”

Among other comments in the report, those most directly related to CID are probably these:

The world is rich in multicultural and multi-ethnic societies and education should promote intercultural citizenship. Beyond learning about the value of diversity, education should promote the skills, values and conditions needed for horizontal, democratic dialogue with diverse groups, knowledge systems and practices. The basis for intercultural citizenship is the affirmation of one ́s cultural identities. Knowing who you are is the starting point for respecting others. (p. 53). . .Education at its best is a collective process that acknowledges the value of peer and intergenerational as well as intercultural learning. (p. 134)

[CID was one of the organizations consulted by the initiative, and is acknowledged in the report; see the CID Report for UNESCO Futures of Education for the conclusions of 3 focus groups we organized at their request.]

Smithsonian: Curatorial Internships in African/American Crafts (USA but Online)

Professional OpportunitiesCuratorial Internships in African-American and African crafts, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. but virtual, January-April 2022. Deadline: November 20, 2021.

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage is pleased to announce two new virtual internship positions as part of the African American Craft Initiative (AACI) and the Crafts of African Fashion (CAF) project. Beginning this winter, the internships will run from January to April 2022 and are part-time.

Working under the supervision and mentorship of curator Diana N’Diaye and project coordinator Sloane Keller, interns will have the opportunity to listen and learn from experiences of African and African American artists and artisans in their own words and participate in activities to amplify these powerful legacies for generations to come. The primary assignment will involve working as part of the initiative team, conducting research, and helping to coordinate programming activities. The interns will also learn about the Crafts of African Fashion project and assist with the development of funding proposals and programmatic activities. Selected applicants will receive a stipend of $1,500.

SIETAR Europa: Rethinking Interculturalism (Malta and Online)

Conferences

SIETAR Europa Congress:
Re-Thinking Interculturalism,
18 – 21 May 2022, Malta and Online. Deadline: 17 November 2021.

The intercultural field was born out of the 50s and 60s of the previous century. There were a lot of things that were taken for granted in that time that are not anymore: large parts of the global south were still colonized or on the verge of becoming independent; working globally was the privilege of a tiny minority of multinational companies headquartered in western Europe and North America; the iron curtain between the USSR and the West was considered inevitable and forever impenetrable; the oppression of women, people of colour and the LGBTQ community was normality and rarely questioned.

Of course, research into culture from the very beginning always came with the best intentions: if we could just understand each other better, we would find ways to work well with each other.

The intercultural field has grown considerably over the past decades. There are tools, theories, studies and concepts ad infinitum. Nonetheless, we see the deterioration of our natural environment threaten the well-being of people and peace on earth. Deep and old racist and class- based structures cause violence that dominate the headlines almost daily. Far-right populism is on the rise globally, as fundamental freedoms are declining even in places that were thought to be resilient democracies, in Europe and beyond. The recent global pandemic has amplified and clarified many of these systemic issues that were more easily ignored before. It has shown the incredible potential of what humans can achieve, when they work together across and beyond boundaries; it has also shown how we fail when we don’t.

So the question is, has interculturalism failed? Has it fulfilled its promise? Has it even promised the right things? Or, to put it bluntly, does interculturalism need to be replaced, reformed or reshaped to match the challenges this world faces?