Author: Center for Intercultural Dialogue

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

Language Policy and Activism Beyond Academia (UK but Webinar)

EventsLanguage Policy and Activism Beyond Academia, University of Edinburgh (webinar), 2 May 2024, 14:00 EDT.

In This webinar offers a space to hear about and discuss ways in which language policy scholars can contribute to language policy issues outside of academia. We will host three guest speakers whose important work goes beyond academia to uphold linguistic and social justice. Guest speakers will share insights from their ongoing engagement and activist work with a range of supranational NGOs. The speakers’ presentations will be followed by an extended Q&A and discussion. The discussion will be chaired by the co-convenors of the Language Policy BAAL SIG Dr. Florence Bonacina-Pugh and Dr. Elisabeth Barakos.

Presentation 1: The European Language Equality Network: the campaign for Europe’s minoritised and endangered languages by Dr. Davyth Hicks, Secretary-General, European Language Equality Network (ELEN)

Presentation 2: Challenging monolingual perspectives in a South American multilingual border region by Dr. Isis Ribeiro Berger, Associate Professor at UNIOESTE (Western Paraná State University, Brazil). Also member of the UNESCO Chair on Language Policies for Multilingualism.

Presentation 3: Language Policy Confidential: Seen and Unseen Work in the Service of Multilingualism by Professor Francis M. Hult, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

 

US-Japan Foundation: Communication & Public Opinion Grants 2025

Grants

Communication and Public Opinion grants, United States – Japan Foundation for 2025. Deadlines: Letter of inquiry: 28 June 2024.

The Foundation supports projects that seek to enhance communication and mutual understanding between the American and Japanese people. Technology has evolved, and the institutions and topics of conversation keep changing, but the high value of greater awareness and communication among average citizens, as well as leaders in a variety of fields from these two countries is a constant.

The Foundation will consider communication and public opinion projects that not only raise awareness about Japan in the US and/or US in Japan, but also deal with concrete issues that affect the bilateral relationship (or are faced by the two nations). As foreign policy increasingly is subject to public opinion (and is often influenced by non-governmental actors), there is a need in both countries for increased and more diversified coverage of international news and current events, as well as strong links between certain non-government organizations (NGOs) to enhance bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

In addition, since mutual understanding between American and Japanese society requires deeper cultural knowledge, the Foundation occasionally supports documentary films, performances, exhibitions, and lectures that focus on Japanese/American culture.

A look at recent grant activity will help potential applicants understand the diversity of projects supported under this program. As with all other Foundation Programs, priority is given to projects that can demonstrate originality, broad appeal, enduring impact, excellent management and a well constructed plan for execution and success.

CID Competition/Publication: Student Voices (Deadline June 2024)

“Student Voices

The Center for Intercultural Dialogue invites students to apply for the opportunity to be published in Student Voices.

Students (at any level, high school to doctoral students) may submit entries at any time; they will be judged several times a year. All entries submitted will be reviewed, and the best ones prepared for publication. This is not a competition with just a few winners; all entries passing review will be published. The students whose work is accepted for publication will be given profiles on the website. The first winner’s essay was published in September 2023: Rohak Jain, a high school student at Interlake High School in Belleview, wrote The Virtues of an Open Mind: Making Room for Flexibility in Intercultural Dialogue.

The goal of the competition is to invite a wide range of students to tell the story of their own experience with intercultural dialogue, or what they have learned about intercultural dialogue, or what they want to share with others. As made clear on our website, intercultural dialogue is jointly constructed by participants, requiring cooperation to engage in new and different ways of interacting. This series is designed to publicly amplify the voices of students who have engaged in intercultural dialogues. Those dialogues do not have to have been successful; we can learn as much from things that go wrong as when things go right.

You may describe a time when intercultural dialogue occurred, providing a model for those who do not frequently participate in such dialogues, or write a letter to the editor arguing for the inclusion of training for intercultural dialogues in education; you may explain how to facilitate digital intercultural dialogues based on either personal experience, or write an opinion piece explaining what changes when intercultural dialogue is the norm rather than conflict. Think about the following as beginning points:

Consider a time when you noticed cultural differences.

  • How were the differences resolved?
  • What impact did this have on you?
  • Did it matter whether this was face-to-face communication or digital?
  • What lessons did you learn?
  • What would you do differently in future?
  • What advice do you have for others?

Each student can select their own topic to write about, however, it must emphasize intercultural dialogue. The context framing the dialogue discussed can include: family, friends, or relationships; the economy; education; politics, etc.

Potential formats can include: the narrative of a personal experience; a letter to the editor, an op-ed piece for a newspaper; a letter to someone; a short essay. Whatever the format, these should be written (as opposed to filmed, or recorded). If anyone wishes to include images (sketches, diagrams, cartoons) accompanying the text, that would be great. But what you write should be brief, no more than 2 pages in length.

As with all publications on this site, accepted submissions will be made available for free as printable PDFs which can be downloaded, printed, and shared (as is, without changes), without cost, so long as there is acknowledgment of the source.

Criteria for acceptance:
• Clear descriptive title
• On topic
• Clearly articulated thesis
• Original and creative thinking
• Good writing

There will be several deadlines per year, to accommodate different schedules. The next deadline is June 30, 2024.

Essays should be submitted in English. Anyone wishing to also publish a translation in another language should say so. Students retain copyright to their own work but give CID the right to publish it for them. Submissions should be in the form of a Word document, and sent to the CID email.

Anna Lindh Foundation: Mediterranean Youth in Action Expert (Egypt)

“JobInstitutional and Research External Expert, Mediterranean Youth in Action Program, Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation, Alexandria, Egypt. Deadline: 24 April 2024.

Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) is seeking an experienced and knowledgeable Institutional and Research External Expert for its Mediterranean Youth in Action (MYA) Programme. The MYA Institutional and Research External Expert will work closely with the ALF Executive Director and the MYA Programme Leader and advise them on new formulas to foster civil society cooperation and engage civil society entities, in line with the MYA’s objectives as well as analysing the Euro-Mediterranean and National policy frameworks related to youth, gender and intercultural dialogue and provide guidance to embed them into the MYA and ALF actions.

The MYA Institutional and Research External Expert will also liaise national and regional institutions and map events/initiatives opportunities at the Euro-Mediterranean scale to set a MYA agenda consistently with the evidence-based research activities and its institutional objectives among other responsibilities as requested by the ALF Executive Director and the MYA Programme Leader.

Applicants must be nationals of one of the 42 (UfM) countries: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritania, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Syria, The Netherlands, Tunisia and Türkiye.

Durham U: Politics or International Relations (UK)

“JobAssociate Professor in Politics or International Relations, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University, Durham, UK . Deadline: 21 April 2024.

The School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented individual to the role of Associate Professor to work on an exciting initiative that seeks to establish a new Responsible Space Innovation Centre. This is an inter-disciplinary centre bringing together experts in space technology, business and governance from across Durham University. This post will be based within the School of Government and International Affairs. They welcome applications from those with research and teaching interests within the broad field of Politics and International Relations and who exhibit a particular interest in emerging technologies, including space-based technologies. They are particularly eager to hear from applicants with a focus on research and education rooted in political theory; ethics; political economy; political geography; environmental politics; security; international relations; diplomacy; and/or arms control. For the first four years, the post holder will mainly contribute to research and grant capture to support the development of the new research centre.

 

Miami U: Assistant Director, Education Abroad (USA)

“JobAssistant Director of Education Abroad, Global Initiatives Department, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA . Deadline: 25 April 2024.

The Assistant Director of Education Abroad is responsible for administration of a number of broad aspects of education abroad programming at Miami University including data management, compliance with multiple levels of university policies and other regulations, and faculty led program coordination. Miami University recognizes that technology enables us to find new ways of providing first class service and workplace flexibility. This position is approved for remote work on a hybrid basis following a successful period of on-boarding. Remote work is a working arrangement that can be modified or revoked by Miami University at any time for any reason. Global Initiatives at Miami University has diversity as a core value and the Assistant Director will be a member of a team that is building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment for students, staff, and faculty through programming which exposes constituents to a broad range of ways of engaging with the world and the diversity it presents.

CFP Reconciliation: The Final Step in Achieving Nonviolent Social Change

“Publication

Call for submissions: Reconciliation: The final step in achieving nonviolent social change. Deadline: abstract and outline: 1  June 2024; entire chapter: 1 November 2024.

Volume Editors: Amy Aldridge Sanford (Middle Tennessee State University), Kathryn B. Golsan (University of Northern Iowa), Kristina M. Scharp (Rutgers University), and Stephen A. Spates (Michigan State University)

Reconciliation: The Final Step in Achieving Nonviolent Social Change is the working title for an edited collection that will feature writings dedicated to the final step of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Six Steps of Nonviolent Social Change.”

The editors are seeking chapters related to social justice reconciliation in (a) interpersonal relationships, (b) geographic spaces, and (c) institutions. Co-authored chapters that include both scholars and practitioners are especially welcome. Academic training and credentialing could come from many areas, including social sciences, humanities, behavioral sciences, business, education, law, etc.

Abstracts and skeletal outlines are due by June 1, 2024. If selected, authors will be given four months to submit a chapter of about 6,000 words. The editors are under contract with Cognella Academic Publishing and plan to debut the book at NCA 2025.

To view the full call, which includes a full list of editors, the inspiration and vision, how the book is organized, and a tentative timeline for the process, visit here.

Please direct any questions to Amy Aldridge Sanford.

Language on the Move Podcasts

Podcasts

Language on the Move podcasts, Macquarie University, Australia.

Language on the Move has partnered with the New Books Network  to launch the Language on the Move Podcast. The podcast is hosting conversations about linguistic diversity in social life with key thinkers in our field. Their aim is to have in-depth and fun conversations about language learning, intercultural communication, multilingualism, applied sociolinguistics, and much more. They explore ideas, debates, problems, and innovations, in a format that is easily accessible and which makes a great teaching resource.

List of shows to date:

    1. Episode 1: Lies we tell ourselves about multilingualism. Ingrid Piller in conversation with Aneta Pavlenko(15/02/2024)
    2. Episode 2: Translanguaging: Loy Lising in conversation with Ofelia García (16/02/2024; originally published 2023)
    3. Episode 3: Linguistic diversity in education: Hanna Torsh in conversation with Ingrid Gogolin (17/02/2024; originally published 2023)
    4. Episode 4: Language makes the place. Ingrid Piller in conversation with Adam Jaworski (18/02/2024; originally published 2022)
    5. Episode 5: Can we ever unthink linguistic nationalism? Ingrid Piller in conversation with Aneta Pavlenko(19/02/2024; originally published 2021)
    6. Episode 6: How to teach TESOL ethically in an English-dominant world. Carla Chamberlin and Mak Khan in conversation with Ingrid Piller (20/02/2024; originally published 2020)
    7. Episode 7: What can Australian Message Sticks teach us about literacy? Ingrid Piller in conversation with Piers Kelly(21/02/2024; originally published 2020)
    8. Episode 8: What does it mean to govern a multilingual society well? Hanna Torsh in conversation with Alexandra Grey (22/02/2024)
    9. Episode 9: Interpreting service provision is good value for money. Ingrid Piller in conversation with Jim Hlavac(19/03/2024)

Summer School: Linguistic Ethnography (Belgium)

Study AbroadSummer school module on Linguistic Ethnography, Methods in Language Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium, 15-19 July 2024. Deadline: 30 June 2024 or until all spaces filled.

Through (guest) lectures, group work and reading groups, the course dives deep into linguistic ethnography’s foundational principles. Step by step, instructors will discuss the different steps of the research process: from research design to data analysis and dissemination. The keynote lecture entitled “What does it mean to find patterns in language data?” will be given by Prof. Dr. Karin Tusting, from Lancaster University.

This course is aimed at students and researchers from a variety of backgrounds with a keen interest in discourse and (the processes of) communication. Previous linguistic-ethnographic experience is not necessarily required. Registrations will close by the end of June 2024.

Other Instructors: 

    • From Ghent University, Departments of Linguistics and of Translation, Interpreting and Communication: Prof. dr. Geert Jacobs, Prof. dr. Stef Slembrouck, Dr. Marie Jacobs, Dr. Ella van Hest, Alexander De Soete

    • From the University of Antwerp, Department of Linguistics: Anne-Sophie Bafort

Questions are very welcome, just contact Dr. Marie Jacobs.

Mingshi Cui Profile

Profiles

Mingshi Cui earned her PhD in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester in the UK. She holds an MA in Intercultural and International Communication.

Mingshi CuiHer research interests include material culture studies, intercultural communication, and digital humanities. Drawing upon her previous educational and working experiences, she is particularly interested in examining how to facilitate cross-cultural understanding in museums, so that audiences and the museum professionals alike could better engage with the museum collections and empathize with their originating communities that had experienced histories of disempowerments.

Mingshi’s current research project explores the potential of creating a digital object biography for the displaced object in a way that unveils its multi-layered interpretations and values.

Selected publications:

Cui, M. (2022). The role of digital platforms in enriching the narration of displaced objects [数字化平台在丰富流失文物叙述方面的运用]. Science Education and Museums [上海科技与博物馆], 8(1), 7-12.

Cui, M., & Vavoula, G. (2021). Digital platforms as facilitators of dialogic co-creation of displaced object biographies [Digitale Plattformen als Vermittler von dialogischer Ko-Kreation verdrängter Objektbiografien]. Journal of Cultural Management and Cultural Policy [Zeitschrift für Kulturmanagement und Kulturpolitik], 7(1), 43-58.

Du, J., & Cui, M. (2021). Intercultural dialogues in third spaces: A study of learning experiences of museum visitors. Journal of Transcultural Communication, 1(1), 79-101.

Work for CID:
Mingshi Cui co-authored a guest post on Museums as Third Spaces for Intercultural Dialogue, as well as writing one on Reflections on the object diasporas in museums; in addition, she has translated KC38: Boundary Objects, KC65: Conflict Transformation, and KC103: Geoculture into Simplified Chinese.