Category: Book Notes

Dialogue for Intercultural Understanding

“Book Notes

Maine, F., &  Vrikki, M. (Eds.). (2021). Dialogue for intercultural understanding: Placing cultural literacy at the heart of learning. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature.

Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (so available as open access), this book looks potentially relevant to CID followers.

This book is a result of an extensive, ambitious and wide-ranging pan-European project focusing on the development of children and young people’s cultural literacy and what it means to be European in the twenty-first century, prioritizing intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding.

It includes the following chapters, among others:

  • Intercultural Education for the Twenty-First Century: A Comparative Review of Research by Chrysi Rapanta and Susana Trovão

  • Social Responsibility Through the Lens of an Agenda
    for Cultural Literacy Learning: Analyses of National EducationPolicyDocumentation by Sandra Kaire ̇, Lilija Duobliene ̇, and Irena Zaleskiene ̇

  • Explorations of Linkages Between Intercultural Dialogue, Art, and Empathy by Tuuli Lähdesmäki and Aino-Kaisa Koistinen

  • Using Wordless Picturebooks as Stimuli for Dialogic
    Engagement by Fiona Maine and Beci McCaughran

  • Creative Ways to Approach the Theme of Cultural
    Diversity in Wordless Picturebooks Through Visual Reading and Thinking by Marina Rodosthenous-Balafa, Maria Chatzianastasi, and Agni Stylianou-Georgiou

  • Dialogue on Ethics, Ethics of Dialogue: Microgenetic Analysis of Students’ Moral Thinking by Talli Cedar, Michael J. Baker, Lucas M. Bietti, Françoise Détienne, Erez Nir, Gabriel Pallarès, and Baruch B. Schwarz

  • Engaging Teachers in Dialogic Teaching as a Way to Promote Cultural Literacy Learning: A Reflection on Teacher ProfessionalDevelopment by Riikka Hofmann, Maria Vrikki, and Maria Evagorou

  • Educating Cultural Literacy with Open Educational
    Resources: Opportunities and Obstacles of Digital Teacher Collaborations by Elisabeth Mayweg-Paus and Maria Zimmermann

Eric de Rosny and the Necessary Tradition-Modernity Dialogue in Africa

“Book Notes

Perret-Clermont, A. N., Morerod, J. D., & Blanc, J. (2022). Cultures et guérisons: Éric de Rosny–L’intégrale [Cultures and healings: The complete Éric de Rosny]. Livreo-Alphil. (boxed set in 3 volumes)

Eric de Rosny was a French anthropologist and Jesuit who started as a teacher and then devoted his life to further intercultural understanding between Africa (and in particular Cameroon) and the French speaking “West” (in particular France). He published several books (Healers in the Night, the most famous, has been translated into English and several other languages). He paid careful attention to local traditions, in particular to traditional healing practices and their embeddedness in local worldviews, knowledge and creeds (including witchcraft). He invested a lot of energy to protect traditional healers. But he was also concerned to further the understanding of present day rapid transformations of all kinds (for example: growing cities, the desire of young people to migrate, development of new churches). His papers were dispersed across many (often small) journals. Now that his papers have been collected and sorted by chronological date, they offer the opportunity to follow him step by step, documenting and sharing his experience, as he tries to enter this world in Douala, and then sees himself adopted by the local community and integrated as one of the “wise men” (beyum ba bato).

Freeman: Human Animal Earthling Identity

“Book NotesFreeman, Carrie P. (2020). The human animal earthling identity:
Shared values unifying human rights, animal rights, and environmental movements. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.

“In an era of globalization, climate crisis, mass extinction, and widespread injustice, Freeman’s lofty goal is unifying social movements across causes to gain needed strength and influence in their work against common powerful forces that undermine or exploit living beings. To serve as everyday allies, social movements should foster universal altruism – encouraging each of us to widen our sphere of moral concern (not only to include all human groups but also all species), by considering other animals and nature as part of our ‘in-group.'”

Share our home planet. Support life. Take care. Play fair.

That’s the Human Animal Earthling’s slogan (p. 88) you can put on your bike.

“To formulate the basis for a needed identity shift toward seeing ourselves more inclusively as ‘human animal earthlings,’ Freeman shares insights from interviewing leading global activists and identifies overlapping values common in the campaigns of 16 international social movement organizations that work on human rights, nonhuman animal protection, and/or environmental issues, including Amnesty International, Greenpeace, PETA, WWF, and the Nature Conservancy. Freeman ultimately recommends a set of universal values (supporting life, fairness, responsibility, and unity) around which all social movements’ campaign messages can collectively cultivate respectful relations ​between us “human animal earthlings,” ​other animals, and the natural world we share.”

The values highlighted are: empathize, respect, and co-exist. That sounds a lot like intercultural dialogue, so this book may well be of interest to followers of this site.

Named “Book Most Likely to Save the Planet” in the IPPY Awards 2020.

Sharma: Dialogue in Action

“Book Notes

Sharma, Sabrina. (2021). Dialogue in action. HRH Series. Independently published.

Dialogue today is more than an exchange of words, it provides the basis for the growth of human rights. Although a recognized tool in the progression of human rights, dialogue is not always what it seems. This book enables the reader to delve into the realm of “Dialogue,” encompassing differing perspectives and practices. If you love other cultures, meeting new people and traveling – this book from the HRH Series is for you!

The Human Rights Hub Series focuses on Human Rights aspects essential for consideration today. In doing so, it causes us to examine our existing perceptions and to challenge normative views. Books in the HRH Series are designed with ease in mind. Using clear, simple language and manageable size, it is the perfect companion to your briefcase or handbag and can be taken anywhere for a great read.

Sabrina Sharma was born in the United Kingdom, spent her childhood in Fiji and Australia, and has also lived in the Middle East. She has a background in Law as a Barrister to The High Court of Fiji and has practiced in human rights law there for close to two decades. Much of her community work has involved rural areas of Fiji, fostering relations, dialogues and empowerment for women who have been survivors of domestic violence and young single mothers. Now in Australia, she continues her work providing empowering programs with education and skills for women via online platforms.

Kamali-Chirani: Pakistan: Incoming & Outgoing Migration

“Book NotesKamali-Chirani, Fatemeh. (2021).  Pakistan: Incoming and outgoing migration; Framework for a discussion on resettling Afghans after the Taliban’s victory. Islamabad, Pakistan: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

Fatemeh Hippler (birth name: Kamali-Chirani), who has previously examined intercultural dialogue as part of the foreign relations between Germany and Iran, and who is now based in Pakistan, has just published a report focused on migration both into and out of that country. It is one of her final conclusions which will be of greatest interest to followers of CID:

There should be projects to connect people of Pakistan and Afghanistan culturally and socially. There is a crucial need to initiate dialogue. Although dialogue cannot solve all problems but at least it can emphasize on what both countries have in common and clarify misunderstandings about sensitive issues such as Afghanistan-India relationship and terrorism. (p. 27)

Globalisation and Comparative Education

“Book NotesZajda, J., & Rust, V. D. (2021). Globalisation and comparative education: Changing paradigms. Springer Nature.

…policy statements on intercultural dialogue of the UNESCO, and the Council of Europe, share a policy consensus that emerging discourses dealing with intercultural dialogue refer to values education, based on peace, the respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The overarching goal is promoting ‘harmonious interaction among people and groups with plural, varied and dynamic cultural identities’ as well as their willingness to live together in peace. (p. 178)

While this is an interesting book overall, the chapter most likely to be of greatest interest to CID followers is Chapter 11: Globalisation and Cultural Identity: The Role of Intercultural Dialogue (pp. 177-186) which is where the quote above appears. They conclude that “there is a need to re-assert the relevance of intercultural dialogue in an increasingly interdependent world” (p. 184).

Dialogue for Intercultural Understanding

“Book NotesMaine, F., & Vrikki, M. (Eds.). (2021). Dialogue for intercultural understanding: Placing cultural literacy at the heart of learning. Springer Nature.

This book is a result of an extensive, ambitious and wide-ranging pan-European project focusing on the development of children and young people’s cultural literacy and what it means to be European in the twenty-first century, prioritizing intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding.

Maine and Vrikki have edited this collection resulting from a major EU funded project, DIALLS (Dialogue and Argumentation for cultural Literacy Learning in Schools), lasting 3 years, and involving 10 partners around Europe. The challenge “was to create a project that could address how children and young people might develop the knowledge, skills and competencies needed for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding. The DIALLS project has met this challenge by working with teachers in different educational settings (pre-primary, primary and secondary) to create cross-curricular resources and activities…In a further innovation and to enable intercultural dialogue in action, the project developed an online platform as a tool for engagement across classes.” (p. 2).

Defiant Discourse

“Book NotesKatriel, Tamar. (2021). Defiant discourse: Speech and action in grassroots activism. New York: Routledge.

Defiant Discourse cover

Katriel examines multiple context of “defiant discourse” which cross the line between words and actions. Through participant observation, she documents activism in Israel. She asks questions about when talk itself serves as activism, and when action is called for. She examines activism “as a discursive formulation in which speech and action are defining features of the political realm,” pointing out that both speech and action are “world-making activities.”

Social Networking, Language Learning & Intercultural Competence

“Book NotesÁlvarez Valencia, J. A., & Fernández Benavides, A. (2019). Using social networking sites for language learning to develop intercultural competence in language education programs. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 12(1), 23-42. DOI: 10.1080/17513057.2018.1503318

Álvarez Valencia & Fernández Benavides examine the influence of Livemocha, a social networking site for language learning (SNSLL) on the intercultural competence of undergraduates learning English in Colombia. They define intercultural competence as “a capability that enables people from different cultural backgrounds to interact, bringing into their act of sign-making their societal, cultural, and individual knowledge about the world to make possible an effective negotiation of meanings” (pp. 25-26).

They found that:

Students decentered and opened themselves to examine their own cultural practices, their own meaning-making processes, and those of other learners of Livemocha” (p. 38)

So the answer was that it had a positive influence on both attitudes and knowledge. There were some issues with what this particular chat system permitted, but overall the results were successful.

A Call to Cosmopolitan Communication

“Book NotesJensen, A. (2020). A call to cosmopolitanism: A narrative of richness and mystery. Oracle, AZ: CMM Institute Press.

We are witnessing the emergence of a new form of communication.

Call to Cosmopolitanism cover

One with the potential to overcome the political polarization dominating our social landscape in recent decades. Cosmopolitan communication is one way of naming this emerging form and the promise it holds. In A Call to Cosmopolitan Communication, Arthur Jensen explores the dimensions, skillsets, and transforming potential of this new form, contrasting it with the all-too-familiar patterns of communication we experience as ethnocentric and modernistic tendencies.

Drawing on Pearce and Cronen’s enduring practical theory, the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM), Jensen focuses on the concept of mystery and our ability to co-produce narratives of richness that embrace our differences instead of simply assimilating, tolerating, or dismissing them.

A Call to Cosmopolitan Communication is not a call to arms but a call to human thriving. The call to human thriving is answered when we recognize that our lives are shaped in social interaction with others and that the quality of our communication with each other matters enormously. This book, along with Penman and Jensen’s previous work in Making Better Social Worlds, supports Cosmopolis2045.com, a companion project depicting one vision of a better social world that can emerge from a cosmopolitan mindset.