Constructing ICD #13: A Dialogue about Caste: Managing Uncomfortable Conversations

Constructing ICDThe next issue of Constructing intercultural Dialogues is now available, “A Dialogue about Caste: Managing Uncomfortable Conversations” by Pratha Shetty.

Her focus is on how to manage the sorts of difficult conversations that frequently occur when members of different cultural groups interact, even when everyone has the best of intentions. As a reminder, the goal of this series is to provide concrete examples of how actual people have managed to organize and hold intercultural dialogues, so that others may be inspired to do the same. As with other CID series, these may be downloaded for free. Click on the thumbnail to download the PDF.

Constructing ICD 13

Shetty, P. (2022). A Dialogue about Caste: Managing Uncomfortable Conversations. Constructing Intercultural Dialogues, 13. Retrieved from: https://centerforinterculturaldialogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/constructing-icd-13.pdf

If you have a case study you would like to share, send an email to the series editor, Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

U Denver: Director, Cultural Center (USA)

“Job

Director, Cultural Center, BIPOC Student Success, Student Affairs, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA. Review of applications begins: 7 October 2022; position open until filled.

The mission of The Cultural Center (TCC) is to create an environment where students of color and LGBTQ+ students can critically engage their historical legacies and enhance their educational, intellectual, and personal/professional interest in race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic, and cultural sensibilities. TCC provides a haven for respite and dialogue for students as they navigate their journey at the University of Denver.

The Director of TCC BIPOC Student Success is a senior level position in the Dean of Students (DOS) area and the Division of Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence (SAIE) at the University of Denver. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The Director is responsible for setting the vision for the Cultural Center BIPOC Student Success through an intersectional approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The Director is responsible for development, assessment, and implementation of programs, signature events, cohort-based experiences, and leadership development of undergraduate and graduate BIPOC students.

Utah Tech U: Gender, Identity, & Intercultural Communication (USA)

“Job

2 Assistant Professors of Communication in Gender, Identity, and Intercultural Communication, Department of Communication, Utah Tech University, St. George, UT, USA. Review of applications begins: 10 October 2022; position open until filled.

The Department of Communication at Utah Tech University in St. George, Utah, is seeking two enthusiastic and well-qualified individuals for the tenure-track position of Assistant Professor of Communication, with an emphasis in gender, identity, cultural, intercultural, or a related area of communication (the intersection of one, some, or all of these sub-areas is preferred) to begin Fall 2023 semester. The positions require a 4/4 teaching load, and successful candidates will be comfortable teaching courses focused on gender, identity, cultural and intercultural communication. The positions will also coordinate the curriculum for the department’s foundational courses, including intercultural communication. The primary considerations for tenure at UT are currently teaching and service, although having an active research trajectory with publications is highly desired.

Stony Brook U: IDEA Fellows (USA)

“Job

IDEA Fellows Program, Office of the Provost, Stony Brook University, NY, USA. Review of applications begins: 10 October 2022.

Stony Brook University seeks to hire, engage, and mentor Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Fellows who can help catalyze our university’s commitment to inclusive solutions-driven research and scholarship at intersections of different disciplines. IDEA Fellows will engage in scholarship and teaching in clusters that represent key areas in Stony Brook’s current and growing strengths, bringing a commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice through research, pedagogical advances, and service.

IDEA Fellows are full-time, 12-month, non-tenure-track lecturer positions appointed at an annual salary of $80,000 with comprehensive state benefits, to commence Fall 2023. Importantly, the fellows will be part of a mentored research environment, with a modest teaching load. At the completion of this two year position, fellows with an upward trajectory of scholarly achievement and a demonstrated contribution to inclusion, diversity, and equity will be invited to join the tenure-track faculty at Stony Brook University through an internal promotion process.

Five topic areas are listed for possible fellows; the most obvious for followers of CID is likely the one for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous diaspora studies.

U Mass Amherst: Race, Media & Communication (USA)

“Job

Associate / Full Professor of Race, Media, and Communication, Department of Communication, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA. Review of applications begins: 20 October 2022.

The Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst invites applications for a tenure-track position in Film Studies and Media Production. They are seeking talented applicants qualified for an assistant professor position. Under exceptional circumstances, highly qualified candidates at other ranks may receive consideration. They seek a colleague who is a Film Studies maker-scholar and whose research includes a commitment to critical paradigms expressed and embodied both in scholarly publication as well as through moving image production.

This maker-scholar position will help integrate their Film Studies curriculum with Media Production offerings, while expanding the range of courses offered in both these areas at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This position extends a department tradition and commitment to original, interdisciplinary research that includes written as well as critical and multi-modal scholarship. Specific areas of expertise are open, with preference for candidates whose work is focused on Black cinema and expressive culture, critical race, and/or postcolonial perspectives on film and media.

Taos Institute: Collaborative-Dialogic Practice (2022)

EventsCollaborative-Dialogic Practice: Relationships and Conversations that Make a Difference Across Contexts and Cultures, Taos Institute, 18 October 2022, 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST (New York time, online).

A dialogue with Harlene Anderson and Diane Gehart, the authors of the book Collaborative-Dialogic Practice: Relationships and Conversations that Make a Difference Across Contexts and Cultures. Please join them in discussing the latest theoretical developments in collaborative-dialogic (CD) practices in addition to highlighting the many cultures and contexts that CD practices are being used, including in education, medicine, social justice, climate activism, indigenous communities, community outreach, research, and daily life experiences. You are invited to dialogue, ask questions, share your experiences, and join Harlene and Diane as they explore the possibilities of CD practices in our rapidly evolving and shrinking world.

 

SOAS U London: 2 Postdocs in Pan-African Frontiers (UK)

Postdocs
2 Postdoctoral Researchers: Pan-African Frontiers, Politics & International Studies, SOAS, University of London, UK. Deadline: 14 October 2022.

The Department of Politics and International Studies, SOAS University of London, is looking for two Postdoctoral Researchers in ‘Regional Security in Africa’ and ‘African and Caribbean identities in the UK,’ as part of Pan-African frontiers. This is a highly collaborative and multi-disciplinary project led by Dr Daniel Mulugeta, exploring contemporary intellectual and policy discourse around pan-Africanism. The project intends to understand how to approach ideas from Africa and African diasporas. The research involves in-depth fieldwork in multiple counties, as well as engagement with policy stakeholders and partners in Africa and the UK over the whole period of the post. The project will be hosted by a new Centre for Pan-African Studies at the Department of Politics and International Studies.

The two postdoctoral researchers will be a core part of a team and will each carry out independent research programmes under the direction of the PI, involving substantial periods of fieldwork in Africa and/or the UK. Due to the multi-country and collaborative nature of the project, the postdoctoral researchers must be prepared to undertake international travel. They will be responsible for organising workshops, seminars and conferences in Africa and/or the UK. They will be expected to contribute to the design, conduct and dissemination of research, contribute to any work that increases the impact of the project, and co-lead the monitoring and evaluation of the project’s research impact.

World Council for Intercultural & Global Competence: Virtual Intercultural Competence (USA but Online)

EventsWorld Council for Intercultural & Global Competence: Virtual Intercultural Competence Symposium, 3 October 2022, 4-7pm (Eastern time). Online.

Virtual Intercultural Competence learning has grown tremendously as a response to the sudden lack of in-person mobility during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that a return to physical mobility is occuring, how can we continue to promote and perfect the use of virtual options, especially as a way to further intercultural competence development, enhance classroom learning and connect communities? In this half-day symposium, the Virtual ICC working group of the World Council of Global and Intercultural Competences invites all to join in open spaces for discussion and learning, to hear about promising Virtual ICC practices across cultures and disciplines, and discuss how to establish virtual ICC learning as part of a toolbox of valuable ICC strategies. Future ICC learning needs to address various spaces, approaches, and forms of collaborative, experiential learning so that people from all over the globe can learn from and with each other in building a better world together.

Humanities Research Fellowships: Study of the Arab World (UAE)

FellowshipsHumanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World, NYU Abu Dhabi Research Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Deadline: 3 October 2022.

The New York University Abu Dhabi Research Institute invites scholars who wish to contribute to the vibrant research culture of NYUAD’s Saadiyat campus to apply for a residential fellowship, starting September 2023. The Institute welcomes applications from scholars working in all areas of the Humanities related to the study of the Arab world, its rich literature and history, its cultural and artistic heritage, and its manifold connections with other cultures. This includes, among others, Islamic Intellectual History and Culture, any areas of particular relevance to the MENA region, as well as projects thematically connected to existing research projects and initiatives at NYUAD’s divisions of Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences.

Both distinguished scholars with an established reputation and promising scholars who are at the beginning of their career can apply for a research fellowship. The program awards one-year fellowships.

Pratha Shetty Profile

ProfilesPratha Shetty is an interculturalist based between France and India. She is an intercultural trainer with Ceran, in Paris and Ethnosynth, in Pune.

Pratha ShettyShe has been a visiting faculty member in EM Normandie in France and has conducted intercultural programs for Dassault Systemes, Naval Group, and Forvia, to name a few positions. Raised in a diverse country like India, Pratha was inspired by the cultural adaptability that people exhibited to function harmoniously. She wanted to be a catalyst in making intercultural interactions easier and that’s when she decided to be an interculturalist.

She is the host of a show called Intercultural Conversations. Her goal with the show is to help people understand each other by giving them cultural context. She is also the author of the children’s book When I Grow Up, which is an activity book that helps them learn about inspiring women from different cultures. 

For further details, see her LinkedIn profile.

Work for CID:
Pratha Shetty wrote Constructing Intercultural Dialogues #13: A Dialogue about Caste: Managing Uncomfortable Conversations.