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?

UNESCO Futures of Education Report Coming

“UNESCO”UNESCO Futures of Education initiative: Launch of the Report will occur 10 November 2021 1:30-2:30 CET (Webinar open to the public and broadcast in multiple languages).

UNESCO launched its Futures of Education initiative at the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2019. Chaired by the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Madame Sahle- Work Zewde, an International Commission of thought-leaders from the worlds of politics, academia, the arts, science, business, and education, undertook a broad, inclusive global engagement effort involving educators, youth, researchers, governments, business and civil society. [Read basic information about the Futures of Education Initiative. CID was one of the organizations consulted; read the CID Report for UNESCO Futures of Education, sharing the results of 3 focus groups we organized at their request.]

Drawing on their extensive consultations, the International Commission has prepared a Report that will be the third in a series of UNESCO global reports on the future of education. The Commission’s Report, Reimagining Our Futures Together: a new social contract for education, will be officially launched at UNESCO’s 41st General Conference.

This launch event will present the key ideas and recommendations of the new flagship report to Member States, and initiate the mobilization of the global education community and UNESCO strategic partners to take forward the global debate and action on the Futures of Education. The event will be livestreamed to the general public in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Please click here to join the livestream of the event.

Obama Foundation: Global Program Associates (USA)

“JobGlobal Program Associate positions (Europe and Asia Pacific); Global Program and Learning Design Senior Associate, Obama Foundation, Chicago, IL & Washington, DC. Deadline: Open until filled.

The Program Associates function as key members of the Global Programs Team and reports to the relevant Program Manager. In pursuit of the Foundation’s mission, Global Program Associates support a strategy to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders. Regional leadership development programs support emerging leaders from across sectors to build more prosperous, sustainable, equitable, and inclusive communities in their respective regions and around the world. In addition to supporting the program lifecycle for a specific geographic region, Associates will serve as a member of the team’s Strategic Operations cohort, working closely with other program associates in different regions to coordinate and streamline operations-related planning and implementation across the Global Programs team and the Foundation as a whole.

The Global Program & Learning Design Senior Associate will support the continued development of the Foundation’s leadership framework and the lifecycle of curriculum design and implementation, from collecting research and designing user testing that inform our leadership approach, to supporting teams in tailoring the Foundation’s leadership framework and curricula to various programmatic audiences. This position would have additional responsibilities in supporting the design and implementation of leadership programming in the United States. The Senior Associate will work closely with external design partners and subject matter experts, and will regularly collaborate with teams across the Foundation to support a shared approach for leadership development across our audiences, including global programming, programmatic partnerships in Chicago, online resources for the general public, and Obama Presidential Center experiences. A key member of the Program Team, the Global Program & Learning Design Senior Associate will report to the Global Program & Learning Design Manager.

Malmo U: International Migration & Ethnic Relations (Sweden)

“JobAssociate Senior Lecturer in International Migration and Ethnic Relations, Department of Global Political Studies, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden. Deadline: 24 November 2021.

The Department of Global Political Studies is a multidisciplinary research and educational environment with Bachelor programs in European Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, International Migration and Ethnic Relations (IMER), Diversity Studies, International Relations, Human Rights, and Political Science. There are two Masters programs –in IMER and Global Politics –as well as two Ph.D. programs in the same subjects. The research environment also includes the research institute MIM (Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare) and the research platforms RUCARR (Russia and the Caucasus Regional Research) and REDEM (Rethinking Democracy).

The position as Associate Senior Lecturer in IMER is intended to provide early career researchers with an opportunity to develop their independence as researchers and advance their research and teaching competence. The position offers young academics the opportunity gain experience and qualifications for a permanent appointment as Senior Lecturer.

Osnabrück U: Production of Information about Migration (Germany)

“Job

Research Fellow to head the Research Group “The Production of Knowledge about Migration,” Osnabrück University, Germany. Deadline: 14 November 2021.

The Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies at Osnabrück University is seeking to appoint a Research Fellow to head the Junior Research Group “The Production of Knowledge about Migration.” The position is to be filled as soon as possible for a period of 3 years. Established in 2019, this junior research group investigates the conditions and consequences of the scholarly production of knowledge about migration. The focus of their work is on the practices of production and circulation of knowledge about the spatial movement of people. These practices are investigated at the intersections of science and politics, administration and the public. The junior research group aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of social processes of self-understanding and practices in dealing with migration, diversity and difference, and to develop reflexive perspectives for migration research in the social and cultural sciences.

Circular & Intercultural Cities

Applied ICDIntercultural Cities. (2021). Policy brief: Circular and Intercultural Cities: Including Migrants and Diversity in Circular, Green and Inclusive Economic Models. Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe.

Diversity is a reality which we should celebrate and benefit from. (p. 5)

“The Intercultural Cities (ICC) programme of the Council of Europe has commissioned Nordic Sustainability to develop this policy brief. The aim is that it can be used as a resource for cities on how best to integrate the agendas of interculturalism and green development through the lens of the circular economy concept…Taking the core principles of the intercultural approach into account, green sustainable development policies and actions should also ensure equal rights and opportunities for all.” (p. 3)

This brief explains “how the intercultural and the circular economy development agendas are interrelated” and shares examples of best practice for moving forward with both agendas simultaneously, while pursuing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (p. 3).

CFP: Building Structures for Intercultural Integration (Cyprus)

Professional Opportunities

Call for proposals: Building structures for intercultural integration in Cyprus. Deadline: November 21, 2021.

 

The Council of Europe is looking for consultants to undertake the development of a prototype methodology to monitor social cohesion at the local level in Cyprus in the framework of the project “Building structures for intercultural integration in Cyprus”. This project aims to support the Republic of Cyprus in implementing its National Action Plan on the Integration of Third-Country Nationals 2020-2022, by empowering local authorities, NGOs, and migrant organisations to be part of the integration process.

The project will use the COE’S Intercultural Cities tools to address the challenges of migrant integration, in particular related to building trust, fostering community cohesion and managing diversity as a resource…A Provider is to be selected to develop a methodology and test it via a prototype tool to monitor social cohesion at the local level in Cyprus. The goal of this methodology is to enable the project stakeholders to measure the impact of integration actions.

U Victoria Centre for Global Studies Fellowships 2022-23 (Canada)

Fellowships

Multiple research fellowships, Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

The Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria offers multiple fellowships. Most are for their own students and faculty, but there are several sorts available to international graduate students and faculty. Specifically:

Visiting Graduate Student / Postdoctoral Researcher: These fellowships support students in the research stages of their program. The CFGS promotes critical citizenship in a complex and rapidly changing global environment including the advancement and understanding of major global issues by civil society, the private sector, governments, and international institutions. Students are invited to apply who are engaged in similar topics of a global dimension. These topics may include, but are not limited to: global governance, international environmental challenges, social and ecological justice issues, and culture and identity. Applications from all disciplinary backgrounds are welcome.

Visiting Researcher Fellowship: The purpose of the fellowship is to provide research space and an environment conducive to writing and reflection to scholars working on research projects in the area of global studies. The fellowships are open to Canadian and international scholars; emeritus scholars; new scholars; scholars on sabbatical leave from their regular academic appointments. Consideration will also be given to professionals in NGOs and other related fields.

CFP Communication, Conflict & Peace (UK but Online)

ConferencesCall for Papers: Communication, Conflict and Peace, Archbishop Desmond Tutu Centre for War and Peace Studies, Liverpool Hope University, June 27, 2022, Online. Deadline: April 1, 2022.

Global transformations fostered by the decentralization of communications from mainstream media and governance institutions to a plural range of socioeconomic actors and stakeholders have shaken the foundations of social consensus, truth and objectivity in the construction of public spheres. Such transformation has posed unprecedented challenges to conflict management and peacebuilding, multiplying risks of instability and war, but also the spaces for the construction of collective meanings and the voices shaping them.

As the international community struggles to find consensus and challenges to peace and security risks multiply, the aim of this event is to explore the relationship between communication broadly conceived, and the challenges and possibilities for peace. Organizers will receive papers from scholars, practitioners and activists on all the dimensions of communication and conflict. Registration will be free of charge.

Vivian Hsueh Hua Chen: A Video Game for Fostering Positive Intercultural Relationships

Guest PostsA video game for fostering positive intercultural relationships. Guest post by Vivian Hsueh Hua Chen.

On an overall level, playing the game resulted in significant attitude change towards outgroup members.

In a culturally and racially diverse world, it is important for people to be able to live together harmoniously. Being respectful of cultural differences and fostering a genuine curiosity to better understand how and why other people are different from ourselves is one way to bridge the gap between self and others. This was the underlying motivation to create the prosocial game, Icebreaker. Icebreaker is a short role-playing game where players take on the role of the protagonist, an ice gatekeeper whose family has been tasked with protecting the village from an annual disaster known as ‘The Freezing.’ The goal of the game is for players to discover the true cause for this annual occurrence and to stop the event for good. The game design is primarily driven by narrative design integrated with interactive play. Certain tasks in the game require the player to work together with a banished villager, whose race has been blamed for being the cause of the disaster.

Download the complete essay as a PDF.