Tag: Germany

Refugees, Germany, Willkommenskultur and Intercultural Communication

Guest PostsResponse to Dominic Busch’s guest post by Peter Praxmarer

I find myself in almost full agreement with what Dominic Busch writes.

In particular, I find his reflections on language in what he calls “internal social discourse,” pertinent and well taken. Also, the fact that “the cultural argument” has been hijacked by the far right and the national populists, in our times, is not surprising. This would, by the way, merit a little more research: attention to the culture of others has more often than not been a child of animosity, enmity, hostility, rejection if not outright war, as the history of exclusion, but also of conquest, colonialism, imperialism, and domination in general, amply testifies. As we (should) know, the very idea of “intercultural communication” as a more or less independent field of study, research and practical application was born during WWII, as part of the “war effort” of the US (viz. Leeds-Hurwitz). From this, also, stems the particular and sometimes incongruent vocabulary of the field, which is utterly US-social-science-lingo dominated, with some inroads from languages which still claim their droit de cité in the global social science supermarket (or, more benignly stated, the Global Republic of Letters), e.g. French and German. The field of study called intercultural communication became less war-related only later (but not everywhere), when  nation- and culture-crossing processes and constellations other than war started to play a more important role in the modern world-system (to follow Immanuel Wallerstein’s still pertinent terminology, preferring it to the shallow term “globalization”) – but it has kept its very peculiar vocabulary, at least in the mainstream.

Aside from that, while reflecting upon the present discourse on refugees in Germany and the “cultural” problems of the more or less autochthon residents (the “Old Germans”, as Busch cites a fellow professor in his piece) with them, it is worthwhile also to reflect on the position of the very term Kultur in Germany. In Germany, and not only during Nazi times, there has long existed an attitude which was described as Am deutschen Wesen mag/soll die Welt genesen, meaning that German culture is the remedy for all other (cultural) ills, all over the world. The Allied Propaganda posters, both in WWI as in WWII, took up this cultural theme. Thus, e.g., US War Propaganda during WWI showed a Mad German Brute holding a club with written Kultur on it, or an US Sleeping Beauty by the name of Civilization, calling every man, woman and child to war  – these and similar illustrations were meant to convey that deutsche Kultur is not so peaceful as other civilizations. In historical perspective, one has to agree. Looking into what was done in the name of German Kultur and how Kultur was used during WWII and before, would just confirm the very xenophobic and worse essence of it, inhumanely and most horrendously. (Caveat: Allied war propaganda is not presented here as an authoritative source, but only to provide a stark illustration of the use of the cultural argument; and many other than German “cultures” and “civilizations” certainly also have their share in war, conquest and violence-in-the-name-of-culture, epitomized, e.g., by “The White Man’s Burden” or the “mission civilisatrice”.)

Therefore, and also in view of the fact that the populist right wing and nationalistic parties have been able to hijack the term “culture” for their purposes, it is so good to see how civil society in Germany has constructed a new culture which is not national or völkisch, nor aggressive or expansionist, but welcoming: Willkommenskultur. In addition, even the counterpart to civil society, the German state, not least through its Chancellor, is, to varying degrees and for various reasons, in favor of taking in refugees, as is, again for still other reasons and purposes, the economy and a great part of the media. A beautiful page in the otherwise not always so beautiful book of contemporary Europe. And also a great example of (co-)constructed (inter-)culture, as well as of the fact that  “culture” never stands alone and cannot be meaningfully explained without taking into account history, society, economy, the polity, as well as, in our day and age, the many influences and experiences of mediated virtual reality in all its forms.

Yet, I also want to mention a point of potential disagreement with what Busch writes, regarding the role of Intercultural Communication Studies and Research. It is certainly true that the term “culture” has been critically evaluated, and the field is rapidly moving away from an essentialist and relatively static position to a more constructivist interactional and dynamic view of culture, in very simple terms privileging “communication” and “inter” over “culture”. However, by and large the main concern of intercultural communication research has been predominantly either relatively elite or middle-class or strictly utilitarian, covering, e.g. management or other professional groups, hospitals, schools, the military, police, development cooperation, etc. Relatively rarely concerned with, e.g., social integration per se (if not in special trainings for social workers, etc.), or with social integration from below (viz. the reference to Conflict Discourse Ethnocentrism in Busch’s text). In other words, the field has been center- and middle-class- or elite-focused, and not periphery- and non-elite, and where non-elite, then mostly only in terms of social management of deviations from norms or dangers from (culturally defined) others. This has also impacted our methodology: we have not always tried to understand, but we have been “overstanding”, as Raimon Panikkar so masterly phrased it already a quarter of a century ago. This is exacerbated when interculturalists (have to) jump on data-driven “fast science” jets instead of cultivating philosophy-fertilized “slow science” gardens, since this leaves no time to reflect either on the cui bono question or on participative methods or more sophisticated research questions than the ones required and funded by the global social science marketplaces – and it most certainly does not give a voice to those directly researched upon and with. Also for these reasons (conceptual, exemplified by “culture”, as well as methodologically), I would argue, we have so little to say when it comes to refugee crises, or to horrorism/terrorism, or to many other social “problems”. One reason why “the cultural argument” has been so successfully hijacked by the right and the nationalists, could therefore probably be that the interculturalists have far too long worked – even if engaging in what Busch calls a “sophisticated” debate – with a de-historisized, de-socialized, de-materialized, de-economized, de-politicized and overly value-oriented and psychologized concept of culture (and communication, for that matter). In other words, if one wants to understand (parts of) social reality in terms of culture and communication (and “inter” dynamics and processes), one has to look at it as what Busch calls, following Michel Foucault a “Dispositiv” (“dispositif” or “apparatus” in Foucault’s terminology). Likewise, it is necessary to overcome the “Unbearable Lightness of Communication Research”, as The International Communication Gazette tellingly titles its forthcoming 2016 Special Issue.

This critical look at the field is of course not meant to belittle the many initiatives of academic interculturalists in Germany, of which “Helfern helfen” of the intercultural campus of the Interkultureller Hochschulverband is but one. Or the numerous other initiatives undertaken by people who have studied intercultural communication and want to put their knowledge to good use; not to forget all those who practice sustainable – and sustained — intercultural communication in their daily dealings with the Stranger, the Migrant, the Refugee, the Other. It is simply a call for more “social” intercultural communication studies – more social in more than one sense.

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Some Observations on Internal Social Discourses on the Recent Increase of Refugee Immigration into Germany

Guest PostsSome Observations on Internal Social Discourses on the Recent Increase of Refugee Immigration into Germany

Guest post by Dominic Busch
Professor of Intercultural Communication and Conflict Research
Universität der Bundeswehr München, Germany

[A couple of weeks ago, Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz asked me to write down some remarks on the current situation of Germany receiving a growing number of refugees. It is an honor for me to be allowed to say something on that topic. And at the same time – being a member of the society under discussion – the topic seemed to be so overly complex to me that I felt I was not able to write something off the cuff. After some consideration, I have tried my very best, and still, I fear that I might have forgotten or overseen one or another aspect.]

In international news coverage, Germany recently has been referred to as having been approached by an increasing number of refugees and immigrants from Africa, the near East as well as from South Eastern Europe (see either this excellent quantitative visualization, or this textual introduction with many links to the news).

Here, I would like to provide some remarks on this discourse as well as on how the discourse relates to ideas of intercultural dialogue. I cannot but write these remarks from a perspective that must be acknowledged as a highly personal one. Writing as a white German male professor at a university in Germany, and having been born in Germany, I am in a privileged position. I cannot contribute from the perspective of migrant experiences. I am part of that wealthy world where some (not too many) refugees have arrived, and civil society grows in strength and self-confidence by successfully accommodating them, donating, teaching refugee children German language in newly installed “welcoming classes”, etc. Critics of my contribution may well refer to the fact that I have not been personally involved in any challenging situations in the context of refugee movements.

Still, I would like to give it a try from the perspective of intercultural communication, my field of research. Even more, I would like to warmly invite readers of this contribution to add their perspectives and thoughts in this blog’s comment section below!

The Basic Assumptions of European Political Discourse on Refugees

Inside Germany, refugee immigration has been by far the predominant news topic for the last ten months. Migration had not been a topic of much consideration in the German national news discourse as it is now. Recent surveys have repeatedly confirmed that, even today, for a large part of the Germans the refugee phenomenon is an issue that they do not experience except via news media. Nevertheless, almost everybody seems to have an opinion on the topic. The arrival of refugees centrally can be dealt with as an issue of socially constructed news discourse. Keeping that constructionist aspect in mind may better help in understanding the central characteristics of the debate: it is primarily lead by attempts to finding a position and attitude for a whole society facing a situation some of the people feel as being insufficiently prepared for. In other words, German society is faced with a new situation and they cannot clearly see where it will lead.

The Construction of Unpreparedness

To start with, the primary reaction of the EU as well as many of its member states concerning the increasing immigration of refugees is that they were not prepared for this. Overall, political discourse builds upon the assumption that the increasing immigration is an event that could not have been foreseen. From this initial perspective, discourse draws the legitimation for needing to look for new solutions – and (in case of need) to break with former principles. So, for example, some EU member states have decided to act autonomously in terms of the refugee movement, although they had previously agreed upon following common decisions of the EU on these matters. Specifically, some of the EU member states have autonomously decided to close their borders to refugees, while others have decided to limit the number of refugees they are willing to accept.

Germany

In the case of Germany, one central ignition to the debate may be seen in Chancellor Merkel’s now famous statement “wir schaffen das” [we can do this]), first pronounced during a press conference on August 31, 2015 and encouraging society that they (and the state) have the means to welcome and accommodate the growing number of refugees. Furthermore, taking the perspective of international human rights, Merkel avowed that moral behavior will not allow for limiting numbers of refugees arriving as long as they are fleeing prosecution or other significant dangers. Stating that, Merkel took a position that is more open towards immigrants than the one taken by her own political party’s center-conservative attitude.

From that point onwards, simply put, it can be said that German society has been split into two groups – one group supporting Merkel’s openness across any political camps, and another group campaigning for an enforced stop of further immigration as well as for expelling those immigrants that already have entered the country. Beyond this overall dichotomy, the debate has some further nuances, all speaking either for one political camp or the other one. Generally this divide may accurately be described by distinguishing between the “old” Germans and the “new” Germans, terminology introduced earlier by Professor Naika Foroutan, who is based in Germany. Foroutan sees a large part of Germany’s population as representing the new Germans, and being open for aspects of globalization, migration and internationalization. Separate from them, however, Foroutan sees a part of the population that determines national identities on the basis of origin. Foroutan terms these the old Germans.

Over the past one or two years, discourse on refugees into Germany has grown into political upheaval. Newly founded political parties have entered several regional parliaments after a strong gain of votes during recent elections within some of Germany’s regions – propagating right-wing totalitarian and anti-Muslim attitudes.

The Inescapability of Being Part of Conflict Discourse

So these are the basic facts. The question now: what does this have to do with intercultural dialogue? First of all: A look at contemporary German discourse strongly teaches that there are no “facts”. The stronger and the more pervasive a political debate and conflict grows, the more it becomes evident that (as authors like Holliday and Dervin have stated for the field of intercultural communication, recently) any statement on the topic is automatically political. Even although academic research, above all, claims to analyze social phenomena from a distance that allows far-sighted reflection and multiple perspectives, any academic statement turns out to support either one or the other opinion. This is the case for writing, but even more, it is an issue for social discourse, which no longer accepts any neutral position but immediately categorizes any statement into one of the political camps. To date, researchers have not been pulled into escalated conflict. But since some extreme right-wing groups claim that the German national press media frequently lie, media discourse takes up a clear position within the debate. For the time being, most of the national media voices are pro refugees – to some degree perhaps just to counter the extreme right’s accusations. Remembering Spivak’s famous phrase, it regrettably goes without saying that here again, refugees – despite standing at the center of the debate – have no voice at all.

In sum, although I have long been convinced of constructionist and critical discourse analytic approaches to social communication anyway, the situation in German discourse just described makes it clear in a very painful way that once you are in a conflict situation, you will be constrained by your position as a party to that conflict, and you will not be able to pull yourself out of that situation by your own bootstraps. Even if you want to, society will not let you. Thus, from a discourse perspective, German society has maneuvered into an intractable internal conflict more quickly than might have been expected.

Conflict Discourse Ethnocentrism

Another aspect that comes to mind from the perspective of intercultural research is the observation that the debate on refugees is, to a breathtaking degree, ethnocentric. German news discourse and social discourse construct the phenomenon of increased refugee immigration into Germany as a singular and particular case that cannot be compared to any similar cases, whether in the past or in any other country in the present. From this perspective, the vast field of existing international research on migration is not considered relevant. Even more, the debate largely ignores the fact that international migration, and flight-based migration in particular, have been a worldwide phenomenon for centuries, and that, in fact, they are seen as a central characteristic of contemporary processes of globalization. Instead, a discourse of self-victimization of citizens of Northern Europe is being promoted. This ethnocentric perspective hinders political and social discourse from considering the phenomenon of increased immigration from a distance and in a wider context. Instead of well-considered orientations, society constrains itself to the search for ad hoc solutions. Even more, a general feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, and despair on the issue of immigration pushes social discourse into a situation of feeling under pressure. This pressure results in a situation of perceived conflict where participants narrow their perspectives rather than widening them to find creative solutions. Social discourse gradually adopts a tone of conflict discourse. As a consequence, even those political camps that actually endorse the reception of refugees tend to construct the increased immigration as a problem, a threat, and even a crisis. The notion of a refugee crisis today is commonly mentioned in German national news media, although even this notion has to be understood to be a construction – with many potential alternatives. Again and again, some authors thus warn that the language and rhetoric of contemporary discourse on immigrants is taking a more and more dehumanizing style – at the expense of the refugees.

Strategic Culturalization vs. Anti-Culturalism and Culture as a Taboo

Although research on intercultural communication and on intercultural dialogue has developed a vast range of highly sophisticated and differentiating notions of culture, these notions have not played any considerable role in contemporary social discourse. Instead, supporters of right-wing parties opposing the reception of refugees strategically have made use of rather crude and essentialist notions of culture. Until this happened, scholars might have believed that their research had overcome such outdated concepts. Instead, assumed cultural differences between refugees and Germans are being used to foment fear of future social and/or cultural conflict inside the country. Cultural particularities are made responsible for a putatively higher crime rate and even terrorism. In other words, talking about culture in the debate on refugees has so thoroughly been monopolized by extreme right-wing voices that the rest of the political camps see only one chance to oppose them: Instead of arguing for more differentiating (e.g. interactionist or constructionist) concepts of culture, residing political parties as well as news media act as if their only option is to completely ignore and deny the existence of culture as a phenomenon. For supporters of non-right-wing political camps, talking about culture has become taboo. Speaking the language of intercultural research, an anti-culturalism here (again) turns out to be the only morally acceptable attitude. To some degree, intercultural research is significantly threatened by this taboo. Social and political discourse here passes up the chance of gaining insights into how cultural identities are co-constructed in both face-to-face and media interaction, and how their construction can be activated in cooperative as well as in discriminating ways. In short, a careful look at the role of culture and its force as a discursive construction might help in finding ways to transcend the conflict discourse, yet these ways seem to be blocked by that very discourse at the moment.

Insights into the genuinely constructionist nature of social and political discourse may turn out to be the only chance for evading and escaping the conflict circle that has been described here. Even though this line of argument may perhaps give the impression of being abstract, and even complex, interculturalists, opinion makers, and the news media should be highly encouraged to contribute to establishing this perspective.

Download the entire post as a PDF. See the response prompted by this post, by Peter Praxmarer.

CFP Translanguaging and Repertoires across Signed and Spoken Languages (Germany)

“Translanguaging and repertoires across signed and spoken languages: Insights from linguistic ethnographies in (super)diverse contexts”
20-21 June 2016
Göttingen (Germany)
Deadline for abstracts: 31 December 2015

Admission is free but registration is necessary

Confirmed presentations:
Alastair Pennycook, University of Technology Sydney
Adrian Blackledge, University of Birmingham
Angela Creese, University of Birmingham
Ulrike Zeshan, University of Central Lancashire
Annelies Kusters, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Ethnic and Religious Diversity
Massimiliano Spotti, Tilburg University
Ruth Swanwick, University of Leeds

The aim of this symposium is to foreground contributions based on linguistic ethnographies which were undertaken in educational settings and public/private/parochial settings in which people engage in the practice of translanguaging. With translanguaging we mean the linguistic practices in which people with diverse and multilingual backgrounds engage in order to make themselves understood by others. When doing so, they do not make use of separated languages but use elements/lexicon/grammar of (what might be regarded as) two or more different languages, hence the term ‘translanguaging’. In the process of translanguaging, people typically make use of a variety of channels or modalities: they may speak, point, gesture, sign, write, in a variety of combinations – ie multimodality.

When translanguaging, people draw upon linguistic repertoires, a term which denotes that people learn and use to speak, sign, write, read (parts of) different languages throughout their lives. Linguistic repertoires are typically multimodal, for example gestures are inherent part of spoken language production and mouthings are inherent part of many signed languages. In addition to biographic linguistic repertoires, there are spatial repertoires, linked to specific locations such as markets and repertoires linked with a certain culture and/or religion. Importantly, translanguaging not only draws on but also transforms repertoire.

Current works into spoken languages translanguaging include Angela Creese and Adrian Blackledge’s ongoing AHRC project “Translation and Translanguaging: Investigating Linguistic and Cultural Transformations in Superdiverse Wards in Four UK Cities” (2014-2018). Alastair Pennycook is (with Emi Otsuji) the author of the recently published book “Metrolingualism: Language in the City”, which sheds light on the ordinariness of linguistic diversity as people go about their daily lives in the city and make use of diverse linguistic resources. Massimiliano Spotti’s research focuses on asylum seeking 2.0 where identity negotiation in spoken interaction is supplemented with online evidence that corroborates the discourse of suspicion used as standard by the authorities.

Current works into multilingualism/translanguaging in relation to signed languages and/or gesture include Ulrike Zeshan’s ongoing ERC (2011-2016) project “Multilingual Behaviours in Sign Language Users, focusing on “cross-signing”, “sign-speaking”, and “sign-switching”, breaking new ground with respect to a field of research that can be called “Sign Multilingualism Studies”. Ruth Swanwick’s British Academy project is titled “Deafness and bimodal bilingualism: A plurilingual language framework for education”. Annelies Kusters focuses on gestural interactions and multimodality between fluent deaf signers and hearing non-signers in customer interactions and public transport in Mumbai.

We invite/include contributions that are based on the study of translanguaging in practice: how do people make use of different languages and different modalities (signed/gestured, spoken, written) when drawing on different repertoires in order to make themselves understood? The fact that contributions about the full spectrum of human language use (including signed/gestured/spoken/written) are invited, exploring a common theme, is innovative because the study of signed and spoken languages sociolinguistics have developed rather separately from each other. The focus on language use in practice (in which gesture is an inherent element of spoken languages production and mouthed/spoken/written/fingerspelled language is used by people who use signed languages) will be instrumental in bridging these separate strands, which is a much needed development in order to understand human language production in general. The study of gesture has brought signed and spoken language researchers of theoretical linguistics together, but a parallel bridge has not yet been built in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology. Thus the symposium and the special issue will be cutting edge and highly competitive, as they extend concepts of translanguaging because of the unique ways in which signed and spoken languages are be used together. In short, the goal of the symposium is to create new knowledge, dialogue or transactions between studies of sign and spoken language diversity and plurality.

The languages of presentation will be International Sign and English, and English-IS interpretation will be organized.

Postdoctoral Researcher (Germany)

Postdoctoral Researcher
Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum – The Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict
Closes: 31st December 2015

Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) is one of Germany’s leading research universities. Our Research School is an international college for structured doctoral and post-doctoral research in the life sciences, natural sciences, engineering, the humanities and social sciences.

The Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (Institut für Friedenssicherungsrecht und Humanitäres Völkerrecht, IFHV) is an interdisciplinary central research institute at RUB. With its longstanding focus on and expertise in international law, the institute fosters research and teaching in the field of Humanitarian Studies, with participation from the faculties of Law, Social Science, Geosciences and Medicine.

The IFHV seeks to appoint a Postdoctoral Researcher (payment according to TV-L E 13) for a full-time (39.83 hours per week) fixed term position (3 years, extension possible). The successful applicant would commence the appointment on 1 March 2016 or as soon as possible after that date.

You will work for an institute with many national and international partners. Your primary task will be to conduct research in International Law, especially Humanitarian Law and adjoining fields. In addition, you will be responsible for our peer-reviewed journal in International Humanitarian Law Journal of International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (JILPAC).

Your field of responsibility includes:
• Research in the area of International Law, especially Humanitarian Law and Refugee Law as well as related fields;
• Third party research fundraising and implementation of international research projects;
• Academic management of the peer-reviewed journal Journal of International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (JILPAC);
• Teaching (4 hours per week), in particular in the NOHA Master.

Your profile:
• A doctoral degree (or equivalent) in International Law or adjoining disciplines;
• Ability to attract competitive independent third-party research funding;
• Capacity and experience in organising and coordinating academic conferences and workshops;
• Experience and capacity in cooperation and networking with (international) external partners in practice and academia;
• Capacity for multidisciplinary and collaborative research;
• Experience in research management and academic administration is an asset;
• Capacity to teach and publish in English;
• Developed written and verbal English communication skills, good German knowledge;
• Intercultural experience and/or background in humanitarian action is preferred.

RUB is an equal-opportunity employer, and seeks to enhance a fair gender distribution in all job categories and at all levels. RUB welcomes applications from female applicants and persons with a disability.

To apply, applicants must provide a complete set of application documents (letter of motivation, curriculum vitae and a list of publications, and the names and contact details of three referees) by 31 December 2015 via email (PDF/one document). Institut für Friedenssicherungsrecht und Humanitäres Völkerrecht (IFHV), Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Prof. Dr. Pierre Thielbörger, Managing Director, Massenbergstraße 9 B, 44787 Bochum, Germany.

For further questions concerning the Institute or the advertisement, please contact Prof. Dr. Pierre Thielbörger or Katharina Behmer, or access our website.

CFP International Conference on Communication in Healthcare (Germany)

Call for abstracts
European Association for Communication in Health Care (EACH) and International Conference on Communication in Healthcare (ICCH)
September 7-10, 2016
Heidelberg, Germany

Call for Abstracts:
–        oral presentations
–        posters
–        workshops
–        symposia
–        work in progress for students and early career participants
–        “something creative – the fringe”

Opens: November 1, 2015
Deadline: January 18, 2016
Notification of Acceptance: April 1, 2016

We proudly announce the 14th International Conference on Communication in Healthcare 2015, which will highlight current innovations in research, teaching, and policy and practice in communication in healthcare from throughout the world.

We would like to invite you to submit abstracts for our wide variety of submission categories: oral presentations, posters, workshops, symposia, work in progress for students and early career participants and “something creative – the fringe”.

A hallmark of ICCH conferences is to foster interaction and exchange among participants and they have a unique, welcoming atmosphere for the whole healthcare communication community. The conferences aim to create a learning community that fosters scholarship and inter-professional collaboration to advance knowledge and innovation. We welcome submissions related to communication in health care, including all health-related disciplines and all healthcare professions (e.g. nurses, physicians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dentists, midwives). We encourage abstracts from pre-graduate students, trainees and researchers, teachers, learners and practitioners at all levels and encourage their full participation in the meeting.

Prospective authors can submit abstracts and proposals through our electronic submission process. Please click here for detailed guidelines and selection criteria for each of the categories listed above.

Conference topics at this years’ ICCH include:
–         Basic and applied research in communication in healthcare
–         Research methodology
–         Teaching clinical communication skills
–         Assessing clinical communication skills
–         Implementation science and knowledge translation in health communication
–         Patient perspectives
–         Patient participation and empowerment
–         Patient decision aids
–         Ethical issues in communication
–         Diversity and cross-cultural communication
–         Communication and quality and safety
–         Gathering information/clinical reasoning
–         Communication and emotion
–         Empathy
–         Communication in chronic conditions
–         Information provision
–         Shared decision making
–         Health literacy
–         Health behaviour change
–         Risk communication and medical decision-making
–         Team and Inter-professional/interdisciplinary communication
–         Communication technology, e-learning, serious gaming and social media
–         Psychophysiology

International Colloquium on Communication 2016 (Germany)

International Colloquium on Communication 2016
University of Applied Sciences Fulda (Germany)
Sunday, 24. July 2016, 18:00 h to Friday, 29 July 2016, 12:00 h

Theme:  Communication and Tragedy

The International Colloquium on Communication (ICC) is an interdisciplinary conference that invites scholars from the U.S. and Europe to present and discuss new results of research on communication. The ICC was founded in 1968 and takes place every other year. A specific feature of the ICC is its small size, with only about 25 participants. Each scholar presents a paper that is followed by a discussion among the entire group. The length of the colloquium allows additional time for interaction and dialogue. The conference will be held in English.
The general aim of the ICC is to discuss current results of research on communication and to emphasize a critical view on institutional and political contexts.

The specific focus of ICC 2016 will be communication and tragedy. Papers may examine how we politically, socially and culturally define the meaning of tragedy through communication. Papers may explore the communicative practices involved in the social construction of tragedy, including how different cultures/societies grapple with the trauma associated with tragedy.

For example, papers may explore the following issues:
1.      news media definitions of tragedy;
2.      definitions of tragedy in the arts (literature, theatre film, television, dance etc.);
3.      how organizations or institutions confront tragedy in their communication;
4.      therapeutic approaches to tragedy, including research associated with health communication;
5.       cross-cultural explorations of tragedy involving analyses of how different cultures communicate about tragedy;
6.      consistencies and changes in how specific cultures communicate about tragedy over time;
7.      how cultures memorialize tragedy, for example, in museums and memorials.

Those interested in presenting a paper at the ICC should submit an abstract of 150-200 words to the Program Chairs listed below by 31 January 2016. U.S. based scholars are asked to submit to Dr. Kevin M. Carragee, while European scholars are asked to submit to Professor Werner Pfab.

Contact:
Professor Dr. Kevin M. Carragee, Program Chair (USA)
Department of Communication and Journalism
Suffolk University, Boston, MA, USA

Professor Werner Pfab, Conference and Program Chair (Europe)
Department Sozial und Kulturwissenschaften – Department of Social and Cultural Studies
Hochschule Fulda – University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, Germany

2015 Conference on Cultural Diplomacy (Germany)

Building Bridges of Peace and Reconciliation in Times of Greater Global Insecurity
2015 Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy
Berlin, Germany, 10 – 13 December 2015

The Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy is the world’s leading event in the field of cultural diplomacy, hosted and organized by the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) in partnership with other leading institutions at the end of each year. The 2015 Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy: Building Bridges of Peace and Reconciliation in Times of Greater Global Insecurity, to be held in Berlin, Germany, on 10–13 December 2015, aims to present all practices that the field of cultural diplomacy has to offer to the international community for their application to try to remedy and solve the growing global challenges. The conference will bring together leading politicians, religious leaders, senior academics and celebrated artists together with representatives from areas of conflict in order to establish new institutions and initiatives that will help with these challenges using the practice of cultural diplomacy together with other practices and means.

Participation in the conference is open to governmental and diplomatic officials, academics, artists, journalists, civil society practitioners, private sector representatives, young professionals and students as well as other interested individuals from across the world. The Conference Committee encourages academic research and analysis of issues related to the goals of the Conference. The Conference Committee would therefore like to welcome the participants of the conference to submit a paper they would like to be considered for presentation at the conference as well as being included in the proposal document that will be issued following the conference and will be sent to all governments and leaders of the international community worldwide.

More information:
Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
Genthiner Str. 20
10785 Berlin, Germany
E-mail: info@culturaldiplomacy.org
Web: www.culturaldiplomacy.org

Robert Bosch Cultural Managers in the Arab World

Robert Bosch Cultural Managers in the Arab World

Sponsor:Goethe-Institut

Amount:Historically, the monthly stipend has been 1.800 €. Starting in March 2016, two fellowships are available in Egypt. The fellowship will last one year with an option for extension.

Applicant Type:New Faculty/New Investigator; Ph.D./M.D./Other Professional

Citizenship or Residency: Germany

Activity location:Egypt

Deadline: 15 November 2015

Since October 2005 cultural managers from Germany have been sent to institutions in the Arab world. Locations so far have included Assiut in Egypt, Marrakesh in Morocco, Tripoli in Lebanon, Aden in Yemen, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, and Aleppo in Syria. Currently, one cultural manager is active in Jeddah, Saudi-Arabia, and three cultural managers are active in the Nile Delta, Northern and Southern Upper Egypt.

For 2016, the program will offer to fellowships as cultural managers in Egypt. The fellows will organize educational and cultural projects in order to support the dialog between Germany, Europe, and the Arab world.

Robert Bosch Cultural Managers are offered fellowships and are tasked, through cultural events and other opportunities to socialize, with expanding the information on offer and supporting the dialog between Germany, Europe, and the Arab world.

The fellowship awarded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung gives fellows the opportunity to obtain further practical qualifications in international cultural management and to distinguish themselves in the area of international cultural exchange.

The work of a cultural manager varies greatly depending on the specific needs of the site. Generally, the fellow is to convey an image of contemporary Germany in the host country through innovative projects and is also to inspire the local population for German culture. As the guest of a cultural institution in the Arab world, he or she promotes international relations by helping to organize networking structures for sustainable cooperation between the host country and Germany, but also in the region. The fellow proposes cultural and educational offerings that relate to Germany. This includes organizing expositions, musical events, workshops, lectures and theater projects, but also fundraising and acquiring funds from third parties as well as media and public relations work.

The program Robert Bosch Cultural Managers in the Arab World is a cooperative endeavor of the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Goethe-Institut. As the regional institute for the Middle East and North Africa, the Goethe-Institut in Cairo supports and coordinates the cultural managers.

CrossCulture Internships (Germany)

Programme information
With its CrossCulture Internships funding programme, the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations) is advocating intercultural exchange and the strengthening of networks between Germany and Islamic world as a partner of the Federal Foreign Office.

The programme enables internships for young professionals and volunteers from the participating countries and from Germany. International experience is gained and intercultural competence developed through work stays in another culture. CrossCulture internships open up and strengthen the exchange between people, institutions and cultures and thus enable an enhanced partnership between Germany and Islamic countries. Regional particularities are taken into account through the subdivision into three regional modules:
• South Asia
• Central Asia
• Other Islamic countries (particularly in the Middle East, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula)

Aims of the funding programme
The CrossCulture internships give young people from Germany and Islamic countries the opportunity to gain diverse experience abroad in the context of their working environment and to act as multipliers in their home countries. In addition to further professional development and specialist training, the programme participants also gain an insight into the social and political structures of the host country and become acquainted with cultural characteristics and behavioural patterns through integration into working and everyday life. They make important contacts which they can use when they return to their home country for future collaboration. Interns returning home can offer a valuable contribution to their respective organisations thanks to the experience they have gained abroad. This intercultural exchange thus sustainably strengthens the formation of networks between Germany and the Islamic countries and encourages cross-border dialogue and cooperation.

Areas of emphasis
CrossCulture internships are offered in the following work areas:
• Knowledge society & education
• Legal dialogue, justice & human rights
• International politics & civic education
• Environment
• Economy & development cooperation
• Media
• Culture & art

Islamic countries
Target groups in the Islamic countries are young professionals and volunteers in various areas of civil society and multipliers in reform relevant organisations and media. In the regional modules South Asia and Central Asia, people engaged in the key areas of (social) political development will be specifically targeted.Germany
For German candidates, the target groups are employees of the corresponding host organisations as well as young professionals and volunteers committed to fields of work in which intercultural experience is crucial.Organisation of the internship
The internship will last at least six weeks and up to a maximum of three months and will be individually scheduled according to profile, needs and availability. The internships will be supplemented by a tailor-made framework programme – for example, accompanying events or individual visits– during the stay in the host country.

The CrossCulture internships are characterised by the fact that they can be  individually adapted to the requirements and wishes of the scholarship holders both in terms of content and organisation. Thanks to this personalised and needs-oriented concept, they are very well-suited in supporting the programme participants to acquire professional and intercultural competence in their specific area of work and thus extending their ability to engage in dialogue.

CFP Culture and Foreign Policy: Global Cultural Citizenship (Germany)

ifa Research Programme “Culture and Foreign Policy”
Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations), Stuttgart, Germany

Within the framework of ifa’s Research Programme‚ Culture and Foreign Policy‛ experts examine current issues related to foreign cultural and educational policy. In projects of three to six months, experts provide actors in the field of foreign cultural and educational policy with up-to-date scientific findings in a concise and precise way, they formulate recommendations for future foreign cultural policy and they initiate discussion forums and other events among experts.

The ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), in partnership with EUNIC, is currently calling for proposals for the following research project, pending the allocation of funds:

Global Cultural Citizenship – New Dimensions for Cultural Diplomacy?
In a world of multiple transnational relationships and ever-increasing interconnectedness between civil societies, traditional approaches to cultural diplomacy are being challenged by more cooperative approaches, often labelled ‘cultural relations’, which focus on building intercultural understanding and long term relationships based on trust and credibility rather than delivering one-way messages. Within this new framework has emerged the concept: Global cultural citizenship, which promotes global cultural rights and global shared responsibilities. This is especially applicable to the current challenges posed by the protection of cultural heritage and mass migration.

This conference will ask the following questions: How should national cultural institutes and ministries of foreign affairs respond to these new dimensions for cultural diplomacy? To what extent do these institutions have a mandate to work beyond the national interest, either to promote European and/or Global cultural citizenship? What are the differences between national, European and Global values and principles? How should they be represented by national cultural institutes?

Format: International Conference in Brussels; Study in the ifa Edition Culture and Foreign Policy, concept and acquisition of about 10 speakers for a half day conference in Brussels.
Duration: 6 months
Start: 1 November 2015 Location: flexible
Deadline for applications: 26 October 2015

The research contract is for a sum of € 7,000.00 (gross).
Please send your complete application documents (in an attachment of max. 3 MB) via email to research(at)ifa.de by 26 October 2015 at the latest. Interviews are likely to be held in calendar week 44.

Application prerequisites
• Certificate of higher education (at least M.A.)
• Proven experience and sound knowledge in the subject area as well as in the field of foreign cultural and educational policy
• Proven experience in event organisation and public relations
• Very good skills in writing and editing scientific reports
• Very good language proficiency in English, proficiency in French would be an asset
• The advertised projects are full time fellowships. The chosen candidates may not be elsewhere employed during the research project. These rules do not apply to research contracts.

Application process
In order to apply for the advertised project, the following documents must be submitted:
• Letter of Motivation. With full personal details (including postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, mobile number)
• Details concerning the project:
• • Title and subject matter
• • Short statement explaining why the subject is relevant
• • Short outline of a one day conference including suggestions for speakers (2 pages in length)
• • Short outline of the study
• CV