Intercultural Education. Challenges in a

Postmodern Society

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

John Donne , Meditation no 17

from "Devotions upon Emergent Occasions"

Education

• the way from a world closed in itself to the awareness and consciousness of a whole universe

• formal, nonformal, informal education

• The important role of family, school, society - traditions, mentalities, beliefs… stereotypes - closed, conservative , traditional environments vs

openness of mind, understanding , empathy• Does school prepare us for life, for the unexpected,

for the acceptance of the idea of “difference” , of “alterity”?

Culture

• a part of our deep ego, our spiritual matrix A certain perception of time and space History/ geography Language Religion Arts and artistic works, spiritual values A way of living, eating, drinking, behaving System of norms, rules, beliefs, values

• Debate on the statement that the national cultural environment gives us the feeling of safety.

• How can we face then the diversity of the world, can we stay anymore only inside a certain culture and civilization?

• The long way from your culture to the cultures of the world, the meeting of your inner self with the others….

• A mirror, a virtual image in a museum, “ encounter of the third kind” or a real encounter of real people?

Intercultural Education

Principles, values, attitudes

- understanding, tolerance, awareness, openness

- intercultural competences – foreign languages, IT skills, communicative skills, knowledge, information, intellectual curiosity, the desire to know, to understand, to discover new worlds, to pursue an adventure into the unknown

Which are the challenges of a modern andpostmodern society?

- “the global village”- a technical world- the relative character of knowledge- a puzzle of small universes lacking cohesion,

- cognitive deconstruction- fragmentation, dissolution of values- permanent change, plural histories (see J.F. Lyotard , The Postmodern Condition )

Whereas modernism was primarilyconcerned with principles such as identity, unity,authority, and certainty, postmodernism is oftenassociated with difference, plurality, textuality andskepticism.

Relate your personal experiences whenconfronted with strange and different ways of life,with new cultures and religions ( Alvin Toffler).

Define the “ cultural shock”, using your own

opinions and impressions.

Solutions to face the challenges of a modern andpostmodern world - education, knowledge, debate,intercultural approach, philosophical perception ofprogress, of evolution and anthropology.

Do not put labels, try to understand ! Do not be trapped in stereotypes and cliches !

Listen, see, learn about cultures and civilizations,speak to the others, enrich your world, go beyondyour limits and fears, as we are part of thecontinent of mankind!

Conclusions

“ Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto “

I am a man, nothing human is foreign to me…(Terentiu )