The paper “Tropes of the “intercultural”: multiple perspectives” *, written in 2005 by Yudhishthir Raj Isar dissecting the concept of intercultural appears to remain quite relevant nowadays.

Following up on my former blog post “intercultural dialogue ?!????!?”, this controversial notion has been serving a wide range of discursive fields and strategies, from academia to politics and diplomacy to international management. The EU has been using intercultural dialogue as a panacea to create a closer Union between the culturally diverse people of Europe. In the case of the arts and culture, its potential contribution to the intercultural has been claimed and associated to many initiatives. Yet, what is intercultural about? How can art practices and artistic works enable the intercultural?

Y. Raj Isar, professor of cultural policy at the American University in Paris and active presence in the European cultural networks scene, has tried to “unpack the confusing tropes of the intercultural” proposing a review of the different domains of usage. Read the full paper here.

Regardless of stereotypes, over-simplification, reification and instrumental uses of this rhetoric, this author recognises the “intercultural” imperative. In view of nowadays more significant migratory flows and globalisation in trade, communication, education and leisure, he claims the inevitable need to find better ways of living together with and across cultural difference. Beyond the simple clash or homogenization of differences, the challenge is to work towards new forms of global cosmopolitan citizenship and to learn ways to understanding and cooperation.

The adoption of such an intercultural deontology would imply individuals to re-examine and take up a critical stance towards their respective cultures, acknowledging its limits but also plurality, and simultaneously to foster a willingness to learn in a receptive but critical way from others. Artists, among other agents, Y. Isar Raj believes, would be capable of trigger and contribute to implement such a deontology.

The arts and culture have been set as an example of a fertile terrain for promoting and developing intercultural practices. This aptitude has been affirmed and seized by the sector. The Platform for Intercultural Europe, for instance, has outlined in a comprehensive way in this report the distinctive benefits of arts and culture to intercultural dialogue. However, the sector professionals´ realize that cross-cultural international collaborations, co-productions, cultural diplomacy and exchanges do not necessarily result in intercultural dialogue or societal change.

Y. Isar Raj highlighted precisely the illusion of these intercultural fusions, questioning the reciprocity and equality of such interactions. He argues that cultural exchanges routes are predetermined, directions predictable and that borders mean barriers for a great deal of the world population. Indeed freedom of movement is a privilege of EU citizens only. The increase of control and tightening of visa demands is not favouring artistic dialogue across borders.

On the other side, he adds, the unbalanced distribution of creation, production and dissemination tools also hampers the free play of the intercultural game. Consequently there is a need to improve the rights of creators in relation to the market: to strengthen artistic local capacities, infra-structures as well as assure the presence of this multitude of voices in the international scene.

In order words, the fulfilment of this intercultural deontology requires solidarity and matching conditions at the economic, social and educational level. The rules of the game must change, but ourselves too. We need to acquire knowledge and competences to deal, meet and intermingle within the context of a new global and more complex environment. The development of intercultural competences is thus imperative in order to manage unavoidable tensions, but also to learn how to benefit from the immense new opportunities.

* Keynote Address given at the Nordic Network of Intercultural communication conference on the topic ‘Intercultural Dialogue: Creating New Perspectives’ held at the University of Tampere, Finland, 2-3 December 2005; and published in Nancy Aalto and Ewald Reuter (eds.) 2006 Aspects of Intercultural Dialogue. Theory. Research. Applications. Cologne: SAXA Verlag.

See also:

Isar, Yudhishthir Raj 2002.  “The intercultural challenge: an imperative of solidarity” in Intercultural Dialogue. Brussels: European Commission.