Interreligious and intercultural education for dia

Authors: Mohammed AbuNimer Renáta Katalin Smith

Publish Date: 2016/07/21

Volume: 62, Issue: 4, Pages: 393-405

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Abstract

Recognising diversity in today’s world is inevitable irrespective of whether it is a result of media documentation technology immigration the experience of studying abroad or any other manifestation of globalisation The exposure to greater diversity is not limited to the more advanced economies and highly industrialised societies Beyond trade globalisation encompasses flows of information and of people and some have argued that this international system has meanwhile replaced the Cold War order Friedman 2000 Globalisation increasingly connects people in previously unconnected areas Despite some claims that the economic crisis has slowed down or put an end to globalisation see for instance James 2009 it just as possible that it may actually help to speed up certain aspects of globalisation in ways not directly linked to international trade For example it might trigger an increase in cooperation between charity networks or interconnecting religious groups to help people in hardship while negative effects may include greater criminalisation due to increased cash flows or international Internetbased recruitment for extremist groups Naím 2009 Greater exposure to cultural religious ethnic or racial diversity or other forms of diversity can have positive and negative effects it all depends on how a particular society is set to handle diversity within its local confines as well as on a global scaleConstructive contact with those who are different from “us” requires having intercultural and interreligious competences as integral life skills in this increasingly interconnected world The positive effects of the global economy and access to technology are not without side effects such as a fear of losing one’s own identity or culture Such fears spur stereotypes of “us” versus “them” prejudice and/or xenophobia which can create tensions and potentially erupt into violent reactions Wieviorka 2003 And while it is true that the root causes of conflict are usually complex and consist of numerous factors such as politics economics poverty and/or class divisions it is also true that they often come to the fore along ethnic or religious lines Carment et al 2009 In fact since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War several scholars have argued that the majority of conflicts are identitybased clashes of ethnicities cultures and/or religions AbuNimer 2001 Love 2006 Fox 2004 Seul 1999 The Balkan Wars the civil war in Rwanda in the 1990s as well as more recent conflicts in the Central African Republic Iraq Myanmar and Nigeria to name just a few serve as stark examples where violence has erupted along ethnic or sectarian linesTensions are not limited to current and former conflict zones Ethnocentric notions in diverse societies can arise due to “cultural and symbolic threats and threats to material group interests” Wright 2011 p 842 In diverse societies these socalled “threats” may not be felt at all times however even in the most diverse society “mainstream citizens do seem to reshape their definition of the national community along narrower lines in response to heightened immigrant flows” ibid p 855 These fears can be exploited by populist parties1 politicians and religious leaders In such cases nationalism or identity is “associated not so much with the idea of ensuring the liberation of a nation religion or culture as with protecting it from external threats and purging it of the elements that could mar its homogeneity” Wieviorka 2003 p 109 The first step in overcoming such fears requires strengthening selfawareness and empowering internal voices and forces which support respect of diversity This intrafaith and intracommunity conversation is necessary to assert the need for accepting those who hold different perspectives even within the same religious and cultural or national group A second step in enhancing the immunity of such individuals and communities against the exploitation or manipulation of their identities by populists is accomplished through knowing and meeting the different “others” This process is not innate but rather part of a skill set which needs to be honed over time and as with many life skills education plays a key role in laying the foundation and the continued strengthening of these competencesA strong society’s immunity and resilience against exclusion discrimination and abuse of basic human individual and collective rights is dependent on a number of social political economic legal religious and educational institutions In the context of conflict addressing only one of the above institutions is not sufficient to resolve the root causes of the conflict AbuNimer 2015 How do societies and the aforementioned institutions deal with cultural and religious diversity This question has served as the basis for this special issue on interreligious and intercultural education which we guestedited in our capacity as representatives of the International Dialogue Centre KAICIID2 As an interreligious and intercultural dialogue centre KAICIID’s own mandate is to globally promote the use of dialogue to contribute to the prevention and resolution of conflict by enhancing understanding and cooperation Part of this process is constructively dealing with diversity in a manner which counters prejudice and violence and builds cohesive societies supports peace and heals the wounds of conflictEducational institutions play a crucial role in building and enhancing the immunity and resilience of every society in confronting external and internal voices and forces which oppose pluralism and advocate for exclusion and violence Harris 2004 Education has a profound effect on individual development and can promote or prevent prejudice and conversely promote or prevent tolerance Lessons learned in the classroom stay with us as we continue to grow and our learning does not stop once we have left the classroom Thus educators can take on a central role in promoting cultural and religious diversity In this light KAICIID has brought together five authors from different regions in this special issue to explore various aspects of intercultural education and interreligious education and show how different societies use them as a tool to deal with diversityWhy choose intercultural and interreligious education Intercultural education as defined by Milton Bennett is the process of “acquiring increased awareness of subjective cultural context world view including one’s own and developing greater ability to interact sensitively and competently across cultural contexts as both an immediate and longterm effect of exchange” Bennett 2009 Interreligious education is a part of intercultural education and like intercultural education aims to build understanding tolerance and social cohesion to “actively shape the relations of people of different religions” UNESCO 2006 p 14 Factors such as migration working abroad and studyabroad programmes have led to greater diversity in many societies and have also led to classrooms becoming increasingly diverse at all levels While this is a starting point the mere existence of a diverse classroom does not mean that students are interculturally competent As Italian linguist Fiora Biagi and her colleagues have pointed out a semester of study abroad may also mean making friends with people of one’s own culture or a superficial interaction which deprives the person of indepth learning and truly experiencing the other culture Biagi et al 2012 And as Scherto Gill points out in this special issue contact and discussions with the “other” are careful to stick to “safe topics” such as food or music Going beyond these safe topics and pursuing “fruitful interaction” through engaging in dialogue supports peaceful coexistence in diverse societies However it is impossible to force individuals to take part in a dialogue about their beliefs and cultural traditions It must be done willingly with the understanding that one’s perspective might change but also that “coexistence should not in fact depend on weakening people’s faith or moral convictions” Colen and Smith 2015Fostering fruitful interaction must expand beyond the typical actors promoting dialogue nongovernmental organisations NGOs international organisations IOs and dialogue practitioners individuals must be interculturally competent to deal with the different “other” both inside and outside of their own cultures This is easier said than done and while it is one thing to say that we must engage meaningfully to ward off prejudice and preserve a peaceful coexistence it is another to make this interaction – dialogue – an ingrained skill “The challenge therefore is to provide the student with the necessary skills to create an environment where intercultural competence can be cultivated” Biagi et al 2012 This is where interreligious education and intercultural education come inDiscourses in intercultural education have existed for more than half a century dating back to the interwar years with authors such as John Dewey Isaac Berkson E George Payne and Mary Parker Follett Bois 1939 and increasing with a flurry of literature emerging after the Second World War For example there were calls for more effective teaching in intercultural relations in the United States through intercultural education Eckelberry 1945 and new methods for gauging community acceptance of intercultural education Berger 1947 as well as examinations of the challenges facing intercultural education Hager 1956 Although the arguments in favour of intercultural education were already quite clear in the 20th century and continue to ring true there remains a large gap when it comes to incorporating the interreligious element within intercultural education This does not mean that religion has not been a point of focus in the 20th century especially following the events of 11 September 2001 Rather the focus has generally been on improving Comparative Religion or Religious Studies3 and not on interreligious education

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