New and Emerging Issues: Concept of Interculturality and the Creation of Cultural Observatories

Introduction:

In various international meetings, two recurrent themes were identified: the creation of observatories on cultural diversity and the concept of "interculturality. This paper provides more information on observatories on cultural policies and the concept of interculturality and tries to address "how cultural observatories can be seen as important mechanisms to help to facilitate interculturality.

Observatories on Cultural Policies:

The establishment of cultural observatories is a very recent phenomenon which appears to have began in Europe - the most notable being the Observatoire des Politiques culturelles in Grenoble, - and has since taken hold in various continents. Cultural observatories have appeared with various objectives, but essentially, they exist to observe, monitor and disseminate information back to the cultural sector.

The role of observatories on Cultural Policies can be define differently depending on the level they focus on:

At the multilateral level, the creation of observatories on cultural policies seems to be geared towards fulfilling a global clearing house responsibility in the cultural policy field, by making available comparative information on cultural policies and to share best practice and innovative thinking in cultural policy-making and implementation.

At the regional level, the main preoccupation lies with the spread of cultural conflicts, which could be avoided by careful observation of cultural trends in a country and possibly prevent the spreading of conflicts.

At the local level, the primary goal is to help the different communities to rebuild the educational gap between informational 'haves' and 'have-nots'.

UNESCO and an Observatory on Cultural Policies:

UNESCO is to play an important role in the creation of observatories as it will carry out its core observatory and clearinghouse role by linking existing institutions and facilities that study, document and promote cultural policies and the provision of capacity-building.

UNESCO's goal with the observatories is to stimulate thinking about ways of broadening cultural policy frameworks to provide training and advisory services for the design of cultural policies and, to improve the management and administration in and for cultural institutions and, to reinforce the advocacy and reflection on cultural policies for development. UNESCO's final objective is to promote public policies that recognize the central role of culture in development by mobilizing and sharing information and new knowledge in this domain, facilitating the elaboration of broader policy frameworks and strengthening local capacities for this purpose.

Creation of Observatories:

Given that many national, local and regional governments as well as international and regional organizations are in the process of creating observatories on cultural policies, some raised the possibility of creating of an "observatory of observatories". The latter would link the observatories and ensure that all policy makers, researchers and the civil society have access to all of the available information.

This "International Network of Observatories on Cultural Policies" would be to fulfill a global 'watch' or clearing house responsibility in the cultural policy field, by making information on cultural policies and facilities deployed by different levels of government as well as by the non-governmental, private and 'third' sectors available and by sharing best practice and innovative thinking in cultural policy-making and implementation.

Its objectives would be to:

• Establish systematic international cooperation on information exchange so as to become a platform for access to information on main trends;
• Promote evaluative and future-oriented study of cultural policies;
• Improve the knowledge base for cultural policy design and evaluation by covering gaps, bridging differences between institutions, concepts and approaches as well as demonstrating to decision makers the utility of policy-enabling research.

Conclusion:

The creation of these observatories could enable governments, policy makers, researchers and the civil society in all countries to have access to invaluable information on policy trends, research in different fields amongst others and, when elaborating policies and programs.

The Concept of "Interculturality":

What is Interculturalism?

Interculturalism is the interaction between cultures, exchange and communication where the individual recognizes and accepts the reciprocity of the other's culture. The prefix 'inter' suggests interaction, sharing, complementarities, recognition of the culture of the other without it being divided between other cultures or the culture of the host country, also called the norm culture. In other words, interculturality can be seen as a way of being, a view of the world and other people, a kind of egalitarian relationship between human beings and peoples - it is the opposite of ethnocentrism. Interculturality is bringing multiculturalism a step further.

Interculturality versus Multiculturalism:

Today, we can say that many societies across the world are multicultural. Migration, movement of people as well as immigration have reshaped the society.

Multiculturalism aims to be a response to the reality of today's society. It takes into account new cultures without however making real bridges between the host /norm culture and the new culture brought in by new citizens.

Multiculturalism principles and policies have, up to now, focussed on:

• State recognition of the cultural plurality which exists at the heart of society.
• The reduction of the obstacles that hinder the social participation of marginalized cultural groups.
• Support for the reproduction of cultures.

To some extent, multiculturalism is an addition of different cultural particularities without a real coherence between the parts of a highly fragmented whole.

The question therefore is: Is the model of multiculturalism, which was born in the 19th century, still an appropriate model in a world where everybody is searching for values and codes which allow them to ensure good relations with others and with society?

Interculturalism's Modus Operandi:

The intercultural approach is commonly marked by three stages:

1. Decentralization: Taking a more distant view of oneself, trying to define one's frames of reference as an individual with a culture and sub-cultures blended together in one's personal development. Through this reflection on oneself, realizing what is relative about one's observations and making sense of one's reading references.
   
   
2. Penetration of the other's system: Getting out of oneself to see things from the Other's perspective. It is an attitude of opening up, a personal effort of inquiry.
   
   
3. Negotiation: Finding the necessary minimum compromise and understanding to avoid confrontation.

More concretely, interculturality can happen in two major ways in order to ensure the learning of the realities of one's culture and not just conceptions and discourses regarding the culture of the other:

• Intercultural learning: meeting the other in order to improve communication and encourage learning and understanding of the other's culture.
• Exchanges with the country of origin: to establish joint training between actors from the country of origin and from the host country.

Regional Approaches to Interculturality: Europe and Latin America:

Interculturality in the European context:

In its search for a democratic solution to the integration of different peoples within a common citizenship, the Council of Europe sheds new light on the intercultural perspective. For the Council of Europe, interculturality in a European context must be based on:

• The recognition of the rights of the individual.
• The granting to a national minority of not just free choice for the individual, but also open spaces for the social and human realities, articulations between the public and the private systems.

Therefore, what should be borne in mind if intercultural multilateral exchanges were to be successful involves:

• Exploiting individual contacts and exchanges as a follow-up to school exchange, and the educational strategies used in multinational classes.
• Combining youth and school exchanges, particularly in connection with the training of group leaders.
• Instituting more systematic training for teachers and school heads in community and individual pupil exchanges.

Interculturality in the Latin American context:

The word 'inter-cultural' refers specifically to the cultural dimension within the educational process and to socially and culturally situated meaningful learning. The 'inter-cultural' dimension of education also refers both to the curricular relationship established between native or appropriated wisdom, knowledge, and values, and those unknown and foreign.

Some countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have agreed to discuss, formulate and propose social values for a renewed ethic and citizenship identity for themselves. This goal is being pursued by: 1) systematizing the discourse and the propositions of development and integration which restore the social and cultural diversity of the Latin American states, 2) supporting a proposition on development and integration policies from the intercultural perspective, 3) supplying the organization with an ethical and instrumental framework which will provide feedback on its mission, and provide support in its dialogue with social actors.

Conclusion:

All societies today are multicultural. Multiculturalism it is a response to cultural diversity and its integration into the "national culture" - culture of the majority. Therefore, Interculturalism policies are the means to learn "how to live together"; "how to ensure the full participation of all cultures as diversity is a source of wealth only when there is interculturality"; and, "how to ensure the freedom of expression (in all of its forms) in a pluralistic/multicultural society".

General Conclusion:

Cultural policy observatories will be a source of information on different cultures, and cultural policies and programs of different countries and regions. Access to this information will allow governments to develop policies and to implement programs that will meet the objectives and needs of today's intercultural societies.

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