Intercultural Learning and Non-Formal Education

Intercultural Learning and Non-Formal Education

Balasanyan, Gurgen

The modern world of globalization offers a vast field for bringing cultures together and making the previous distances disappear. Nowadays, people with different cultural backgrounds share the same neighborhood. The question is whether people representing different cultures live next to each other hating the others and the diversity or whether they appreciate the value of intercultural society; whether the interaction between the two presupposes an inevitable clash or it is rather a process leading to harmony; whether different cultures can coexist based on mutual acceptance or respect; whether there are some processes to go through and whether there are certain difficulties to cope with. The paper introduces the dimension of cultures, the possible fusions and clashes among the societies or individuals representing different cultural backgrounds and sharing different mindsets on reality. It targets the question of how to deal with difference; how to build trust and tolerance between the representatives of an oriental culture with that of western; how to have a Christian live next to a Muslim? How can we valorize those cultures and learn throughout the process? Speaking of learning in intercultural communication, the paper underlines the key competences that should be developed in the ―citizen of the world‖. When doing so, we introduce alternative approaches to the process of information acquisition, sharing, and breaking the barricades – non-formal education tools found in the paper tend to bring interculturality to the level of consciousness and develop the sense of ―devouring diversity‖ from a more practical point of view.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2011-05

80