The different societies and regions of the world are developing original perspectives on diversity, cultural rapprochement and intercultural dialogue. These perspectives arise through the complex interactions between regional structures, governmental bodies, civil society and cultural institutions. The tools available to these actors are easily identifiable on a global scale, particularly those regularly produced by UNESCO. However, other tools exist - intercultural universities, virtual libraries, training programs for urban policies, MOOCS, video conferences, virtual exhibitions, online archives, to name but a few - their visibility limited by their fragmented distribution. It is through these resources that countries and regions succeed in producing responses in support and promotion of diversity adapted to their context specific problems.
This book provides a reinterpretation of the concept of intercultural dialogue rooted in regional perspectives on diversity, giving a broad panorama of the shared theoretical, practical and technical tools and online resources available.
This book comprises three parts. Part 1 examines the perspectives selected for our inquiry from a conceptual and reflective standpoint. Topics covered will include the notions of diversity and dialogue, an examination of these notions, and finally our methodology. Part 2 introduces the regions (in the sense established by UNESCO), their diversity-related characteristics and issues, and the regional strategies adopted in order to promote not only diversity but also rapprochement and dialogue. Finally, Part 3 details the various actions that embody the regions’ strategies and broad orientations, with each action being presented based on its underlying aims. Parts 2 and 3 represent two different ways of approaching the shared and shareable resources in question, of which we hope to present the most promising aspects.