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International Course Announcement

announcement - programme - report - collection of papers

Redefining Cultural Identities: The Multicultural Contexts of the Central European and Mediterranean Regions

Inter-University Center for Post Graduate Studies, Dubrovnik
Institute for International Relations, Zagreb

Dubrovnik, 10 - 20 May 2000

Course Directors

Nada Švob-Đokić, Institute for International Relations, Zagreb and Miquel Strubell Trueta, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona

Resource Persons

Bojan Brežigar (Trieste), Sanjin Dragojević (Zagreb), Gvozden Flego (Zagreb), Vjeran Katunarić (Zagreb), Dona Kolar-Panov (Skopje), Laszlo Kurti (Lajosmizse), Peter Lagler (Budapest), Colin Mercer (Nottingham), Sonja Novak-Lukanovič (Ljubljana), Zrinjka Peruško-Čulek (Zagreb), Jirina Smeikalova (Durham), Miquel Strubell Trueta (Barcelona), Ronald Sultana (Malta), Milena Sesić-Dragičević (Belgrade), Dubravko Škiljan (Zagreb), Nada Švob-Đokić (Zagreb), Ivan Vitanyi (Budapest), Sue Wright (Aston)

Background, Objectives and Program Outline

The course is devoted to the assessment of the identity changes in the regions of Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Such changes are induced by the political, economic and systemic developments which have fully revealed the multicultural contexts of regional development and the need to strengthen regional intercultural communication.

The change of identities of both majority and minority groups in the regions will be analyzed through the particular aspects of specialized policies (cultural, educational, mass media, linguistic, etc.) and the developments in these fields. The awareness and knowledge of the identity changes is a key to better mutual communication and understanding.

The issues to be presented and discussed through an assessment of cultural, educational, mass media and linguistic policies and aspects of cultural development (particularly the development of cultural industries) include the following:

  • processes of cultural (re)identification in the transitional countries of the region; breakdown of the corporate cultural identities (e.g., Yugoslav); revival of ethnicities and ethnic cultural values; redefinition of concepts of national cultures that may lead to the promotion of concepts of cultural tolerance, cultural interactions and intercultural communication;
  • introduction of multiculturalism as a relatively new concept in the region; formation of new cultural values and identifications in the global context; cultural diversity and cultural interactivity on the local, regional and national levels; cultural pluralism and dialogue among cultures and societies; transborder cultural communication in the perspective of interstate relations;
  • democratization of cultures, growth of civil society and intercultural communication.

Program

The program is structured so as to enable the analysis of the mentioned issues through:

  • the role of cultural policies
  • the role of the mass media and media policies
  • the role of education programs and policies
  • the role of linguistic policies and assertion of local languages
  • the development of cultural industries, new technologies and cultural employment.

Work Format

The course combines standard lectures followed by discussion (questions, answers, comments) with daily held workshops, planned to stimulate interventions by the participants (students and resource persons). The course is envisaged to be an interactive course with a dynamic exchange of knowledge.

Lecturers and workshop chairs will be asked to submit the papers which will be published in a compendium (a kind of reader) on the redefinition of cultural identities in the Central European and Mediterranean regions.

Registration Contact

Dr. Nada Švob-Đokić,
Scientific Adviser
Institute for International Relations
Lj.F. Vukotinovića 2/II
10000 Zagreb, Croatia

nada@irmo.hr
Phone: +385 1 48 26 522
Fax: +385 1 48 28 361

IUC Inter–University Centre Dubrovnik
Don Frana Bulića 4
HR-20000 Dubrovnik
Croatia

iuc@du.tel.hr
Phone: +385 20 413 626/ 627
Fax: +385 20 413 628



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