Training course: The end of culture ? – Investigations in the Theory and Practice of Interculturality

Location: Armenia

Dates: 24 March – 2 April 2016

Number of participants: 24

The end of culture ? – Investigations in the Theory and Practice of Interculturality

A seminar dedicated to the critical reflection on concepts related to intercultural learning as well as to the sharing and development of new tools in this field.

Although the concepts of Intercultural Learning and Dialogue have attracted severe criticism in the last decade from several sides it still forms an important role in the self-conceptions of international youth work. One could reduce this persistency to the argument that it just forms a traditional concept, which keeps to be transmitted without further reflections. However it can also be seen as a sign that the frames of culture and cultural identity posses a quality and refer to experiences which can’t easily be dissolved completely. It therefore seems a promising approach to organise a critical reflection on its basic assumptions and to transform it in a way, which suit the complexity of modern societies without neglecting the role it can play in the (self-) perception of young people.

Looking at the available literature in the academic world there is already a huge source of inspiration, which also have relevant aspects for the practice. However the bigger part of the articles and studies are written in a way, which make the access for people working in the field rather difficult. Another common limitation of the available literature is that it is focused on deconstructing the approaches on a theoretical level but sometimes fail to address the consequence for the youth work practice.

Taken into account the described context the seminar “The end of culture? – Investigations in the Theory and Practice of Intercultuality” therefore aims to connect both spheres through combining theoretical reflections with the discussion and further development of tools in this field.

The specific objectives of the project are:
– To give youth workers and youth leaders a deeper insight in contemporary debates in the field of Intercultural Learning and Dialogue and to examine related concepts and their underlying assumptions
– To explore the connections between intercultural learning and other important youth work fields
– To connect theory with practice through the sharing, analyzing and further development of methods and tools in the field of Intercultural Learning and Dialogue
– To develop follow up projects in the thematic field of the seminar, which will make use of the discussion outcomes

Organizers

DIALOGOS is an association of youth workers and trainers, established in 2015 in Germany. It is formed by professionals in the field of international youth work and social work and is aiming to provide expertise for activities in this field. It is mainly active in the conception and implementation of trainings and seminar for youth work multipliers as well as in capacity buildung measures for civil society actors in different countries.
A special emphasis is put on the link between educational research and practice, believing that both spheres can have mutual benefits from each other.

Click to access Theendofculture.pdf