Cultural diversity in general
Cultural diversity has become increasingly important in Germany in recent years. This can be seen in a variety of publications[1], studies[2], programmes[3], events and projects by cultural institutions[4] on this topic. In 2013, a separate institution on diversity was established in North Rhine-Westphalia – the Zukunfts-akademie NRW as a centre for diversity in art, culture and cultural education – which, however, ceased to work due to the end of funding in late 2019, with the dossiers and handouts created remaining as a store of knowledge on the academy’s internet platform. Other important players in this area are the Federal Foreign Office, the UNESCO Commission, the Federal Cultural Foundation – regional actors are also increasingly dealing with cultural diversity..
A change from interculture to transculture[5] or diversity can also be seen in the discussion of terms in recent years.
In June 2017, the initiative DIE VIELEN (THE MANY) was launched. Its goal is “to promote international
attitudes, tolerance in all areas of culture and international understanding,
and the promotion of popular education. THE MANY wants to strengthen communication
and opportunities for action among artists, ensembles and actors in the
performing and visual arts. This applies in particular to artists for whom
theatre and art provide means to work on a society that is composed of people
of all skin colours and gender variations, sexual orientations, needs and
abilities, from religious and not religious.” The initiative has launched a Declaration
of the Many, which has now been signed as a declaration in numerous
municipalities and federal states by more than 2,500 cultural institutions as a
signal for an open society against racism, discrimination and national
authoritarianism.
[1] See, for example, the contributions in the handbook for cultural education.
[2] For example, Mandel, Birgit (2013): Intercultural Audience Development. Future strategies for publicly funded cultural institutions, Bielefeld: Transcript.
[3] For example, the programme Living Diversity – Shaping Society by the Bertelsmann Foundation.
[4] For example, the development of concepts for the diversity-oriented opening of different cultural institutions.
[5] A brief introduction to transculture is provided by the brochure of the same name.
National / international intercultural dialogue
In the global context, the most important actors and programmes in Germany are those of foreign cultural policy (see 1.4.). Particularly noteworthy here are the Goethe-Institut, the Institute for Cultural Exchange (ifa), the House of World Cultures, the Federal Foreign Office and the German UNESCO Commission (DUK). In recent years, debates on the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions have been the focus of the DUK’s activities, involving a broad alliance of political and social actors (see Chapter 1.4.2).
Many cultural institutions of various forms in cities and municipalities have committed themselves to transcultural dialogue and have developed numerous programmes and activities. In recent years, the government, especially the Federal Foreign Office, has supported the establishment of several programmes to promote cross-border intercultural dialogue. Worth mentioning is the “kulturweit” programme, a project of the German UNESCO Commission in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office. Since 2009, this international cultural voluntary service has offered young adults the opportunity to engage in cultural relations and education policy for six or twelve months. The volunteer posts are located in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America as well as in Central, South- Eastern and Eastern Europe. The aims of the programme are
on the one hand, to strengthen the intercultural competence of young adults and, on the other hand, to increase the visibility of German cultural relations and education policy institutions.
“kulturweit” is organised by the German Commission for UNESCO and is implemented through its partner organisations in cultural relations and education policy based in Germany.
In addition, institutions mentioned in Chapter 1.4 are also active in this field. Another important actor is the Federal Cultural Foundation (https://www.kulturstiftung-des-bundes.de/en) with many programmes and projects on cross-border intercultural dialogue, such as the “International Museum Fellowship Initiative” and the programme established in 2012.
“TURN – Fund for German-African Cooperation”. Some private foundations are also active in this field, such as the Mercator Foundation with its “Competence Centre for International Understanding” and the current thematic cluster on integration, or the Bosch Foundation with its projects on international understanding. Twelve German foundations, including for example, in addition to the latter, the Allianz Cultural Foundation, the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Volkswagen Foundation have formed a group of the “Engaged Europeans” have been formed, who are committed to deepening European integration with a variety of projects. Increasingly, however, regional actors are also complementing this picture.
In 1994, the Intercultural Council was founded, in which people of different origins and nationalities as well as from various social groups such as trade unions, employers’ associations, religious communities, migrant and human rights organisations, municipalities and state agencies, media, science and sport worked together. The Council, which was committed to peaceful coexistence in a multicultural society at federal, state and municipal level, initiated round tables and discussion forums and developed and tested model projects. It dissolved in July 2017.
In 2003, the second Federal Congress on Cultural Policy of the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft took place on the topic of “inter.kultur.politik” took place in Berlin. In 2005, an intercultural network called “Ratschlag Interkultur”
was founded, in which both institutions and individuals participate. It is coordinated by the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft e.V. and works together with the German UNESCO Commission. The most important projects of the initiative are the federal conferences held every two years since 2006 and the expert conferences in which theoretical and practical issues are discussed. ‘In addition, it initiates “think tanks”.
In 2009, a round table on intercultural education was launched by the Federal Cultural Foundation and seven migration associations. It aimed to develop recommendations for intercultural education in primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions as well as in cultural associations. Round tables for integration” were also founded in numerous municipalities.
The first German Islam Conference took place in 2006. It is a dialogue forum between representatives of the German state and Muslims in Germany. The aim of the long-term dialogue is to promote coexistence and social cohesion. In its first phase from 2006 to 2009, it mainly negotiated fundamental questions and worked out legal framework conditions. In its second phase from 2010 to 2013, the focus was on their implementation and the anchoring of the German Islam Conference in society. The focus of the third phase (2014 to 2017) was on strengthening Islamic welfare and social participation as well as on religious practice and participation in religious law. In its fourth phase, the Islam Conference has repositioned itself: it no longer meets in fixed forums and formats, but initiates topic- and occasion-related events and cooperations. In 2011, the Academy of the Arts of the World (www.adkdw.org/de/about#adkdw) was founded in Cologne to promote intercultural dialogue within the arts. It brings together renowned artists, musicians, dancers, theorists, authors, curators and other cultural actors from all over the world and from all disciplines who, as a society of artists, determine and shape the Academy’s programme.
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