Global and Intercultural Studies: An Introduction

What is “Interculturalism”? For one thing, it’s a word that my spell check is creating a red squiggly line under, so it’s a relatively new concept. A better definition: Interculturalism refers to support for cross-cultural dialogue and challenging self-segregation tendencies within cultures. Interculturalism involves moving beyond merely accepting that multiple cultures exist, and instead promotes dialogue, understanding, and interaction between cultures.

Why bother with intercultural studies?

Why bother with intercultural studies? Society has moved towards a global economy, and many of the available jobs in this world are with multinational companies that require interactions with and understandings of other cultures

Why bother with intercultural studies? It can be dangerous to assume that we know best when it comes to how the world should operate and/or how other cultures should behave. Replace “America” with whatever culture you identify with and this may just ring true.

Why bother with intercultural studies? Having “intercultural competency” – the right skills, aptitudes, and dispositions necessary to navigate and excel in a highly fluid, globalized, and increasingly competitive environment – is a valuable skillset to expand

Beware of the shallow side of travelling: