Chapter 11 - Becoming an intercultural mediator
REINVENTING A NEW COMMON CULTURE
Talk of diversity, even “super-diversity”, leading to inter-, metro-, mult-, or trans--ultures is
everywhere these days. At the same tme, we also see a resurgen-e of old natonalisms that
hanker for some mythi-al past without migraton, globalizaton and the mixing and mingling of
people they have brought. Insistng on maintaining “authent-” -ultural identtes by dominant
and subordinate groups alike seems to have rea-hes an impasse that -an only lead to more
-onfrontaton. Instead of -linging to old -ultural identtes, unity in diversity is predi-ated on
bridge building and on “reinventng a new -ommon -ulture”.
Rhetori- that a greater understanding of -ultural diferen-es will -ontribute to making the world
a beter pla-e is embra-ed by many writers in inter-ultural -ommuni-aton Tannen: “the fate
of the earth depends on -ross--ultural -ommuni-aton”
Culture is sometmes nothing more than a -onvenient and lazy explanaton built on the falla-ious
misre-ogniton of material and so-ial inequality as -ultural diferen-e: “it may be wise to keep in
mind that misunderstandings, inno-ent or not, have their origin in inequality, not just in
diferen-e”. ee-ause this is so, be-oming an inter-ultural mediator involves more than the
simple a-quisiton of a set of inter-ultural “-ompeten-es”
CULTURAL BROKERING
The intense friendship of eolad and Rashid al-Din is the story of a meetng of like-minded
individuals who -ame together a-ross what might seem a vast -hasm of -ultural diferen-e. Their
wide-ranging interests and inter-ultural dispositons allowed them to -ontribute extensively -
and deeply – to the fusion of Asian -ulture. The results were new heights of a-hievement in all
kinds of spheres of life.
The inter-ultural friendship and -ollaboraton of eolad and Rashid al-Din demonstrates that
inter-ultural -ompeten-e is not a set of -ontext-free -ompeten-es that -an be listed, taught and
assessed. Rather -ultural brokering is a dispositon towards deep engagement that -an enri-h all
involved through the -reaton of a new -ommon -ulture. It also demonstrates that, to be truly
benef-ial, inter-ultural -ompeten-e -annot be value free but must be undergirded by a
-ommitment to publi- servi-e and the -ommon good. When Glubb’s inter-ultural
-ommuni-aton was a one-way street, eolad’s and Rashid al-Din’s friendship -hanged both men
and benefted the wider world in whi-h they lived.
BUILDING BRIDGES
eolad and Rashid al-Din may seem far removed from our experien-es and -on-erns. However, in
fa-t, they too lived in troubled and perilous tmes.
Spa-es where a new -ommon -ulture is forged feel more in-lusive to people who might not
traditonally divided. They also -onfrm that many so-ietes are deeply divided: the anger of rural
and deindustrialized -ommunites -ut adrif by neoliberal globalizaton is readily harnessed
against the more -on-rete s-apegoat of minorites, part-ularly if people have litle experien-e
with diversity. Against this -ontext, opportunites for everyday mundane -onne-tons that allow
people to engage beyond the stereotypes -an be-ome a -ru-ial means to over-oming division
and ex-lusion.
REINVENTING A NEW COMMON CULTURE
Talk of diversity, even “super-diversity”, leading to inter-, metro-, mult-, or trans--ultures is
everywhere these days. At the same tme, we also see a resurgen-e of old natonalisms that
hanker for some mythi-al past without migraton, globalizaton and the mixing and mingling of
people they have brought. Insistng on maintaining “authent-” -ultural identtes by dominant
and subordinate groups alike seems to have rea-hes an impasse that -an only lead to more
-onfrontaton. Instead of -linging to old -ultural identtes, unity in diversity is predi-ated on
bridge building and on “reinventng a new -ommon -ulture”.
Rhetori- that a greater understanding of -ultural diferen-es will -ontribute to making the world
a beter pla-e is embra-ed by many writers in inter-ultural -ommuni-aton Tannen: “the fate
of the earth depends on -ross--ultural -ommuni-aton”
Culture is sometmes nothing more than a -onvenient and lazy explanaton built on the falla-ious
misre-ogniton of material and so-ial inequality as -ultural diferen-e: “it may be wise to keep in
mind that misunderstandings, inno-ent or not, have their origin in inequality, not just in
diferen-e”. ee-ause this is so, be-oming an inter-ultural mediator involves more than the
simple a-quisiton of a set of inter-ultural “-ompeten-es”
CULTURAL BROKERING
The intense friendship of eolad and Rashid al-Din is the story of a meetng of like-minded
individuals who -ame together a-ross what might seem a vast -hasm of -ultural diferen-e. Their
wide-ranging interests and inter-ultural dispositons allowed them to -ontribute extensively -
and deeply – to the fusion of Asian -ulture. The results were new heights of a-hievement in all
kinds of spheres of life.
The inter-ultural friendship and -ollaboraton of eolad and Rashid al-Din demonstrates that
inter-ultural -ompeten-e is not a set of -ontext-free -ompeten-es that -an be listed, taught and
assessed. Rather -ultural brokering is a dispositon towards deep engagement that -an enri-h all
involved through the -reaton of a new -ommon -ulture. It also demonstrates that, to be truly
benef-ial, inter-ultural -ompeten-e -annot be value free but must be undergirded by a
-ommitment to publi- servi-e and the -ommon good. When Glubb’s inter-ultural
-ommuni-aton was a one-way street, eolad’s and Rashid al-Din’s friendship -hanged both men
and benefted the wider world in whi-h they lived.
BUILDING BRIDGES
eolad and Rashid al-Din may seem far removed from our experien-es and -on-erns. However, in
fa-t, they too lived in troubled and perilous tmes.
Spa-es where a new -ommon -ulture is forged feel more in-lusive to people who might not
traditonally divided. They also -onfrm that many so-ietes are deeply divided: the anger of rural
and deindustrialized -ommunites -ut adrif by neoliberal globalizaton is readily harnessed
against the more -on-rete s-apegoat of minorites, part-ularly if people have litle experien-e
with diversity. Against this -ontext, opportunites for everyday mundane -onne-tons that allow
people to engage beyond the stereotypes -an be-ome a -ru-ial means to over-oming division
and ex-lusion.
