The Chair in Cultural Studies and Department of Ethnocultural Policy organises an international conference entitled 'Multiculturalism - a social fact or a failed political project?', which will be held on 22 May 2017 at Villa Decius in Kraków.
The issue of multiculturalism has become a part of the debate on ‘liquid modernity’ – a term established by Zygmunt Bauman – and thus continues to be re-examined from the viewpoints of often opposing perspectives. Multiculturalism as an ongoing process has therefore its supporters and opponents, and their voices are growing ever more louder. The experience of European countries related to ineffective control over the influx of asylum seekers from the Middle East, in conjunction with the lack of a clear vision on immigration policy in the European Union – are causing specific socio-political results. One of those is growing social unwillingness to support an open border policy between the EU countries and the rise of right wing political parties. Social attitudes that are open to diversity are pushed back by xenophobia-motivated ethnic or even racial exclusion. This causes growing instability of the system, revealing movements contesting the pattern of competitive political process in European democracies.
At the bottom of this dynamic multicultural phenomenon, we find a model of intercultural relations that seems to be equally dynamic. This model should be managed by stable and approved legal regulations and ought to be derived from mutual cultural openness. This theoretical assumption, however, is extremely difficult from the practical point of view. The forthcoming months will show if xenophobic attitudes will prevail in Europe.
Themes that will be discussed and analysed during the conference will be related to broadly understood issues of:
- Political aspects of multiculturalism
- Nation state and multiculturalism
- Multiculturalism at the local level
- Multiculturalism – theoretical challenges
- The positive aspects of multiculturalism
- Crisis of ‘multiculti’ concept?
- Migration and refuge
- Media images of multiculturalism
- Multiculturalism and hate speech
- Multiculturalism in a creative space
- Multiculturalism in action – the activities of NGOs