Culture is, in its broader sense, a system of meanings through which we perceive the world. Culture has been approached differently along the years. It has evolved from an essentialist perspective to a constructivist perspective. The essentialist view presents culture as predefined and static set of characteristics, while in the constructivist view culture is understood as dynamic and internally complex.  Culture evolves and is shaped in interaction with others; it is fluid in expression and continuously adapting to the realities lived and perceived by its members. It is influenced by the exchanges between its members and members of other cultures, by cultural and economic exchanges, by globalisation, etc.

Critical thinking is the ability to form our own opinion from a variety of sources, to think though complex issues in a complex way. Critical thinking opens our minds in the face of stereotypes and any attempts of manipulation. It is a tool through which we can develop a more in-depth understanding of social, political and economic realities and power relations.

Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s condition from their perspective. It is colloquially phrased as “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes”. Our ability and readiness to suspend judgment and to value cultural diversity does not concern the brain alone. Intercultural encounters often involve unlearning certainties and being confronted with our personal attitudes and beliefs.

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s cultural group is superior to the other. Ethnocentric persons experience their culture as central to reality and all others are scaled and related with reference to it; they see their own standards and values as universals and have the tendency to judge other groups in relation to their own.

A human-rights based approach in education refers to a conceptual framework which promotes and protects human rights. It seeks to analyse issues from a human rights perspective, to redress injustice and discrimination.

Identity is a complex and contextually sensitive combination of elements, which define an individual through time, situations, contexts and settings. Identity encompasses physical, social, cultural, political, economic and geographical dimensions. It can be self-assigned (how a person perceives himself or herself) and hetero-assigned (how others perceive a person’s identity). Freedom to choose one’s own culture and identity is fundamental. The White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue states the following: “No one should be confined against their will within a particular group, community, thought-system or world view, but should be free to renounce past choices and make new ones – as long as they are consistent with universal values of human rights, democracy and rule of law.”

Intercultural competence (ICC) is defined as qualities* needed for a young person to live in contemporary and pluralistic Europe. It enables her/him to take an active role in confronting social injustice and discrimination and promote and protect human rights. ICC requires an understanding of culture as a dynamic multifaceted process. In addition, it requires an increased sense of solidarity in which individual fear of the other and insecurity are dealt with through critical thinking, empathy, and tolerance of ambiguity.

*qualities: demonstrates a holistic understanding of the individual combining knowledge,        skills, values, and attitudes.

Intercultural dialogue is defined as an open and respectful exchange of views between individuals, groups with different backgrounds, on the basis of mutual understanding and respect¹. The ultimate purpose of this exchange is to create a cooperative and willing environment for overcoming political and social tensions².

^[1] White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue: www.coe.int/t/dg4/intercultural/source/white%20paper_final_revised_en.pdf

^[2] Rainbow Paper: Intercultural Dialogue – From Practice to Policy and Back: www.intercultural-europe.org

Intercultural Education aims to go beyond passive coexistence, to achieve a developing and sustainable way of living together in multicultural societies through the creation of understanding of, respect for and dialogue between the different cultural groups¹. Intercultural education refers primarily to formal education, while intercultural learning refers mainly to non-formal education.

^[1] UNESCO Guidelines for Intercultural Education, 2006

Intercultural learning is a process of social education aimed at promoting a positive relationship between people and groups from different cultural backgrounds, based upon mutual recognition, equality of dignity, and giving a positive value to cultural differences¹. The main purpose of intercultural learning is to inflect ethnocentric perspectives, fight prejudices and promote solidarity actions that support equality in human dignity and respect for the plurality of cultural identities².
 

^[1] Equipo Claves, quoted in the T-Kit 11 "Mosaic", partnership between the European Commission and the Council of Europe in the field of youth, 2010

^[2] Cunha, T. & Gomes, R. (2009).Against the waste of experiences in intercultural learning.

Multiperspectivity is the ability to incorporate multiple perspectives on the same subject and willingness to regard a situation from different points of view, to not limit ourselves to a single narrative. This requires a series of preconditions: an understanding of the fact that our perspective, our interpretation of the situation is filtered through our own social and cultural context and could possibly be biased or stereotyped; the willingness to accept that there are other perspectives, other interpretations that may be equally valid and equally partial.

Tokenism is the practice of making superficial changes in order to create a false impression of representation. Most often it refers to the inclusion of members of diverse groups only to give the appearances of being fair and inclusive, without actual engagement and involvement.

Tolerance of ambiguity is the ability of accepting and dealing constructively with the ‘unknown’. Intercultural encounters are often scattered with insecurity and uncertainty, but our minds need to be in the ‘known’ and make continuous efforts to put new information in pre-existing categories, to find a quick solution to any problem. It is difficult to stay in uncertainty or hold two conflicting opinions at the same time, but if we reject quick answers and pre-existing categories, if we stay with the question despite the discomfort we make room for new connections and a deeper understanding of the situation.

A worldview is a particular conception of the world or philosophy of life. The components that make up a worldview include our interpretation of phenomena in the world, what goes on around us including the goodness or badness that we assign to behaviour, things and ideas. In intercultural dialogue processes it is important to understand that people have different worldviews and not to impose our own worldview upon the others.