Od Federacji Zespołów Badań Pogranicza do Stowarzyszenia Wspierania Edukacji Międzykulturowej

Abstract

The author shows the way how Borderland Research Group Federation conducted scientific activities and its continuation by the Association for Supporting Intercultural Education. The Federation was created in 1994 at the 1-st International Conference “Intercultural Education”, which was led by the Department of Intercultural Education at the University of Bialystok. The author also shows the process of active participation in European and global culture by understanding one’s own identity – starting from being aware of local and regional identity as well as other cultures’ existence towards interaction and conscious communication with other cultures. Challenges of intercultural education and the creation of multicultural society were issues considered by interdisciplinary research groups in the Federation. Many academic articles and dissertations have been published, also university degrees and grades have been gained. Many years of research led academics to the conclusion that a new Association for Supporting Intercultural Education should be created. The aim of the Association is to support scientific research and educational activities concerning local and global problems in the area of multicultural and intercultural education. New phenomena and social processes have been noticed, e.g. glocalism in the modern world and aims of glocal education. We consider as necessary to oppose to: aggressive ethnocentrism, hegemony of one’s own values, xenophobia, nationalism, discrimination, fanaticism, etc. We are also considering the problem of European citizenships. What should be done in Europe so that Europeans might feel Europeans not only with regard to great consumption or benefiting from the welfare state? In our opinion, we should revise cultural relativism and political correctness and preserve the cultural sphere, etc.