World needs new global cultural order : Arab researcher 2012-05-03 17:06:01
Abu Dhabi, 3rd May 2012 (WAM) — A prominent Arab researcher and thinker has
stressed the need for a new global cultural arrangement that will restore meaning and harmony to the international system and provide hope for a better future.
In a lecture ” The Role of Culture in Building Dialogue Between Nations” hosted by
the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) on Wednesday,
Dr. Mohamed Sa’adi, Associate Professor,University of Mohammed the First in the Kingdom of Morocco, said :”Over the last two decades, the concept of intercultural dialogue has become both common and controversial in the intellectual arena as a result of its close association with the problems surrounding identity, namely: cultural policies, interaction of cultures, cultural globalization, the “clash of civilizations,” cultural domination, stereotyping of cultures, culture’s place in international policy, international interaction between religions, and the right to cultural diversity.
Moreover, he noted, the need for culture in the dialogue between civilizations has grown owing to the impaired ability of communities to control their surroundings and environment, and the exacerbation of international fragmentation and instability.
”Therefore, we are in need of a new global cultural arrangement that will restore meaning and harmony to the international system and provide hope for a better future.
The fate of humanity depends on cultures becoming the consciences of the world via an integrated and consolidated vision that corresponds to our moral, material and spiritual needs, and which protects societies from crises,” added Sa’adi, who in 2007 received the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Book Award (Young Author category) for his publication: The Future of International Relations: From the Clash of Civilizations to the Humanization of Civilization and Peace Culture.
”Coexistence has become necessary to restore global peace and stability. Many aspects of post-Cold War world history confirm that dialogue between cultures is not just an intellectual luxury, but rather a necessary in the process of building a less violent, more humane and just world.
”Thus the most important challenge of the 21st century is to understand our differences and learn how to tackle them and establish more effective cross-cultural communication. It is time to re-examine culture’s role in the international arena, not as a means to foster conflict, but rather as a positive strategic tool in building a more humanitarian form of international governance. This is no less important than geopolitical and geo-economic considerations in shaping the future of international policy.
Sa’adi teaches Human Rights, Political Science and International Humanitarian Law.
He has participated in many national and international conferences and published numerous academic studies related to human rights and the role of culture and identity in the contemporary world. He is a member of a number scientific and academic bodies concerned with peace culture, intercultural dialogue, and migration and human rights. He also provides a number of national and international training courses in the field of human rights.
He has also written several books including: Thesis to Understand the New World: The End of the World, the Clash of Civilizations, and the New World Disorder (2001); and Future of International Relations: From the Clash of Civilizations to the Humanization of Civilization and Peace Culture (2008); and Human Rights: Foundations, Concepts and Institutions (2012).
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