Global Cooperation Through Cultural Diversity: Remaking Democracy?

This special issue within the Global Dialogues series reports on an exploration of the relationship between cultural diversity and democratic global cooperation. Usually cultural differences are assumed to be a problem and a hindrance for people to work together in a democratic way. But could it be instead an opportunity for constructive and democratic global public policy? To consider this possibility the Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research (KHK/GCR21) in collaboration with the Building Global Democracy programme (BGD) convened a working group of ten researchers with extensive experience in theories and practices of cultural politics. Indeed, the group itself encompassed large geographical, social, disciplinary and ideological diversities.
In November 2013 the working group met for a workshop at KHK/GCR21 offices in Duisburg, Germany. After this meeting the participants rewrote their individual reflections in the light of their dialogue together. They suggest an alternative of ‘transculturalism’ might make diversity and difference a major asset for effective responses to pressing global issues. Addressing both, the promises and the pitfalls, this booklet offers to open wider horizons for, and invigorate further debate on, democratic global cooperation.

With contributions by Ahmed Badawi, Karen Busby, Nadezhda Fedotova, Sitiveni Halapua, Charity Musamba, Lynn Mario T. Menezes de Souza, Zeynep Sezgin, Paul Brendan Tjon Sie Fat, Shiv Visvanathan, Yang Xuedong