Transatlantic Dialogue 2017

Transatlantic Dialogue No 4 2017 Creating Human Bonds through Cultural Diplomacy

Patronage & Auspices: Under the high patronage of Her Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Under the auspices of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr. Thorbjørn Jagland

and the patronage of the European Parliament

Foreword

problems, to engage in creative expression, to serve others purposefully, and to help those around us to do the same.

This is the enduring outcome of a liberal education, which remains the best hope for bringing a diversity of perspectives and The theme of the Transatlantic knowledge to addressing our most Dialogue 2017 ‘Creating Human vexing problems.

Our time here steers the course Bonds through Cultural Diplomacy’ is most generous and this mo- of not only our lives individually, ment truly seems to me also very but of our collective future together in this complicated, ever changwell chosen.

More than ever before, cultural ing world.

This way of thinking and of diplomacy has a vital role to play in international relations, enabling teaching ourselves to think, is us to appreciate and promote part of our DNA with liberal edpoints of inter-sectionalism and ucation at its core. Through our commitment to liberal education, common bonds.

Bridging differences begins we could develop the capacity and with approaching others with the empathy to discern for complex will to acknowledge and under- understandings of the knotty isstand their and our own identity sues that confront us now and in the future. and cultural ‘otherness’.

It is my belief that we must do Universities have a key role to play in this regard and this truly in- much more. If we want to achieve terdisciplinary forum will for sure a true peace and understanding offer multiple perspectives on how between people, we should focus not on the lowest common dethis can be achieved.

The challenges our world pre- nominator, but we must work tosents today can seem unprece- wards the highest one.

Let’s take up this responsibildented. Profound differences over the complex issues confronting us, ity not for the sake manifest themselves in loud and of recognition but often discouraging public debates because we have a and over everything from how we best responsibility foster human prosperity to how obligation to provide we address each other on an equal leadership where we are called to foot in its many forms, protect our do so. fundamental freedoms, and care for the most vulnerable and mar- Let me close and share with you a quote by His Holiness the Dalai ginalized among us.

The challenges that come to us Lama: ‘The reality today is that we from the outside are no less com- are all interdependent and have plex as we struggle with multiple, to co-exist on this small planet. competing interests and unintend- Therefore, the only sensible and ed consequences in a deeply inter- intelligent way of resolving differences and clashes of interests, connected world.

If we are building an integral whether between individuals or human community in which all of nations, is through dialogue.’ us are thriving, we will be prepared throughout our lives to generate François Carbon new knowledge and solve new TAD’17 Conference Chair

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Index

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Foreword, F. Carbon

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Introduction, G. Arendt

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Editorial

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Official Opening

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Plenary Keynote: Creating Human Bonds through Cultural Diplomacy

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The ECP Symposium: The Growing Role for European Art and Artists in Cultural Diplomacy and the Development of TransAtlantic Cultural Bonds

Erasmus+ and Culture, M. Reicherts

028

Creating Bonds Through Artistic Creation, Dr. G. Budach, P. Szpinda, R. Caranfil, Z. Silonova, J. Bürger, I. Babkovic, J. Schmidt, and D. Weyer

034

Infusing Cultural Diversity and Global Intercultural Dialogue into the Study of Tertiary/Higher Education, Dr. J. Rogers, Dr. D. Gregory, Dr. B. Kurisky, and T. Sherrard

036

Connecting Communities Through Heritage, Prof. Dr. W. Coudenys, L. de Clercq, J. Neyrinck, and S. Beck

080

Tibetan Meditation I, Lama J. Namgyal

038

Multicultural Diplomacy, Dr. E. Murdock

085

Plenary Round Table: How Can Universities Harness the Potential of Cultural Diplomacy to Transform Societies?

040

108

Constitutional Meeting of the moving.lab

Building a Culture of Dialogue and Peace, L. Spanjers, M. van Ingelghem, and Students of the IEC (International Educating Class)

086

Music in European History, E. Hennicot-Schoepges; Jazz Diplomacy and Cultural Dialogue, J. Ketterer

138

Popular Open Air Festival and Barbecue

144

Tibetan Meditation II, Lama J. Namgyal

088

147

Plenary Session: The Role for Art and Artists in Cultural Diplomacy and the Development of Trans-Atlantic Cultural Bonds Between Europe and USA

Defining Creativity and Creative Identity: Maximizing Opportunities for Cultural Diplomacy, Dr. M. Welkener

090

Where They Really Are: A Curricular Approach to Cultural Competency, Dr. Z. Chu and A. Brown

092

From Immigration to Integration: Exploring the Possibilities for Higher Education’s Response to the Migration Crisis, Dr. H. Charles and H. Teekens

096

What Are We Speaking About, When We Are Speaking About Gender?, Dr. C. Baltes-Löhr

098

International Higher Education Policy as Cultural Diplomacy in Asia, Dr. M. Sugimura; How the Universal Design University Fosters Inclusion in Societies, Dr. J. Powell

102

Using Graduate Education to Forward Cultural Diplomacy in Transforming Society, Dr. P. Havice and Dr. T. Cawthon

104

Cultural Diplomacy and Tourism, Prof. Dr. K. Heuwinkel

180

Cultural Cocktail and Closing Dinner

Parallel Panel Sessions

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What is the Role of Culture in Negotiating Problems Facing Humanity?

Multilingualism and Intercultural Dialogue: Insights into an International and Multilingual University, Dr. A. Hu

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Domestic Dimension of a Divided Society’s Cultural Diplomacy, J. P. Jurková, PhD

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The European Capitals of Culture Program as a Tool of Cultural Diplomacy: A Comparative Survey in France, Sweden, Poland and Italy, M. Jaffré, PhD and E. Raevskikh, PhD

106

Connected: Using Contemplation and Artistic Expression to Explore Our Common Humanity, J. Pruy and R. Liegeois

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Body Language Atelier I, Prof. A. Bulanda-Pantalacci, B. Jurca, and N. Schmidt

148

Parliamentary Diplomacy – Interpretation and Action – Cultural Diplomacy, M. di Bartolomeo

120

Instant Theater, A. Alfaro, M. Haberstroh, D. Rakovac, and N. Roob (GrAFiTi)

150

Cultural Creativity in Foreign Relations, C. Krieger

122

152

The Role of the European Court of Justice in Protecting the Human Rights, F. Biltgen

Movement Based Expressive Arts ‘Your Personal Sustainable Development and Daily Energy Management’ & ‘Planetary Dance’, A. M. Welter and E. Mott

124

How Can the Military Support UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace & Security?, Dr. E. Lape

Body Language Atelier II, Prof. A. Bulanda-Pantalacci, B. Jurca, and N. Schmidt

132

Musical Portraits – New Light Through Musical Reflection, K. Humle

134

Exploring Differing Attitudes to Cultural Diversity – Tolerating or Celebrating ‘the Other’?, Prof. V. Dhupa

Roundtable Discussions

072

Decolonizing International Education

by Confronting our Historical Context, T. Sherrard

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Governments and Cultural Diplomacy: Soft Power, Transformative Results, D. M. Pattarini

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Sexual Assault on University Campuses. A Culture of Hegemonic Masculinity, B. Cash; The Impact of International Education Initiatives on Cultural Diplomacy Development, N. Cruz; Speaking Across Nations: Using Storytelling to Cultivate Cultural Diplomacy, M. Taylor, C. Barnes, and S. Davis

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Student Conduct as an Avenue for Sustainable Character Development, E. Chandras

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158

Justice as Unfairness: Historical Justice and Human Rights in Lithuania’s (Soviet) Genocide Cases, Dr. N. Klumbyte

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Storytelling as Art-Based Social Justice Praxis, B. Zamora and R. Lange

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International Panel on the Art of Cultural Diplomacy: Cultural Diplomacy In and Outside Academia ‘Students as Global Citizens’, T. N. Coppett, D. K. Pinillos Matsuda, PhD, K. G . Nonoa, PhD, and J. Reagan

166

Fostering Global Connectivity Creatively, Collaboratively and Harmoniously: Young Artist Musical Ambassadors (YAMA), Dr. C. Robertson

168

Recognizing Difference and Minimizing Otherness – Higher Education Response to Diversity in South Africa, Dr. B. Schreiber

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The Role of Mexican Cultural Diplomacy and the Challenges We Face Towards a New World Order, Prof. emer. Dr. J.-P. Lehners and G. M. Vélez Pérez

Parallel Creative Ateliers

174

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Industrial Heritage in Belval – Basics About Video Filming on Location, E. van der Torre

Supporting Cultural Diplomacy through Co-Curricular Programs, Dr. E. G. Whipple

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Curiosity and Creativity – Sources of Cultural Understanding, Dr. D. C. Roberts

Models for Applying Scholarship to Practice, Dr. M. E. Wilson

178

Utilizing Counter Storytelling and History Education as Anti-Racist Praxis, S.Lambert

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Your Personal Sustainable Development and Daily Energy Management.

Movement Based Expressive Arts for Wellbeing and Success, A. M. Welter

Introduction

Cultural diplomacy is currently at the forefront of many ongoing discussions about the role of culture in international and external relations. Particularly at the level of the European Union, culture ministers recently dealt with a number of texts on the topic, such as the conclusions adopted under Luxembourg’s presidency of the Council of the European Union in November 2015, the joint communication published by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission in June 2016, and, last but not least, the Council conclusions prepared by the Maltese Presidency for the Council on May 23rd this year.

These discussions and documents put a strong emphasis on fundamental elements with regard to culture and cultural diplomacy, such as: the necessity to aim at generating a new spirit of dialogue, mutual listening and learn-

ing, joint capacity building and global solidarity; the contribution of culture to the building of longterm relationships based on people-to-people exchange, mutual understanding, trust and credibility; the paradigm change from cultural diplomacy to international cultural relations; the necessity, more than ever, of keeping up the dialogue, etc.

Let me put these elements in relation with the Transatlantic Dialogue series of the University of Luxembourg: three years ago, the 3rd Transatlantic Dialogue addressed the issue of connecting through culture and global citizenship; the 2017 edition of the TAD puts the emphasis on creating human bonds. Usually, three years is not such long a time, but in today’s sped up world, it may seem like an eternity, considering that current affairs are hurtling along at such a speed that keeping up becomes increasingly challenging, not only for politicians, but also for humankind in general. Therefore, I would like to commend the TAD for abiding by its commitment to remind us of what is most important and what should be at the centre of all discussions: humans connecting and bonding.

It undoubtedly is safe to say that, by way of their ability to communicate the depth of the human condition, art and culture are essential not only in creating human bonds, but also in reinforcing them. This could not happen anywhere else than between humans.

It is what makes the real difference and what makes us go beyond mere diplomacy.

catchword, but that it encompasses many meanings and realities.

We all bring along our cultures, traditions, ways of thinking, and by doing so, we all express your different backgrounds. At the same time, it must be clear that culture carries fundamental values and cannot be used to put into question the universality, indivisibility, inter-relatedness and interdependence of all human rights.

2. Culture is essential to express our identities, our differences, our diversity. And, let’s face it: it is often also much more effective at linking people than some elaborate policy measures. It should therefore be given its rightful place not only as an instrument, but as a component of policy relations, in full respect of its different meanings and the values it carries, as I suggested in point 1).

3. Culture and cultural diversity are talked about a lot and celebrated even more. But they do not always need to be talked about - they need to be lived. Indeed, creating human bonds means to experience and discover in a concrete way our different histories and traditions, to taste the cultural diversity, and, in our context here, to give flavour to diplomacy, if I may say so.

It is also the reason why we should bear in mind three important corollaries: 1. When we are talking about cultural diplomacy, it is important to be aware of the fact that the word “culture” is not a simple

Guy Arendt Secretary of State for Culture

Culture as such is not only an essential element in everyone’s life, but also a decisive element for our living together. Being culturally active not only means being an active participant in society; it also helps to forge a shared feeling of belonging and to contribute to humanity’s storytelling.

Editorial

different backgrounds, come from different places and offer different perspectives with their texts.

On the following pages, 36 students from a variety of European, North American and Asian countries shared what they saw, heard, felt – and sometimes even tasted during the Transatlantic Dialogue 2017. Some were students of journalism but the majority came from other disciplines. For many, this was their first experience of published journalism. Most of them contributed their copy in a second language. The choice of content and focus of each report was entirely at the discretion of each journalist although factual content was offered to the speaker for correction.

The journalists creatively and critically explored the full variety of types of sessions ranging from keynote speeches, talks, and roundtable discussions, to practical workshops and a variety of social activities. This ensured that the dynamism, engaged spirit and teamwork felt during the conference days is captured fairly in this brochure.

The content was edited by the editorial board comprising staff from Luxembourg, Spain, the UK and the USA. It is hoped that this publication fully reflects the energy, dynamism and commitment of another truly Transatlantic Dialogue.

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The material for this publication was collected by a volunteer team of undergraduate and postgraduate student journalists and edited by an editorial board. The aim of this structure has been to ensure a broadly-based multinational perspective comprising both beginning and experienced academics.

The journalists and editors have

Prof. Dr. Bill Chambers Liverpool Hope University Ashley L. Brown Georgia State University Fernando Gómez Luna Universidad de Córdoba Dany Weyer, PhD University of Luxembourg

Wednesday 24th, May

Parallel Panel Sessions I

Parallel Creative Ateliers I

Round Table Discussions I

Official Opening Karen Humle, the Danish violinist, performed a welcome to the participants before speeches.

After informing participants about the history of Transatlantic Dialogue and context of Luxembourg; François Carbon, the Chair of Transatlantic Dialogue 2017, highlighted the vital role of cultural diplomacy in international relations.

Later, he mentioned the responsibility of universities and liberal education to generate knowledge and encourage diversity.

Prof. Dr. Tonie van Dam, the Vice-President of International Relations of Luxembourg University, stated that there is a need to develop an international culture in the universities because of globalization and the combination of this culture and research is the best to serve society to learn without prejudice.

Martine Reicherts, the Director-General for Education and Culture at the European Commission, considered dialogue to be the best way to find answers to questions and concerns related to cultural diplomacy. Also, she emphasized the importance of being positive quoting Mahatma Ghandi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Charles Goerens, a member of European Parliament, mentioned European Union policies related to culture and diversity. While mentioning the significance of human rights and democracy, he argued that diversity sticks us together by overcoming differences.

Alison Shorter-Lawrence, Chargé d’Affaires United States Embassy, emphasized the importance of learning from each other in the international contexts. Also, she expressed that creating and sustaining meaningful relations to find

answers and solutions through cultural diplomacy resolves conflicts and leads to understanding.

Guy Arendt, Secretary of State for Culture, stated that there is a big necessity for dialogue through mutual understanding, trust and credibility because of globalization.

Also, he identified three points that we should keep in mind; first, that culture is a complex frame, second, that culture expresses the identity of individuals and connects them each other, and finally, that individuals need to be culturally active not only to share feelings but also to contribute their humanity.

After the speeches of the presenters, Karen Humle took to the stage once more and before her performance, she addressed a question to the audiences: “What was the most important thing that brought them to this conference?”

Listening, understanding, joy and diversity were the answers coming from the audience.

Date: Wednesday 09:00–09:30

24th

May,

Speaker: François Carbon, Chair TAD ’17; Prof. Dr. Tonie van Dam, Vice-President of International Relations, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg; Martine Reicherts, Director-General for Education and Culture, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium; Charles Goerens, MEP, European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium; Alison Shorter-Lawrence, Chargé d’Affaires, US Embassy; Guy Arendt, Secretary of State for Culture, Luxembourg, Karen Humle, Violonist, Denmark Reviewer: Yilmaz Isik, Master student, Luxembourg University, Luxembourg, ylmaz.isik@gmail.com Keywords: Cultural Diplomacy, Dialogue, Globalization, Diversity, Understanding

Plenary Keynote: Creating Human Bonds through Cultural Diplomacy

According to Anne Brasseur, Past-President and Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, it is wrong to reduce conflicts to culture versus culture. We need to spread a new culture of living together.

Therefore, we have to build on what unites us rather than emphasizing what separates us. We have to promote the values of our democratic society. The definition that is very often quoted is the one

by Milton Cummings of cultural diplomacy as the exchange of ideas, information, arts and other aspects of culture among nations and peoples in order to foster mutual understanding. Anne Brasseur mentioned three elements that are dangerous for a democracy: corruption, poverty and hate. She distributed “no hate”-stickers to all the speakers.

H.E. Ambassador Urs Hammer explained that Switzerland has neither one common culture nor one common language. There has always been cultural exchange between the different Swiss regions due to the variety of different languages, traditions and values.

Cultural exchange is necessary to understand each other. The same

principle could in a broader circumstance also be applied at international level, aiming for a cosmopolitan society. Urs Hammer concluded: “While financial bonds are currently low or have negative influence, human bonds create invaluable returns”.

H.E. Ambassador John Marshall spoke about the United Kingdom’s compelling soft power.

One, for instance, is the English language for which a huge international demand exists. That is why it is easier to access and to understand British culture. Another example is the BBC that has a wonderful reputation. There is no need to actively promote the English language or the BBC. Also, Premiership football is an enormous part of the global brand.

John Marshall raised the question about the role of government in promoting culture. It is about looking where existing cultural connections are not sufficient. The gaps should be plugged by adding value and by trying to address needs that are not being met.

According to H.E. Ambassador Gregor Schusterschitz, making Austria present and recognized is not a policy of creating influence or creating dominance. It is only about putting Austria on the map and helping people to recognize that Austria is an important partner in politics. Mozart is the gateway to influence people.

If something is linked with Mozart, it would create interest and also promote other parts of Austria’s culture. One of 32 projects in Austria’s cultural policy is about integrating the western Balkan countries to make them more recognized in Europe.

Nation branding is something that Lithuania uses to gain recognition. H.E. Ambassador Gediminas Varvuolis mentioned that Lithuania likes to be seen alongside the Nordic countries. He also

emphasized that the line between cultural diplomacy and propaganda can be very thin. Some vulnerable parts of society can be used in order to promote different sets of values to cause some doubts about countries’ own policies to criticise culture. Cultural diplomacy should become more democratic. It is still very much related to the state actors and state as the mature actor in promoting cultural diplomacy.

Not only the public sector, but also the private sector plays a role in cultural diplomacy.

Anne Brasseur closed the session. What unites Europe is the European Convention of Human Rights. Europe is not just the EU. Europe is a continent with 50 countries. 47 of them are members in the Council of Europe. We share the same values. We must include everybody. The national branding of Luxembourg is ‘Let’s make it happen’, so let’s make it happen together!

Speaker: Anne Brasseur, PastPresident and Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; H.E. Ambassador Urs Hammer, Switzerland; H.E. Ambassador John Marshall, UK; H.E. Ambassador Gregor Schusterschitz, Austria; H.E. Ambassador Gediminas Varvuolis, Lithuania; Prof. em. Dr. Michael Coomes, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA

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Date: Wednesday 09:30–10:30

24th

May,

Keywords: Values, Cultural Diplomacy, Soft Power, Nation Branding, Private Sector Reviewer: Oliver Fischer, MA student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, oliver.fischer.001@student.uni.lu

WH at is tHE Role of CulTUR e in N eGOTiATinG PRO blems FACI ng H umaNI t Y ? MU ltilIN g U alIS m aND InTERC ulTUR aL DIA loGUE : InsigHT s iNTO A n InTE rNAT ional aND M ulTILingUAL UniV erSIT y Adelheid Hu

How far does an international and multilingual University lead to more international dialogue? Insights to that question were provided by Dr. Adelheid Hu, a professor in multilingual education and head of the Research Unit for Education at the University of Luxembourg. Within the field of intercultural communication, dialogue and language policies and multilingualism in international universities, Dr. Hu has experienced a remarkable international career path as a professor at universities in Germany, Taiwan and France.

Within the frame of this presentation, she claimed that universities nowadays experience a significant tension between a competitive global dimension in order to be in the top rankings, and a local dimension aiming to educate people for a local market. In modern times, internationalization thus forms one of the most ubiquitous terms in the field of higher education, whereby the following questions should be asked: What makes a university international? What does it mean for a university to be international, with regards both curriculum and communication, such as looking at its cultural and linguistic level?

In the context of international settings, the presentation provided insights into plurilingual processes in higher education, regarding understanding, learning, mediation, communication, such as teaching and assessment. In consideration of its geographical location and trilingual educational system, the University of Luxembourg represents in this course a compelling

case study because of its multicultural and multilingual environment. In order to get a clearer view, Dr. Hu thus introduced some research she has conducted or supervised, addressing the Panel Session following core questions: How far Date: Wednesday does a multilingual setting lead to 24th May, 10:45–12:15 a deeper or a more superficial unCultural Diplomacy as: derstanding by students? How and Diversity, Human Rights why does language code switching Keywords: Multilingual, occur within multilingual settings Multicultural, Intercultural, in group work? What does it mean Plurilingualism, Internationalization for teachers in a multilingual and multicultural university to assess assignments written in different languages from students coming from diverse cultural backgrounds? Within the frame of a multilingual and multicultural university, how do students interact in class, in terms of mediating, translating, helping out and understanding?

Finally, the conclusion mentioned further challenges with regards research, teaching and assessment.

The presentation additionally stimulated a number of questions and discussions: The audience first asked for a deeper understanding of the Luxembourgish multilingual policy and the role of the Luxembourgish language in the Luxembourgish educational system, particularly in higher education. Furthermore, the assessments and the different worldviews expressed by different languages in multilingual and multicultural universities were discussed, raising the questions of globalization and internationalization. The session was then closed, by a Dutch student, completing her Masters in Learning and Communication in Multicultural Contexts at the University of Luxembourg, sharing her experiences within a multilingual and multicultural environment: “Besides the subjects that we learn, it´s also a humanistic approach towards each other. You learn tolerance, the openness towards the other. Everyone comes from another culture so we have to understand other cultures. Is it okay if I say that? So there might be misunderstandings. I would say the dialogue with each other is very interesting. Intercultural dialogue.”

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Speaker: Prof. Dr. Adelheid Hu, Professor in Plurilingual Education, Multilingual and Intercultural Communication, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg Reviewer: Kevin Simoes Loureiro, Masters Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, kevin.simoes.001@student.uni.lu

DoMES tic DIMENSI on OF A DI viDED SocieT y'S CulTUR al DipLOM acy Jitka Pรกnek Jurkovรก

Having the view that Cultural Diplomacy is not a term to be defined by goals but one that is determined by practice, Jitka Pánek Jurková suggests a definition for Cultural Diplomacy that stays away from the perspective common for nation branding and Public Diplomacy. Her session covered Israel as a ‘deeply divided society’ which her research suggests makes it well-suited to illustrate how various practices of different stakeholders active on the filed of cultural diplomacy shape the outcome.

Jurková argues that in Israel 95% of the populations feels they are misrepresented on the world stage. Representation of Israel through culture is widely considered a desired tool of foreign policy, but tensions between various groups make the practice of cultural diplomacy far from efficient Jurková presented in detail not only the Jewish–Palestinian conflicts but also about the tensions between the other minoritized cultural groups such as the Ethiopian immigrants, Sephardi Jews, etc. Utilizing several videos of musical and dance performances, Jurková demonstrated that each of the cultural groups within Israel has its own unique expression of style and artists that aspire at the position of cultural ambassadors.

Also, Jurková found that the works of art representing Israel abroad could be divided into two categories: works that demonstrate the tensions that exist between Israel’s cultural groups and works that put forth a theme of multicultural unity. Artists participating in multicultural productions that display or promote unity, peace, etc. receive strong criticism from their and other cultural groups, such as BDS, that criticize dialogue as a prolongation of the unfair status quo. Cultural diplomacy, albeit at a times aspiring for symbolic reconciliation, thus becomes a ground of increased conflict.

Also multiple other entities abroad aim to project Israel through culture in a way that supports their agency, often in cooperation with Israeli institutions. Thus, cultural diplomacy becomes a filed of Panel Session discrepancies and controversions.

Cultural Diplomacy as: These examples demonInformation, Communication, Dialogue strate how cultural diplomacy is not always creating human bonds, Date: Wednesday but rather deepening the divides 24th May, 10:45–12:15 in Isreal. Jurková concluded that Keywords: Cultural in a zero-sum game atmosphere, Diplomacy, Deeply Divided Societies, Public culture becomes another weapon Diplomacy of appropriation for the potential advantage of one group against the other. However, she feels that through the process of creating multicultural productions, interpersonal relationships are formed that are valuable and have promise for fostering dialogue. It is suggested that deeply divided societies like Israel should focus on creating an institutional division between public diplomacy that focuses on national branding on the global stage, and cultural diplomacy that encompasses art accompanied by dialogue.

Summary of questions and debate: Conversation centered around three themes: the ability of the government to influence the production of cultural work, the effects of external forces on Israel’s public and cultural diplomacy, and lessons that could be learned from Israel by other divided societies.

Concluding comments and summary by reviewer Unfortunately, this critical and well-supported session had a low attendance; however, this had the benefit of allowing for more of an intimate conversation and greater understanding for those present. While it was agreed that there are lessons to be learned from the Israel’s deeply divided society and how cultural works can ease or exacerbate the divisions, there is caution that Israel’s situation and history are so very unique that caution is prudent. Interested parties may be better served by looking at successful cultural diplomatic missions from the past for guidance to help them through their own internal divides.

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Speaker: Jitka Pánek Jurková, PhD, Researcher/ Consultant – Arts in International Relations and Public Affairs, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic Reviewer: Calvin Wertman, Area Coordinator, Ashland University, USA, cwertman@ashland.edu

THE EUropeAN CA piTA ls oF CUlture PROGram a S A ToOL O f CultuRA l DiPLOmacy: A CoM pArative SuRVE y iN FR aNce, Sw EDE n, POLA nd anD I taly Maxime Jaffré and Elena Raevskikh

Since the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, the European Community has enhanced its competence in the field of culture. The use of cultural diplomacy has become a central concern in contemporary European political thought, promoting the impact of inclusive cultural policies to strengthen European regional and municipal cohesion and mobility, but also to generate new cultural scenes promoting more “participative” and “multicultural” experiences for EU citizens.

With the aim of promoting a better understanding of the common cultural heritage and bringing closer together European citizens, several political programs were created and applied to territories that needed top-down political intervention for raising their international profiles. For instance, the “European Capitals of Culture” program (ECC),

which was created in 1985 by the European Union Council of Ministers and focused initially on major big cities (Paris ECC-1989, Madrid ECC-1992, Stockholm ECC-1998), has changed the rules and criteria of attribution of this status in favor of smaller, cross-border or economically fragile agglomerations (Marseille ECC-2013, Umeå ECC-2014, San-Sebastian ECC-2016).

The new cultural consumption pattern is conceived to stimulate integration and mobility, but also to create a legitimate and transnational ideal European citizen type. Inclusion is conceived as an equal participation of all citizens, both nationals and foreign nationals, without considering foreigners as a separate group, in all sectors and in all aspects of city life.

However, cultural struggles and identity conflicts that

are emerging in contemporary Europe, especially in the context of increasing immigration issues, raise new challenges for European cultural policies to cope with inclusion and integration with populations poorly integrated into local cultural life.

By varying the contexts, sizes, politics, and cultural histories of cities designated ECC, the analysis includes cases of cities recently concerned by the “European Capitals of Culture” program, such as Marseille (ECC-2013), Umeå (ECC-2014), Wroclaw (ECC-2016), to their counterparts who were elected ECC in the past (Genoa (ECC-2004), Bologna (ECC -2000). From this framework, we aim to explore the implementing and anchoring processes of European dynamics at the local level, but also to understand how the ECC political mechanism integrates the collective memory of targeted populations. Finally, our project focuses on heterogeneous immersive cultural institutions (operas, theaters, museums) that are analyzed and compared according to the criteria of their impact on inclusion of populations poorly integrated into local cultural life.

We started our survey with two major theaters of the city of Marseille that were integrated into the Marseille ECC-2013 program: the National Theater of La Criée and the Theater of Le Merlan-National Scene. This choice was determined by two main causes: (1) the two theaters are durably anchored in the Marseille’s cultural landscape, and (2) they present dissimilar institutional profiles, and are located in two economically and socially very opposite neighborhoods.

The methodology of our research is built on the articulation of several types of statistical and cartographical data analysis. To deepen our results, we also proceeded several paper and online questionnaires with a number of detailed questions on personal cultural experiences and practices. For the survey by questionnaire, we’ve chosen five different shows from the program of the Theater of La Criée, and five shows from the program of the Theater of Le Merlan.

This approach allowed us to analyze the socio-demographical differences between the audiences of each show, and to understand how inclusive programs of the two theaters meet the expectations of different types of spectators.

Here we present several conclusions of our analysis: 1. We can observe a weak correlation between (1) the inclusive European policies applied to cultural institutions and (2) the participation of audiences poorly integrated into local cultural life. In the two cases of theaters investigated during our survey – the Theater of La Criée (downtown theater) and the

Theater of Le Merlan (peripheral theater) –, immigrants, young and poor populations were underrepresented among the audiences of both “classical” and “contemporary” shows.

Panel Session 2. The regular theater Cultural Diplomacy as: audiences can easily reach the Diversity, Human Rights peripheral districts to participate Date: Wednesday to new cultural offerings, while 24th May, 10:45–12:15 populations poorly integrated into Keywords: European cultural life are not attracted by Capitals of Culture, cultural offerings from downtown European Cohesion, Cultural diplomacy, Marseille, despite the new “incluMarseille sive” program of the La Criée central theater.

Maxime Jaffré and Elena Raevskikh 3. In the case of the TheFrench National Centre of ater of Le Merlan, the local popScientific Research ulations from the poor northern (CNRS), Centre Norbert Elias, Marseille, France districts of Marseille are weakly integrated in the Theater’s program and offerings, despite the spatial proximity with the institution and the “inclusive” program focused on hip-hop, joggling and musical shows. However, our survey shows that several local residents have been more attracted by the youth and family shows.

The European cities and institutions could potentially become more attractive and inclusive (1) by increasing the geographical proximity of cultural institutions and amenities in low incomes neighborhoods, (2) by providing inclusive cultural programs more focused on youth and families as well as on immigrants’ ordinary concerns and ambitions, (3) by improving urban mobility and public transports across the city between the center and periphery.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: Marseille’s analysis is ongoing. The next steps will be to grasp the cultural activities of the peripheral neighborhoods and districts of the city that attract more populations poorly integrated into local cultural life. The questions that arose were (1) what do the local populations expect from the pre-existing cultural institutions such as theaters, and (2) whether classical theater plays would attract bigger audiences in peripheral institutions such as the Theater of Le Merlan. (3) Are populations from the poor northern districts becoming more participative, or conversely, do they remain resilient to the European cultural policies?

Reviewer: Greta Szendrei, Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, greta.szendrei.001@ student.uni.lu

ERA smUS + anD CULtu RE Martine Reicherts

Panel Session Cultural Diplomacy as: Education Date: Wednesday 24th May, 19:30 Keywords: Erasmus, Finance, International, Educational Structure, Intercultural

“We are living in a world where the virtual part is nice but reality is better.”

There are many issues which need to be addressed. Cultural ideologies influence mobility. Mobility depends on the students’ desires and the educational institutions’ policy. Applying for Erasmus depends on the field in which the student is enrolled.

During the debate questions were raised about the future of the Erasmus programme, how new partnerships can be created and how students can access financial support when participating in Erasmus or financial support for training researchers.

The answers were various. Martine Reicherts underlined “We are positive in having funds for Erasmus projects because the scholarships for these projects are small”.

The partnerships with other universities can be created thanks to student mobility but it takes time and of course requires financial support.

Ms Reicherts is fighting to access increased financial support/resources.

For PhDs and post-Docs there are programmes such as the Marie Curie Actions to support the continued development of researchers and to help scientists to complete their training process and to enhance opportunities in their careers.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer Supporting Erasmus from all the parts of Europe is one of the main targets.

Speaker: Martine Reicherts, Director-General for Education and Culture, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium Reviewer: Ioana Alexandra Mancaș, Master Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, ioanalexa 14@gmail.com

CreATing BOND s TH roUGh AR tiSTI c CreATIOn Gabriele Budach, Paula Szpinda, Raluca Caranfil, Zuzanna Silonova, Judith Bürger, Inessa Babkovic, Jil Schmidt, and Dany Weyer

entation to a close by revealing the thoughtful process involved in the production of the piece of art that inspired the image of the postcards, reflecting back to the opening of the workshop.

Panel Session This ‘heart’ stone would also be Cultural Diplomacy as: displayed at the entrance hall for Education appreciation throughout the TAD Date: Wednesday Conference.

24th May, 10:45–12:15 Lastly, the participants were Keywords: Bonding, invited to reunite again, this time to Interpretation, Art agree on one of their written words and Education, Creativity as a Tool and elaborate a short scene on it.

Through short performances, the words Essentials, Discovery, Change, Vulnerability and Expression were creatively brought to life, closing down the workshop with an affective and harmonious atmosphere.

The workshop started with the participants being instructed to write words that first came to their mind while being exposed to three artistic productions: the images stamped on two postcards offered to each of them, a couple of videos produced by the students of Luxembourg and the third and last word would then be inspired by a short act performed by guests from the University of Trier, Germany.

Samples of the artwork produced in the FreedomBus Project were then presented by Ms Bürger. Three boxes, originally given to each participant of that project with equal proportions and neutral colours, ended up designed in completely different shapes, content and meanings, inspiringly illustrating the subjectivity of each human being.

Shortly after her presentation, the participants discussed their words in groups of five to six people.

Ms Caranfil and Ms Szpinda then presented the inspiration for their videos, followed by further clarification about the FreedomBus project by Ms Bürger. Ms Babkovic and Ms Schmidt. These brought the pres-

Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: As revealed by a feedback round, many participants declared how positively surprised they were by the bond they were able to build in such a short time. Others also reported particular appreciation for the ‘surprising’ way in which the artworks were presented, for it enabled their expression in unbiased and diverse ways, reinforcing the subjective nature of their interpretations.

The use of art as tool was acknowledged by some of participants as an interesting reminder provided by the workshop. Concerns revealed by the organizers about whether their program would satisfy the expected formats, were then refuted by the overall satisfaction of the public. As expressively demonstrated, it was precisely the ‘exceptional’ artistic character what allowed them to connect with each other, share identities and ultimately do justice to the title of the workshop.

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Speaker: Dr. Gabriele Budach, Associate professor, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg; Paula Szpinda, Raluca Caranfil (former students, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg) and Zuzanna Silonova, Master in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural contexts, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg; Judith Bürger (former student), Inessa Babkovic and Jil Schmidt, Master in Communication Design, University of Applied Sciences, Trier, Germany; Dany Weyer, PhD candidate, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg Reviewer: Raquel Ferreira, Student at the Masters in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, rferreira.int@gmail.com

In FUSIN g CULtu RAL DIV eR siT y anD GLobA l IntErcU lturAL DIA loGue i NTO thE STU dy Of TeRTiarY/ HigHER ED ucatION Judith Rogers, Dennis Gregory, Brian Kurisky, and Tricia Sherrard

The lecture explored how higher education has been a driving force to develop students as citizens of the world. However, there is still space for institutions of higher education to improve their curriculum and pedagogic programme with the focus on cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. In addition, it presented curricular innovations that helped to advance principles and practices of cultural diplomacy.

The presenters, who are from two US graduate programs in higher education and student affairs, discussed how intercultural understanding and dialogue are infused into their curricula and pedagogy.

The lecture was divided into four sections, and each one was presented by different speakers.

In the first part of the lecture, Dr. Judith Rogers from Miami University in Ohio spoke about how her own experience in studying abroad changed her perspective of the world, or in her words “Completely reshaped my view of myself and the world.”

She also presented some data on her research with graduate students in higher education master’s programs who had the opportunity to study abroad as part of their curricular requirements (Rogers, Cawthon & O’Connell, 2016)*. The research provided critical insights on how these intercultural experiences developed students’ capacity for cultural diplomacy. For example, study abroad participants reported that as a result of the experience they developed a global view of higher education and their place in the world; they demonstrated an increased awareness of, sensitivity towards and advocacy for international students on US campuses; they gained in cultural literacy, increased multicultural competence, and became aware of their “location” and “privilege” as a US citizen. Finally, the experience pushed them to experience learning as “the Other” and gave them added confidence, empathy and awareness as a global stew-

ard. With this data, she was able to understand better what kind of perspectives the students gained after the study abroad programme.

Dr. Dennis Gregory from Panel Session Old Dominion University spoke Cultural Diplomacy as: about his experience as the first Education, Diversity, Dialogue person in his family to go to university and how studying abroad Date: Wednesday in his words was “a life changing 24th May, 10:45–12:15 experience.” Also, he spoke about Keywords: International how he had been visiting different Education, Intercultural, Cultural Diplomacy countries to research student’s affairs and services for his book.

Mrs. Tricia Sherrard talked about her experience studying in France and in her words “was able to understand higher education in a global context.”

In addition, she spoke about her experience studying social justice in Fiji with other students. Moreover, how she was able to understand different layers of Fiji society.

Finally, Dr. Brian Kurisky from Old Dominion University he spoke about his experience working for the UN in Egypt and his experience of doing research on the LGBT community in Turkey. This research allowed him to understand how different minorities are treated in the various countries and the importance to the USA to understand these differences around the world.

Summary of questions and debate: There was significant participation from the audience. Instead of questions, the participants in the lecture were asked to share their experiences in studying abroad.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: There was significant participation from the audience, and the room was crowded with people.

Speaker: Dr. Judith Rogers, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA; Dr. Dennis Gregory, Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA; Dr. Brian Kurisky, Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA; Mrs. Tricia Sherrard Reviewer: Thiago Brant Chaves, Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

*(J. Rogers, T. Cawthon, and S. O’Connell (2016). Study abroad in student affairs preparation programs: Advancing the profession globally. In K. Osfield, et. al. (Eds). Supporting students globally in higher education. Washington, DC: NASPA

CONneCTI ng C omMuniTIES THrO ugh HE riTaGE Wim Coudenys, Lynn De Clercq, Jorijn Neyrinck, and Simone Beck

Ms. De Clercq presented on the topic of “The Role of Heritage in Conflict and Reconciliation,” emphasizing the importance of heritage and its passing between generations. Ms. De Clercq presented cultural heritage as all things tangible and intangible, based both on people and their histories. With the highlighting of the world and national conventions that created a blueprint for today’s guarding of cultural heritage, Mrs. Le Clercq explained the need and relevance of protecting our world’s cultural heritage as well as how to do so.

The emphasis was on the convention of The Hague (1954) concerning the protection of cultural heritage during armed conflict and the role of UNESCO. Ms. Beck presented “Memory of the World”, the UNESCO programme for the Documentary Heritage of Humanity. Ms. Beck gave an overview over the different conservation techniques for documents (stone, parchment, wood, textile, modern technologies) and she presented different domains of “Memory of the World”. This programme encompasses cultural achievements like major works in music or literature, photography or cinema, but also archives of humanity’s more difficult times (slavery, colonialism, persecutions) or emblematic documents like the Magna Charta. With this programme, UNESCO strives to emphasize the importance of documentary heritage, as well as of its conservation and its protection.

Ms. Neyrinck presented on the topic of “Intangible Cultural Heritage” which explained the significance of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and its subsequent protections issued to expressions of cultural heritage that are not physical or permanent.

Rather, Ms. Neyrinck proposed the idea of Intangible Cultural Heritage as a “mainspring of cultural diversity and a guarantee of sustainable development.” The spotlight within this presentation regarded the paradigm shift through the deeply participatory spirit of this 2003 Convention. In the strongly state-driven international or intergovernmental framework that has been constitutive for UNESCO and UNESCO policy in the 20th Century, the coming of the 2003 Convention introduced an alternative paradigm. This new Convention not only made room for “traditional and

popular culture” in the existing series of UNESCO’s cultural convention, it as well introduced a participatory approach in cultural work set up by (united) nations. One underexposed (f)acPanel Session tor in these processes is the role of Cultural Diplomacy as: brokerage or mediation, often takConservation of Heritage en care of by NGOs and heritage Date: Wednesday professionals. ICH brokers engage 24th May, 10:45–12:15 in between governments and comKeywords: Cultural munities for translating concepts, Heritage, Preservation, facilitating and supporting safeCommunity, Protection, History guarding programs, advocating practitioners’ perspectives and interests, etc.

Summary of questions and debate: The three presenters together tackled the difficult question of why should we protect our cultural heritage and what determines which cultural heritage is more important to safeguard than others. Their collective answer explained that cultural heritage can shift; the importance placed on certain artefacts of cultural heritage can depend on time and situation.

For example, in a time of military conflict, the protections may be altered to divert attention to lesser important artefacts of cultural heritage in order to protect those more coveted. However, the value of these artefacts doesn’t ever disappear. Overall, the different forms of cultural heritage are all individually important to the history of the world and those who are subsequently affected.

Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: The three presenters did a good job of bringing together the importance of cultural heritage as well as empowering the audience to take charge and make a change in the world. Their suggestions on how to protect cultural heritage themselves were impactful and well-needed. By simplifying the topic and its importance into layman’s terms, the presenters spoke to the importance of cultural heritage from a worldview.

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Speaker: Dr. Wim Coudenys, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Lynn De Clercq, Flanders Heritage Agency, Brussels, Belgium; Jorijn Neyrinck, tapis plein NGO-Platform for Intangible Cultural Heritage in Flanders Brugge, Belgium; Simone Beck, President of the National Commission for UNESCO, Luxembourg Reviewer: Courtney Taylor, Master of Arts student at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA, cjtaylo@bgsu.edu

MulTICU lturAL DI ploMACY Elke Murdock

Dr. Murdock, a psychologist by training, started her presentation by looking at the origins of Multiculturalism and stressed in this context the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) which emphasized the equality of all human beings: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and con-

science and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood�. She also referred to the work of an UNESCO expert group that came together in 1951 to discuss issues concerning Race. This expert group declared that mankind is one and all men belong to the same species. Dr. Murdock emphasized that Human Rights form the basis of and framework for multicul-

turalism. She continued, referring to Kymlicka (2012), who outlined three different human rights movements namely the struggle against decolonisation, the struggle against racial segregation and finally the struggle for multiculturalism and the rights of multicultural minorities.

Later she drew attention to reactions to diversity that are happening nowadays. On the one hand, we have reactions about globalisation associating it with a positive concept of openness and on the other hand we observe ethnic protectionism. For Dr. Murdock, Multiculturalism does not mean maintaining the status quo or a superficial celebration of older traditions, which has been described as “disneyfication”. She argued that culture is not static and it is always changing.

Dr. Murdock also emphasised the importance of new models of citizenship, respect for human rights and individual freedoms, promotion of inclusive identities, acknowledgement of cultural change and mixing as well as active participation in society.

At this point she described her research acknowledging the benefits of conducting it in Luxembourg due to the multicultural demographics of the country. She highlighted the inclusive perspective that she found, from the data collected, when children were asked about their nationality. She believes there is a new generation growing up that understands that it is achievable to have an inclusive identity coming from different parts of the world or having different national backgrounds. It is in this diverse environment that it is possible to study multiculturalism from the majority or minority perspective, acknowledging that both are located in a state of permanent “negotiation”. Her research team developed instruments to measure attitudes towards multiculturalism in Luxembourg.

At this point the discussion was opened to the participants when they were invited to identify five statements about themselves. Most of them mentioned their nationality first, probably influenced by the theme of the session. Dr. Murdock commented that when students in Luxembourg were asked the same question they talked about who they were in terms of personality or about their personal appearance but if, for example, the same question was addressed to Asian children they tend to define themselves in terms of belonging to groups. Following this, Dr. Murdock, presented five basic dilemmas proposed

by Hofstede: Individualism vs Collectivism; Hierarchy vs Equality; Uncertainty Avoidance vs “Let it be”; Performance vs Caring; Flexibility vs Discipline. It is possible to analyse national differences in these various dimensions and rank these according to what is more valued in life. To illustrate this, another practical ex-

ercise was introduced. Participants are asked to rank certain facets of life in terms of importance such as religion, personal success, family, nationality, freedom, equality, friends, democracy, Panel Session leisure time, learning and so on.

Cultural Diplomacy as: If this is done as a group exercise Sustainable Development with people coming from different Date: Wednesday countries, the value differences 24th May, 10:45–12:15 may become apparent.

Dr. Murdock, talked also Keywords: Multiculturalism, Cultural Filters, about the sequence Culture and Cultural Competences actions – Cultural filters, Cultural patterns and stereotypes, Cultural dispositions, Cultural habits and Cultural values and norms and how people are often not aware of the different perceptions, interpretations, reactions, actions and evaluations of the same subject. She quoted Carlos Ghosn saying that “we learn from diversity but we are comforted by commonality” and finished by presenting the model for diversity competence developed by the German Association for International Cooperation.

Starting from Cultural unawareness, where people are side by side and don’t interact; to Self-Reflection – the beginning of the recognition of the other; to Perspective taking, where the process of knowledge construction starts; to Comparison, where we make connections and recognise patterns, and begin to understand knowledge as a system; to Co-Creator becoming competent in dealing with diversity, and understanding knowledge as a process. She concluded that going through these steps is actually hard work as it is imperative to leave the comfort zone, to listen and talk to others, to challenge assumptions, in order to start the learning process. Multicultural diplomacy thus requires a willingness to reflect on one’s own culture, a willingness to reflect on and learn from other cultures and respectful critical engagement. She ended by quoting the Dalai Lama “In our world these days we are ever more independent and yet we spend too much time dividing people into “us” and “them” thinking that overcoming “them” would be a victory for “us”. But as human beings we are all the same, we all want to have a happy life and have a right to lead it, which is why it is important to remember that we all belong to one human family”.

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Speaker: Dr. Elke Murdock, Research Associate, Research Unit INSIDE, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg Reviewer: Paula Martins, Master’s Student, Luxembourg University, Luxembourg, paula.luis.martins@gmail.com

BUILding A CULture O f DI aloGU e anD PE ace Liesbeth Spanjers (absent), Mieke van Ingelghem (absent), Coordinator and Students of the IEC (International Educating Class), UC Leuven-Limburg

The students of UC Leuven Limbourg (Leuven, Belgium) prepared a workshop where participants were invited to play the game “Sparks” developed by the city of Leuven for Youtopia, a city project enhancing connections and participation in the city. With the help of a Power Point and the John Lennon song “Imagine” they explained this game. “Sparks” is inspired by the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals developed to transform our world into a “perfect one”. These goals should be achieved by 2030. The UC Leuven Limbourg developed the game “Sparks” on the main topic “Building a Culture of dialogue and peace” within the framework of the “Youtopia” movement which aims to bring people together and work together to build a better world.

That was what we, as participants, had to do during this really interesting session. We were working in small groups of 4 people managed by UCLL students. First, participants were asked to share their own experience and beliefs about diversity. Then, postcards were distributed. They illustrated episodes of life and we were asked to pick one and say how it inspired us related to the topic “diversity and the art of living together”. Then, participants were asked to imagine how they would see their wishes happen and what were the concrete actions they could develop to achieve these goals.

Summary of questions and debate: The main topic emerging in my group was communication and exchanges. Indeed, the participants mentioned diversity as a part of Panel Session their university life and something Cultural Diplomacy as: they considered as normal. They Sustainable Development thought we could learn more from Date: Wednesday each other by exchanging than by 24th May, 10:45–12:15 reading articles. To illustrate this Keywords: Diversity, statement, an interesting discusYoutopia, “Sparks”, Game, sion emerged concerning Ireland Imagine, Sharing split up between south and north.

The Irish people explained the situation as they were living it to American people in the group. Participants described their perfect world as getting rid of people living in the streets, all public transport accessible for disabled people as well as pubs and cultural places, avoiding fear of “the other” by getting to know each other and celebrating differences together by living the same experiences. To answer the question “how do you see this happening” participants mentioned personal interaction as very important. They agreed to say that it is by talking with each other that we can share our ideas for a better world and try to make people change their mindset. More volunteers and fundraising were also solutions mentioned. In order to make these beautiful ideas concrete, participant and UCLL students mentioned the important role of education and wanted to implement this way of thinking and exchange between each other at school.

Moreover, they thought a solution would be to vote for open minded politicians promoting and not fighting diversity. In order to ensure that politicians be open minded they thought that, before getting involved in power, these people should have classes about differences and diversity.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: This experiences were based on sharing of knowledge and feelings by using a game. It allowed participants to create specific human bonds between each other and start a discussion about changing society and making our dreams a reality.

Speaker: Liesbeth Spanjers (absent); Mieke van Ingelghem (absent); Coordinator and Students of the IEC (International Educating Class), UC Leuven-Limburg, Leuven, Belgium Reviewer: Marine Delhaes, MASSES Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, marine.delhaes.001@student.uni.lu

The ECP Symposium

The Growing Role for European Art and Artists in Cultural Diplomacy and the Development of TransAtlantic Cultural Bonds

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This Symposium was held at the University of Luxembourg on 24th May 2017, and was sponsored and co-funded by the City of Esch-surAlzette and the University of Luxembourg.

The Symposium was part of this year’s Transatlantic Dialogue (TAD) conference where participants explored the growing importance of cultural diplomacy in international relations and the key role that universities have in this regard. Should you require more information about the conference, please visit the conference website https://transatlanticdialogue2017.uni.lu/ Highlights from the ECP Symposium The events of the Fourth Transatlantic Dialogue – Creating Cultural bonds through cultural diplomacy – formed an important step in the evolving understanding of the nature and role of cultural contacts between individuals, creative artists and academics, cultural organisations and universities, students and teachers, performers and audiences. The intensive three-day Programme vividly demonstrated the benefits of : – academic exchanges; – contacts between arts and culture organisations and Universities; – individual artists, musicians and students; – students of European and American Universities to name just a few.

Following the Conference, the Organisers and Sponsors of TAD 2017 will continue to analyse feedback and findings from the debating, creative and performing events of the TAD 2017 and of the related

projects. This in turn will serve as further inspiration for practical outcomes that will inform the development of cultural and education policy throughout the world.

The European Cultural Parliament (ECP) symposium, which contributed significantly to the first day of the TAD 2017 programme, was one such related project. The Symposium addressed questions about the role of arts and artists in Europe’s external relationships. Its main aim was to identify the place and role of European education and cultural institutions and creative individuals in Europe’s cultural diplomacy. It was also aimed at identifying new areas and potential in cultural and educational cooperation between Europe and the Americas for institutions and artists in Europe and across the Atlantic.

The ECP Symposium worked under the theme: “The Growing Role for European Art and Artists in Cultural Diplomacy and the Development of Trans-Atlantic Cultural Bonds”.

The welcome address by the Mayor of Esch-sur-Alzette Madame Vera Spautz highlighted the importance of the event to the local community of city of Esch, acknowledging the presence of “such a high profile assembly for the first time on its territory”. This is a connection which was acknowledged and highly appreciated by the members of the ECP, and it also exemplified invaluable support that municipal authorities and a European university can provide for a debate which affects Europe: the EU and its neighbouring countries and the future of EU external relations. Karl-Erik Norrman, General Secretary of the ECP, thanked Vera Spautz for hosting the Symposium and wished the City of Esch every success in their bid to be an European Capital of Culture 2022.

The Symposium was also addressed by François Carbon, a co-founder and Chair of the Trans-

atlantic Dialogue initiative, and a member of the ECP. Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, a Senator of the ECP set up a framework for debate at the ECP Symposium plenary session with a key-note speech on the Role of European Art and Artists in Cultural diplomacy.

She commented upon the history of the Grand Duchy Luxembourg which, in search of its national identity, has been developing cultural policies that were aimed at understanding the languages and cultures of its neighbours through efficient multi-lingual education policies as a core principle in: “ Speaking and understanding the language of the other”. She highlighted the “trans-border” nature of European culture and arts and gave examples of how European culture has successfully settled and continues flourishing in the other parts of the world. She also stressed the necessity of allowing artists freedom of speech and commented upon the role of art in building up democratic societies and preserving peace in Europe, which 28 EU member states have enjoyed for more than 70 years.

However, she also emphasised that no culture must claim its exclusiveness and that politicians must consider cultural aspects of society in decision making. She gave some concrete examples of good practices developed by leading musicians and politicians that can inspire and demonstrate the high role of music, playing musical instruments in general educational attainment and preserving peace.

The first session, Past and Future of Transatlantic Artistic and Cultural Relationship, discussed the role of European Universities and other cultural institutions – museums, theatres, opera theatres and conservatoires – as well as the role of European literature in transatlantic cultural relations.

Professor Joe Friggieri from the University of Malta opened the session with a talk on the historic role of European universities in European culture starting from the 12th–13th centuries. He emphasized that it is difficult to imagine the European culture without Universities and the role they played in fostering critical thinking. Professor Friggieri highlighted six ways the humanities can influence culture: “dealing with a bigger picture”; language; ethics; skills; self-recognition and truth.

Mary Miller, General and Artistic Director of the Bergen National Opera was not able to attend the Symposium due to sudden changes in her working programme, so the role of Opera in Trans-Atlantic relationship was addressed by KarlErik Norrman, Secretary General of ECP and a former opera singer.

Karl-Erik Norrman described the opera invented in 1607 in Italy as a very much European art and also as “complete art”. He drew attention to some differences in European and American traditions of opera performances, due to public ownership in Europe and private sponsorship in the USA. Karl-Erik spoke about the importance of experimental opera performances in Europe and of a phenomenon of American “voices drain” to Europe as compared to “brain drain” of academics from Europe to American universities.

Dr Marie-Louise von Plessen highlighted the role of museums in the education of a larger audiences on the actual political assets held in their collections. With the enlargement of the EU, the assignment of significance has become an important topic in dealing with identities and collections. The role of works of art, and their relations to each individual’s history, has become predominant with regard to the perception of European cohesion.

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Professor Amparo Serrano de Haro, Arts Historian and creative writer from Spain, discussed European literature and its capacity to integrate the past into the future and to advance but also, to hold on to the humanistic principles of this European identity of the arts. She emphasized that men (and women) are core to European culture, “not rights, not traditions, not gods and not even laws”. She outlined the role that the literature and arts play in the fragmented European culture, by stressing that: “only literature, only art can present understanding in all the multiplicity of codes and levels. The interest of literature is to weave together different codes, different levels…”, providing connections between fragmentation of events, between fragments of information.

Levan Khetaguri, Professor and Director of the Arts Research Institute of the Republic of Georgia emphasized the diplomatic nature of a theatre which from the ancient times was a meeting point and later on promoted learning the other languages. He described the recent developments in the theatre in creating of a universal language.

Dr Chika Robertson, Professor of Violin at the Junior Royal Academy of Music in London, a violinist and educator, addressed the role of music education as a channel for creating trans-Atlantic cultural relations based on music as universal cultural heritage. She referred to music as a universal language and also stressed on the importance of teaching “heart sets” of younger musicians in analogy to reaching their “mind sets”.

The role of individual artists in the Trans-Atlantic cultural relationship was discussed in the second session, Opportunities and Challenges in the Transatlantic Cultural Relationship and how Artists perceive their Role. The session was devoted to the role of individual artists

in the Trans-Atlantic relationship as individual ambassadors of their art and of their individual talent.

At the opening of the debate, Lyudmila Nurse, a moderator of the session emphasised that individual artists are very often lack any institutional support and rely on their own initiative and enthusiasm in promoting their arts but their role in enhancing better understanding between individuals, communities and societies across Europe and the Atlantic is significant and important. She mentioned that the role of individual artists was specifically emphasised in the Preparatory Action ‘Culture in EU External Relations’: Engaging the World: Towards Global Cultural Citizenship (2014), a document which outlines achievement and potential of cultural diplomacy.

The session includes presentations by Johanna Suo – director of the ifa laboratory in Brussels on her projects that enable communities through arts engagement.

A visual artist, Dr Josip Zanki from Croatia presented his experience of European artists in Asian, American and South American contexts.

Efva Lilja, from Sweden, Professor of Choreography and an artist working with performances, was talking about the artistic activities and activism triggered by the need for action.

Her talk was followed by a presentation by a digital media artist from Latvia- Jānis Garančs who discussed how artists’ collaboration led to the creation of a hub of New Media Culture in Europe.

Nikola Matisic an opera singer and artistic director of Operalabb, a movement for public education and elite training of classical singing and opera, from Sweden, talked about his experience as an opera singer.

Professor Massimo Dell’Utri from Italy, who teaches Philosophy of Language, of Multiculturalism,

Philosophy of Literature and Art, examined the role of art in fostering genuine intercultural dialogue.

He also raised a question about the conditions that are required to shape a common ground on which to place the dialogue itself.

“Among these conditions there is the acquisition of that openness of mind which allows acknowledging, on the one hand, the plain fact that there are people who may have needs and purposes different from ours, and, on the other, the possibility of being mistaken. This acknowledgment requires in turn the development of a general sensitivity – in the broadest possible sense of the term. It is here that art’s invaluable role comes to the fore”.

The presentations and the debate highlighted the patterns of actors’ linkages and the degree of interaction between EU cultural actors, EU- non-EU cultural diplomacy actors and EU- USA cultural actors.

The Symposium represented main stakeholders of European cultural diplomacy: state and public organisations: governmental organisations, Universities and conservatoires; Private sector organisations: media and culture industry, cultural management organisations, creative art organisations and associations; and moreover it greatly benefited from the presentation and challenges by individual artists and performers who were active participants in the discussion.

The Symposium created a platform for a valuable debate and exchange of views: by bringing together perspectives and experiences from across Europe and a wide variety of cultural institutions and arts genres and from across the Atlantic.

The Symposium discussion provided invaluable insights into types and channels of interaction among governmental, non-governmental, private sector actors and creative individuals.

It will undoubtedly contribute to theoretical and practical developments on the notion and effectiveness of cultural diplomacy strategies pursued by the countries on both sides of the Atlantic, using TAD 2017 as an example and model of a good practice.

Its discussion provided valuable feedback for the Transatlantic Dialogue organisers and sponsor organisations and the European Commission on the role of cultural and education organisation in cultural diplomacy and maintaining dialogue between cultures and people.

It also highlighted the importance for universities throughout the world, not only those in Europe and the USA that initiated the Transatlantic Dialogue, to look at the creative skills that their graduates will require to enter employment and to continue with their professional development.

Creative skills that are required not only for creative professions, but that creativity and cultural skills must be part of any academic education and training.

In this respect it is worth mentioning the importance of use of museums, which according to Marie-Louse von Plessen have a role to educate “larger audiences about the actual assets held in their collections … Museums’ programmes especially those relating to cultural history interact to create bonds through Cultural diplomacy given their mere physical heritage”. Through sharing a common past towards a common future.

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Dr. Lyudmila Nurse Coordinator of the ECP Symposium at TAD, Luxembourg 2017, Member of the European Cultural Parliament, Director of Oxford XXI think tank, UK, lyudmilanurse@oxford-xxi.org

Programme of the Symposium 10:45–11:30

Plenary session, Chair: Karl-Erik Norrman Welcome addresses from the Mayor City Esch-sur-Alzette, Vera Spautz and Chair of the Steering Committee of the TAD François Carbon Keynote speaker: Erna Hennicot-Schoepges – European Art and Artists in Cultural Diplomacy

11:30–13:00

Thematic session 1: Past and Future of Transatlantic Artistic and Cultural Relationship: Historic perspectives and experience of Transatlantic exchanges Facilitator: Massimo Dell’Utri 1. European universities: fostering critical thinking, Joe Friggieri 2. Cultural differences: upheavals and joy, Mary Miller 3. Opera in a Transatlantic perspective, Karl-Erik Norrman 4. Cultural diplomacy in European museums’ collections, Mary-Louise von Plessen 5. European cultural identity: European literature, Amparo Serrano de Haro 6. European theatre: serving citizens, Levan Khetagury 7. Music without borders: musical education for the future, Chika Robertson

13:00–13:45 13:45–15:00

Lunch break Thematic session 2: European artists in the Transatlantic cultural relationship: Opportunities and challenges in the Transatlantic cultural relationship and how artists perceive their role.

Facilitator: Lyudmila Nurse 1. Engaging through arts and enabling communities, Johanna Suo 2. European as the “other” through European contemporary art and auto-ethnography, Josip Zanki 3. Arts and artistic activities and activism – the need for action, Efva Lilja 4. Outside the production line, Nikola Matišić 5. From art+communication to open fields, Jānis Garančs 6. The Inter-cultural Dialogue and the role of the Arts, Massimo Dell’ Utri

15:00-15:15 15:15-16:30

Coffee break General discussion and concluding session, Chair: Massimo Dell’Uttri Discussion and contribution by the Symposium guests and participants Summary of the ECP Symposium discussion: European cultural and educational institutions and artists about their role in cultural diplomacy – Reflections and perspectives: Lyudmila Nurse, Conclusion: Karl-Erik Norrman

Abstracts of presentations

European Art and Artists in Cultural Diplomacy Our session about European Art and Artists in Cultural Diplomacy fit well in the context of dialogue. European Art is present on so many other continents. Beethoven, German or Austrian, a European has become a world citizen. It is indeed amazing how much European Culture has settled in the US, China, Korea, Japan. Spanish, Portuguese, British and French influence in Canada, Australia, India, South America and Africa is present in music, literature, and architecture. Partly a result of colonization, it is our history and responsibility.

Beethoven’s main testimony, the ninth symphony, proclaims: “Alle Menschen werden Brüder”, as says the 1785 text of Friedrich Schiller.

And today we are still working towards this ideal. How might a speech about arts and artists address the problems of this unhappy start of this new century? I am sad to say that Beethoven’s proclamation of 1824 still resonates with a tragic actuality.

Artists as diplomats have a mission to speak with universal credibility and moral authority. They are not hostage to re-election nor

to lobbyists. They should everywhere exercise freedom of speech and expression. Artists, taking the floor unexpectedly, have changed situations. For example, Kurt Masur among numerous artists preparing the change in eastern Germany; Picasso, making Guernica known worldwide.

What is the role of the artist in Cultural Diplomacy? The conductor Daniel Barenboim has launched in 1999 together with Edward Said the “west-eastern divan” orchestra with Arab and Israeli musicians; together, young people of this area show that peace is possible between the people. Again, in the Favelas of Venezuela José Antonio Abreu, an economist, founded together with a group of musicians, an orchestra: “For the children … poverty means loneliness, sadness, and anonymity – an orchestra means joy, motivation, teamwork, the aspiration to success.”

In 1998, Hans Peter Bastian demonstrated how the daily practice of an instrument and performing together, changed pupils’ attitudes. This is cultural diplomacy at a personal level.

Robert Schuman argued in 1950 for the reunification of the citizens of Europe. But in Belgium a linguistic barrier has split the kingdom. Speaking and understanding the language of the other is also knowledge about his culture – it is cultural diplomacy!

Arts and Artists score highly in the court of public opinion, higher than politicians or journalists. This Transatlantic Dialogue initiated by the Uni.lu together with so many partners and universities in our global and digital world is establishing new ways of communication and is a new forum for cultural diplomacy.

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Keynote Speaker: Erna HennicotSchoepges

Session I: Past and Future of The Trans-Atlantic Artistic and Cultural Relationship

1. European Universities: Fostering Critical thinking, Prof. Joe Friggieri Universities make a uniquely significant contribution to culture in the widest possible sense of the word.

Throughout their history, European universities have exerted a strong and lasting influence on the way people think, express themselves and live. By providing the right climate for discovery and research, they have given birth to new ideas

in science, politics, economics and the arts. We tend to take universities so much for granted these days that we find it hard to imagine what Europe would be like without them.

Our awareness of their importance grows when we see the way in which repressive regimes set out to control what goes on in universities, vetting programmes, interfering with appointments, withdrawing funds, closing down faculties, curtailing free speech and punishing dissent.

In my talk I shall focus specifically on the importance of the Humanities and the Arts in the ‘ideal’ university, and of their role in fostering critical thinking, which is what a democracy needs in order to flourish, and is indispensable to innovative work in any field.

2. Opera in a Transatlantic perspective Karl-Erik Norrman The first Opera was produced and performed in Padua, Italy, in 1607.

You could since say that Opera is the most European of all forms of arts.

And is also the most expensive art form, involving architecture, interior design, sculpture and visual arts, film, fashion, theatre, orchestra and solo instrument music and singing.

Of course the use of the human voice has to be the focus of Opera.

Giuseppe Verde once said that you need three things in order to sing his operas – “voce, voce and voce”.

Opera soon spread to other parts of Europe, to the Austrian empire, to France, to the German states, to the United Kingdom and to most other parts of the European continent. In the 1860ies Opera arrived to the United States, first to Chicago, then to cities like New York and Los Angeles. The art of Opera has continued to develop during the 20th century and has spread around the world. In the 21st century Opera has reached cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Doha and Muscat with very beautiful and spectacular opera houses.

Europe is still dominating the world of Opera, with for instance 80 opera houses in Germany and it has become a self-evident (and expensive) part of public (tax payers’) responsibility for culture and arts.

In the United States opera is more of a private enterprise. Opera houses and opera productions are financed privately or are based on special sponsor agreements. This creates an atmosphere of participation, personal commitment and enthusiasm in the US opera houses, an atmosphere which many Europeans envy. But the artistic disadvantage is that private people tend to finance mainly music they know and like.

No, or at least few, risks are taken, few experiments will be made and little innovation tested.

The mainly publicly financed European opera, however, can allow itself to experiment, innovate and update classical opera and invite new contemporary composers to present new operas. This is made possible by a so-called “arm-length” policy, financing, but not interfering in program decision of opera houses.

These differences, however, do not change the universalism of Opera. Next week I will see a new production of Salome in Amsterdam.

The story, as you know, is from Old Testament in the Bible, processed

by Oscar Wilde, UK, developed for Opera by Hugo von Hoffmannstal, Austria, music composed by Richard Strauss, Germany, King Herodes sung by Lance Ryan, USA, Queen Herodias by Doris Soffel, Germany, Princess Salome by Malin Bystöm, Sweden and Prophet Johanaan by Evgenij Nikitin, Russia.

Opera is true Universal Cultural Diplomacy!

3. Cultural differences: upheavals and joy (Although Mary Miller wasn’t able to attend the Symposium, we included her abstract into this report) Mary Miller

As Director of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut – home to Yale University – I found myself, initially, struggling to assimilate cultural differences in a constructive way.

New Haven, one the poorest cities in America despite Yale and being at the heart of the US’s richest states, is in some ways a microcosm of the county’s astonishing diversity: a city 62% ethnic, with a complex and combative mix of Latino, Caribbean, and Black American people with little wish to cohere.

Perhaps that, though, was a positive and life-enhancing challenge.

The primary hazards to negotiate, as a Northern European, were the startling differences in personal behaviors – from my board of 52, from artists and from new colleagues. In the UK – and in Norway, now my adopted home – reserve and self-effacement is standard. In Scandinavia, we have a name for it: janteløven – a sort of mix of whodo-you-think-you-are, and a stern reminder not to put your head above the parapet. Sentences do not begin with ‘I’. In the US, a sense of self is not to be denied…

At Arts & Ideas, we brought many Europeans to collaborate at the festival. Now, at Bergen National Opera, and in my previous job as Director of Stavanger 2008, European Capital of Culture, many Americans have come to join us in Norway-based productions. Cultural differences abound, causing upheavals but mostly enormous joy.

It’s great, in Luxembourg, to have the opportunity to delve into why.

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4. Cultural Diplomacy in European Museum collections Dr. Marie-Louise von Plessen My talk will focus on actual European issues as presented in national/ regional museums such as the Berlin German Historical Museum; the

upcoming Humboldt Forum in the reconstructed Berlin castle opening in 2019, along with the Berlin museum’s presentation ‘World.City.Berlin’; Vienna’s Museum of Fine Arts and examples of museums in Paris as well as the House of Europe History planned in Brussels.

I will evoke the conceptual shifts since the fall of the wall in 1989/1990; thereby the role of museums to instruct a larger audience about actual political assets held in their collections. With the enlargement of the EU, the assignment of significance has become a main topic in dealing with identities and collections. The role of art works relating their individual history in the perception of European cohesion has become predominant. Some Fine Art museums, such as the Louvre, are changing their displays in this regard, mostly by temporary exhibitions. In general, museums’ programs, especially those relating to cultural history, react to create bonds through Cultural Diplomacy given by their mere physical heritage. Despite troubles within the process of European integration, these artifacts belonging to all and must enable us to share our common past towards a common future.

5. European Cultural Identity Prof. Amparo Serrano de Haro The 21st Century was born bringing more change and paradox than had been foreseen: the change in the communication of the world thanks to new media, the loss of classical patterns of thought and knowledge, the globalization of conflicts, all these factors in isolation, and as a consequence of each other, make the cultural image of Europe today seem blurred and fading.

A new narrative in the Arts has to emerge from this conundrum and it has, even though its form is itself (and not strangely so) shapeless and difficult to grasp: fragmentary, uncertain and restless.

Europe is a utopia, born out of the dream of History that philosophers, musicians and writers of the 19th century created. In the 20th century it was built through politics and economic agreements as an antidote to the two violent wars that scarred it, and in the hope of peace and mutual understanding.

The capacity to integrate the past into the future, to advance but to hold on to the humanistic principles of this European identity of the arts: this is the task that awards/ awaits this new narrative, before, due to the velocity of the media and the rush of technology, the dreams of the past are lost in the mirror of banality.

6. Theatre: Serving citizens Dr. Levan Khetaguri During the centuries the role of artists became more on more important, artists intellectuals for me are the guarantee to be the opposition to the governments without political ambitions and served societies and communities for better life and justice. Arts and culture by its philosophy are devoted to the human development, to open the new vision, share personal or communities’ experiences.

Culture itself diplomacy because it is based on dialogue between author and readers, spectators, listeners – between people. People who belongs to different cultures, ethnic, religion and language groups.

Dances, music, Chaplin or “Romeo and Juliet” don’t need special “translation” we all will cry or laugh on it equally.

This is power of arts and culture, move through the boarders. Diplomacy some time creates borders but sometime it’s for opening of the borders. Borders start inside of us and Arts and culture should help to liberate us from these borders.

I believe that Arts and Culture have big power to change mentality of societies, change political re-

gimes, and liberate people. Arts and Culture heartfelt diplomacy, gratuitous serving to the citizens.

7. Music without borders: Musical Education for the Future Dr. Chika Robertson Incredibly talented young British musicians look forward to their high-octane, musically-packed Saturdays at London’s Royal Academy of Music. As a leading conservatoire, the Junior Academy acts as an ideal conduit to offer a stimulating meeting place for like-minded equals. The highly gifted 7–19 yearolds benefit far beyond the worldclass professionalism of its creatively stimulating teaching programme – added value comes from the wide range of socially and culturally diverse backgrounds of the students themselves.

Music, as a ‘universal language’, crosses all borders. Therefore, the strikingly mature level of complex social and musical skills which the young adults are developing is being nurtured within a disciplined, respectful and caring environment, providing a safe ‘playground’ for the talented artists.

Through the Music Mind Spirit Trust’s award-winning educational programme, ‘SongTrees’, Dr Chika Robertson works with Young Artist Musical Ambassadors from the Junior Academy to implement cultural leadership skills through music. Whilst fostering their peak performance flow through collaborative interplay, onerous tasks are being transformed into tributes by taking sufficient time to tune into their talents rhythmically and intuitively – natural gestural art forms we can all utilise to resonate with others simply and harmoniously via Musically Attuned Performances (MAP).

Session II: European Artists in the Trans-Atlantic Cultural Relationship

052 053 1. Engaging through arts and enabling communities Johanna Suo How can we in arts and humanities make sure that cultural diplomacy is a widely understood language?

Culture and creativity are universal languages that can change the world. I will focus on the practice and experience of projects; for example “engaging through arts and enabling communities” with and

for the embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Brussels and ongoing projects, which all will be artistic projects but not limited to galleries.

I will also mention a project currently in its planning stages, is with the American, Pittsburgh based, artist Jon Rubin, with focus on two different neighbourhoods on both sides of the Atlantic. Cultural relations should be in integrated in the transatlantic relations such ones as the German Marshall Fund of the United States for example.

A brief presentation about creative industry transatlantic alliance and a project linked to Building EUUS Networks through the Creative and Cultural Industries by Chapman University California.

2. EUROPEAN AS the OTHER Dr. Josip Zanki In my presentation, I shall analyse and connect the concept of the Other based on European Contemporary art examples and auto-ethnography. I will drive Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s thesis of Europe as an Other (Chakravorty Spivak 1999:199) following the application of the Soja model of Thirdspace and Lévi-Strauss’ model of The Savage Mind, I will try to interpret the mobility of cultural meanings and symbols. The central part of my research is the experience of European artists in Asian, American and South American contexts. Using the experience of work in the Tibetan thangka painting studio Thangde Gatsal in Dharamshala, collaboration with Colombian artists in Bogota and the workshop in the University of Alberta, Canada, I will try to present the possibility of artistic Transatlantic exchange and cultural diplomacy in general. Treating contemporary art as a phenomenon that goes beyond the interpretation of physical space and as a compound of the real and the imaginary world which turns it into an experience of the Thirdspace, opens the possibility of inter-

preting Other as the establishment of a ‘comprehensive simultaneity’, Aleph of the Thirdspace. This approach opens up the possibility of questioning the symbolic language, which is present in the artworks of different cultures as an expression of ‘unbroken history” of the experience of space.

3. Spit, Shit, Bleed, Argue, Move and Weep: Arts and artistic activities and activism – the need for action Prof. Efva Lilja We live in a benevolent welfare state that has fallen on hard times.

Un-necessities spread out amongst all the worry and the glitter blinds you (spit). With all the sparkle you become myopic and your existence narrows down to trifles (shit). Europe is in a cultural crisis. A large portion of the European population is on the dole, in a cultural void. Cultural policies are in a state of vacuum, most often with fuzzy leadership whose actions are based on a materialistic view, where art is seen as goods and products and the artist is steered toward usefulness and adaptation to the ”creative economy” (bleed). On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean the journey to the mansion of power provides a host of opportunities for reflection on powerlessness and impotence. If we want a society with creative, innovative, strong citizens who are able to apply and utilize their voices and creativity, we need a belief in our common commitments (argue) (move). The dominating political philosophy puts art into the ”icing-on-the-cake” box (weep). In this talk, I will elaborate on the role of the arts and tendencies in artistic activities and activism triggered by the need for action.

4. From Art+Communication to OpenFields – overview of 2 decades of networked culture community projects with RIXC, Riga.

Jänis Garančs RIXC was established in 2000 on

the basis of E-LAB (Centre for electronic arts and media, est. 1996). It operates in the intersection of art, science and emerging technologies.

Activities include: the production of artworks, transdisciplinary projects, curating Art+Communication festivals, thematic exhibitions and conferences and the publishing of journal series. It has grown into an important hub of New Media Culture in Europe through the participation in the number of international collaboration and exchange communities. More recent examples include: “Renewable Futures.

Creative Europe cooperation project”, “NORTH – creative network”.

In 2015 RIXC started a new cooperation project – “Changing weathers” – networked responses to geophysical, geopolitical and technological shifts across Europe is a cultural program with partners both from the European “core” and its political and economic “periphery”. The newest international collaboration – “RISK CHANGE” project is run together with 9 other partners from 9 EU countries, as well as 26 associated partners (including 7 non-EU members) is related to contemporary migrations and continuous social and cultural change in 21th Century, the geopolitical focus on EU and neighbouring countries. The presentation will be an overview the above mentioned – and of a number of other collaborative projects as well as reflection on the evolution of the socio-political context over 2 decades.

5. Outside the production line Nikola Matišić Being an aesthetic artist in the era of reproductive industry and NPM-infected academia – challenges and possibilities in new forms of training in the arts. The holy authenticity: What is truth? Developing authentic artistry in the paradigm of skill versus knowledge and the seductive power of spontaneous impulse.

The Inter-cultural Dialogue and the role of the Arts Prof. Massimo Dell’Utri One of the main convictions held by the members of the ECP is the possibility of a genuine intercultural dialogue, coupled with the idea that art – in its various forms and manifestations – is an unavoidable means in order to foster this dialogue. However, this is not meant to be a superficially optimistic stance, and nobody fails to see the enormous difficulties that hinder the progress towards this end. It can be said that the ECP meetings, and this same conference, are but attempts to envisage what are the conditions one has to fulfil in order to shape a common ground on which to place the dialogue itself.

Among these conditions there is the acquisition of that openness of mind which allows acknowledging, on the one hand, the plain fact that there are people who may have needs and purposes different from ours, and, on the other, the possibility of being mistaken. This acknowledgment requires in turn the development of a general sensitivity – in the broadest possible sense of the term. It is here that art’s invaluable role comes to the fore.

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List of Symposium presenters and attendees

Biographical profiles of the ECP Symposium Ambassador Karl-Erik Norrman, Symposium Chair: Karl-Erik Norrman is a founder (2002) and Secretary General of the European Cultural Parliament (ECP), the only Pan-European, interdisciplinary forum for cultural personalities of all sectors of Arts. As a Swedish diplomat for more than 30 years, he served i.a. in Moscow, Beijing, Geneva and Rome and the United Nations. Since 2010, he has been guest professor for cultural diplomacy at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, ICD, Berlin.

Lyudmila Nurse, ECP Symposium Coordinator and Moderator a cultural sociologist, researcher and consultant with a background in history, a co-founder and a Director of UK-based think-tank Oxford XXI. An active member of the European and International Sociological associations, and an honorary research fellow at the Faculty of Humanities and Social sciences of Oxford Brookes University, UK: Since 2015 Lyudmila has been a member of the Steering Committee of the Trans-Atlantic dialogue, where she has been developing a stream on the role of European art and artists in TransAtlantic cultural relations.

Prof. Massimo Dell’Utri, ECP Symposium Facilitator and a Professor at the University of Sassari, Italy, where he is a member of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. Massimo Dell’Utri teaches Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Multiculturality, and Philosophy of Literature and Art. Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, Keynote speaker, a Luxembourgish politician for the Christian Social People’s Party. She was until 2009, a

Member of the European Parliament. She was educated in Musical studies, for which she was awarded the gold medal as a pianist, as well as philosophy and literature at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in Bruxelles, Ecole Normale in Paris, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and the Centre Universitaire in Luxembourg. Hennicot-Schoepges played a principal part in the creation of the University of Luxembourg in 2003 and of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Hall Joséphine Charlotte in 2005, amongst her other significant projects. She is a member of the Jury for the European Capitals of Culture and a member of the Council of State in Luxembourg.

Prof. Joe Friggieri, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Malta.

He holds doctorates from Milan and Oxford and is a poet, playwright and theatre director. For his contribution to Malta’s cultural life and activities, he was made a member of the National Order of Merit in 2008.

Dr. Marie-Louise Von Plessen, Dr. Marie-Louise von Plessen is a German cultural historian, writer and museologist. Today she is a member of the scientific advisory board of the Musée de l’Europe in Brussels, the European Cultural Institute Pierre Werner in Luxembourg and the Jean Monnet pour l’Europe fondation in Lausanne.

Countess von Plessen is also a senator of the European Cultural Parliament and adviser of the Cultural Council of the Council of Europe in Luxembourg (“Institut Européen des itinéraires culturels”).

Dr. Levan Khetaguri, Director and Professor of Arts Research Institute of Georgia, Ex-Chair of adviser’s board of Eastern European Partnership culture program. He

is member of different international institutions, adviser and scientific boards, invited professor of several universities. He is International expert in Theatre Studies, Higher Arts Education (QA), Cultural Policy, and Cultural Research.

Dr. Chika Robertson, CEO of the Music Mind Spirit Trust. She is a Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music, Junior Academy, and is a Diploma Examiner for the ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music).

Prof. Amparo (Ara) Serrano de Haro, A University Professor in Art History and a novelist. She received a Fullbright Scholarship early on and has received several grants from the Spanish Education Ministry. In 2013 she was awarded the Marguerite Yourcenar Prize for European writers. She has published around 14 books.

Johanna Suo, The managing director of ifa laboratory in Brussels and likewise a “hands on” creative entrepreneur, passionate about structural development in culture. In 2015 she was awarded the Marshall Memorial Fellowship (of the German Marshall Fund of the United States) aiming to reinforce transatlantic relations.

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Josip Zanki, A cultural anthropologist and visual artist. Since 1986 he has been working on installations, performances, experimental films and videos, research into graphic media and cultural anthropology. He taught at the University of Zadar in Croatia from 2009 to 2016. Since December 2007 he has been president of the Croatian Artist Association.

Prof. Efva Lilja, Efva Lilja is an Artist working with performances, visual art, film and writing. In 2003, she was appointed Professor of Choreography, 2006–2013 the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Dance and Circus in Stockholm and in 2014, the Expert Advisor on Artistic Research at the Ministry of Education and Research in Sweden. From 2016 she has been the Artistic Director of Dansehallerne in Copenhagen.

Jänis Garančs, a Latvian artist, working in areas of interactive multimedia installations and immersive audio-visual performance.

Since finishing art studies (painting, video and computer art) in Riga, Stockholm, Hamburg and Cologne, he has had special interest in moving stereoscopic imagery and 3D/surround sound, presented in formats ranging from gallery exhibitions to live onstage concerts. As a researcher and project consultant, he pursues fostering ‘cross-disciplinary platforms’ for art/culture, science, education and industry.

Nikola Matišić, Swedish opera singer and artistic director of Operalabb, a movement for public education and elite training of classical singing and opera.

Nikola is an associate of the Royal Academy of Music, a Samling scholar and published writer of articles on the arts, music and the voice in Swedish news media and specialist magazines.

Guests at the ECP Symposium

Bernard Baumgarten, Artistic Director TROIS C-L – Centre Création Chorégraphique Luxembourgeois, Luxembourg Tania Brugnoni, Project Director 1535° Creative hub Differdange, Luxembourg Françoise Poos, Chair of the Board of the national public socio-cultural radio station: Radio 100Komma7, Luxembourg, and Chairman Edward Steichen Award Luxembourg Board, Luxembourg Paul Lesch, Director, Centre national de l’audiovisuel, Luxembourg Marc Meyers, Director Music Conservatory Luxembourg-City, Luxembourg Alex Reding, Director Luxembourg ARTweek, Luxembourg Vera Spautz, Mayor Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg Andreas Wagner, Management Esch ECoC ’22, Luxembourg Ralph Waltmanns, Cultural Coordinator Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg James Ketterer, Dean of International Studies and Director, Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program, Bard College New York, USA Erica Mott, choreographer, installation and performance maker, and cultural organizer, Chicago, USA

Ainhoa Achetegui, Director Neumünster Abbey, Luxembourg

Venu Dhupa, ECP member, Visiting Professor at Nottingham Trent University, UK

Guy Arendt, Secretary of State for Culture, Luxembourg

Karen Humle, violinist and consultant, Copenhagen, Denmark

InDU stR iaL HE ritAGe IN Be LV al - ba SI cs abOU t VIDeo fILmI ng oN LOcatION Egberdien van der Torre

thetic viewpoint versus another video taken for practical application. She suggested that focusing on the aesthetics of a building can really shine a light on a monument that might have, beCreative Atelier fore, been less noticed. Another Cultural Diplomacy as: thing she talked about in this sesConservation of Heritage sion was the many functions of Date: Wednesday camera angles in film. Egberdien 24th May, 13:30–15:00 described how some films might be taken from the ground up to give Keywords: Industrial, Film, Architecture, Cultural the character, or object, a larger Heritage, Camera Angles appearance. Another shot she described was filming where the camera is zoomed into an object or person to infer that the thing captured is not of dangerous nature. After discussing some filming techniques and how filmmakers and artists utilize these different techniques to generate the films they envision, it was time to put the audience’s newly learned film techniques to the test. After the first half of the session, everyone went outside and filmed some of the beautiful industrial buildings that were, conveniently, right outside of the TAD conference building. Once the buildings were filmed, Egberdien explained to the group her next step: to put the clips together and bring them in to show the audience the next day.

This concluded Egberdien’s session for the day.

Question (more like a comment): Audience member: “In movies, directors tell you what emotions to feel through actor’s emotions, music, or by choice of camera angle but in a play, we are left to figure out what to feel ourselves.”

Egberdien: “I agree. Cinema pushes you to feel emotions, unlike plays where the focus is relying on large gestures and movements.”

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Egberdien is a Dutch artist who specializes in visual arts. Her work consists of capturing industrial buildings and monuments through film in the hopes of shedding light on cultural heritage.

In her session, Egberdien described how filming ordinary buildings and objects with certain creative techniques can change the focus of an image drastically. For example, in the session, she described the difference between a video taken from an aes-

Concluding comments and summary by reviewer Overall, Egberdien’s session was very informative. It was fascinating to see how Egberdien incorporated many different elements into her films in order to get the shot she envisioned. By observing her past pictures, I was able to see her unique perspective of buildings that I otherwise probably would not have paid as much attention to. This session really showed the audience how perspective and creativity can take something ordinary and make it extraordinary.

Speaker: Egberdien van der Torre, Visual artist, résidential artist Lasauvage, Luxembourg Reviewer: Brittney Hill, Student, Georgia State University, USA, bhill35@outlook.gsu.edu

CURI osiTY ANd CREAtivITY - SOU rceS Of CulTUR al UNderstanDINg Dennis C. Roberts

“An artist expresses an insightful individuality combined with a compelling conviction that can move the listener where he or she could not otherwise go” (Cline, 1990). It is with this beautiful quote that Mister Roberts welcomed his public and this quote lead his discourse during this really interesting session.

Mister Roberts shared with his life story in order to explain why he thinks art can contribute to cultural understanding. After studies in the higher education field in the USA, he discovered, in Luxembourg, the power of artistic activities. Indeed, when he was working as higher education researcher in Luxembourg, he visited a university campus where a competition was organized for students to create a piece of art related to a specific theme (“prison” in this example). This exchange experience through artistic activities raised his curiosity. Then, when he was working in Qatar, Mister Roberts discovered numerous pieces of music with his friends and he shared with them the music from his own country. These sharing moments about culture helped them to develop friendship without taking into account language or cultural background.

All of these experiences lead him to think that artistic work and curiosity about it help people to interact and learn to know each other. It also lead people to value each other to a much greater degree.

Nevertheless, according to Mister Roberts, music performances have to be demystified in order for everyone has to have access to it and cultivate their own creativity. He presents himCreative Atelier self as an amateur musician and Cultural Diplomacy as: is proud to be able to share music Conservation of Heritage without regard to status as a proDate: Wednesday fessional.

24th May, 13:30–15:00 In this session, music was Keywords: Music, Piano, presented as a means of commuCommunication, nication. It can help to create conSharing, Inspiration versation and discover other cultures by talking about it. We ask the other “what do you think about it?” Mister Robert played two pieces from famous compositors: “Pavane pour une infant defunte”, by Ravel and “Prelude IV in D Major, Opus 23, No. 4”, by Rachmaninoff. By playing this music he tried to help participants understand what the artists wanted to say through their work. He explained to us the historical context of the pieces but also asked the participants how they felt about it and what they thought. Surprisingly, participants mainly interpreted the music as the artist wanted them to, illustrating the communicative power of music.

To conclude his session, Mister Roberts asked participants to think about how they could transfer artistic learning, such as those acquired from working on the piano pieces he presented, to cultural exchange. Indeed, he thought cultural communication was analogous to artistic work. The main learnings were the following: fighting the fear of the unknown, working hard to have master the most difficult passages, looking for patterns but being prepared for surprises and enjoying them, looking for hidden and subtle themes to enrich and deepen understanding, concentrating on where the arc of the long phrase goes rather than just the short interludes, seeking technical mastery as well as authentic artistry, and focusing on the art and not on the audience.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: By sharing his personal experiences and feelings, Mister Robert raised our curiosity about the power of music power as a trigger for discussion between people and help them to learn to know each other.

Speaker: Dr. Dennis C. Roberts, PhD, Independent Consultant – New Dimensions in Education, Illinois, USA Reviewer: Marine Delhaes, MASSES Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, marine.delhaes.001@student.uni.lu

YoUR Personal SU stAINa BLe DevELopmeNT anD DAILy EnERGy ManAGEMent.

MoVEMent BaSED ExPR esSIV e A RTs fOR WELlbeiNG ANd SucCESs Anne Miranda Welter

Luxembourg City Dance, which in its second season in the summer of 2016 united eight independent Tamalpa and HKiT trained dancers in a City Dance that provided the City’s squares Creative Atelier and popular places with a refreshDate: Wednesday ing surprising dance extravaganza.

24th May, 13:30–15:00 In its third season in April 2017 it Keywords: Physical state, will include a social component by Emotional State, training the less fortunate among Mental State, Movement, Expression us such as the homeless, refugees and unemployed.

Within the workshops work process, Anne Miranda Welter is guiding participants in exploring the relationship between the physical, emotional, and mental/imaginary levels of experience and expression, aiming to understand how these different levels influence the individuals’ energy management, as well as the relationship between the individual and the group. In the frame of these art processes and explorations, artwork and learning outcomes arise through the use of the following tools: movement, voice, drawing and narrative.

In the frame of the workshop session, Anne Miranda Welter guided the group in the following exercises: – Exploring the space and different ways of moving through it, such as using the space differently by moving closer/further to/from each other.

– Sharing feelings regarding the three aspects of experience, while exploring the space and movement.

– Drawing our own physical, emotional, and mental states, including goals/issues, need and strategy.

– Pairing and sharing experiences of drawings, such as expressing feelings of drawings with body movements.

The following concluding comments represent the participants’ reflections and experiences towards the workshop: Listening my body; Not forgetting to breathe; Enjoying the stillness; Not being afraid of moving differently.

To sum up, a successful management of our daily energy requires a deep connection between the physical, emotional, and mental/imaginal state, in order to be aware of and understand the individuals’ own needs regarding a strategy of reaching their goals.

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Anne Miranda Welter is a Tamalpa Graduate, a HKiT trained Dance Artist and a Dancing Dialogue Choreographer. She has been working with the integrative tools of the expressive arts in life/movement for successful dynamic communication and creating dances for over twenty years. Her intention is to make dance as a life skill accessible to as many in as many situations as life may offer. She recently initiated the

Speaker: Anne Miranda Welter, Dance Atelier – Dynamic Communications Artful Human Relations Reviewer: Kevin Simoes Loureiro, Masters Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, kevin.simoes.001@student.uni.lu

BOD y Lan GUAGE AT elIER: Mov EMEN t, EMO ti O n, IM agi NATION = CoMMU nicATIO n Anna Bulanda-Pantalacci, Ben Jurca, and Nathalie Schmidt

This creative workshop was deCreative Atelier signed to encourage participants Cultural Diplomacy as: to feel spaces and body moveInformation, Communication, Dialogue ments, and to construct connections and trusts with other particiDate: Wednesday pants through several exercises.

24th May, 13:30–15:00 The workshop started with Keywords: Body Language, the simple exercise of walking Communication, Perception of Space, around the lecture room, in order Trust, Connection to understand the space and distances, the numbers of people in the room, how fast/ slow each person can walk, how one can say “hello” without words. It was followed by the several other exercises, including the following: – In pairs, one person closed their eyes and the other person guided that person to walk around the room – In groups, one group of about 10 people made a form of the letter V, and one person walked/run into the group with closed eyes (and the group stopped the person from falling down) – In pairs, one person moved freely and the other person moved in the same way, in a mirror image.

“The workshop adopts a holistic approach, not based on a single discipline”, said Prof. Bulanda-Pantalacci, and, “The workshop is not designed to teach technical skills, but the important thing is what participants could bring back through their experiences in the workshop”, said Mr. Jurca.

Participants, in brief interviews after the workshop, said the workshop was very interactive and fun, with good energy and dynamics. One said, even though, at the beginning, the person felt nervous and shy doing exercises with somebody that person did not know before, “trust” was constructed through the exercises, and the workshop ended with a very positive and relaxed mood. Another said, that people could feel more confident after the workshop.

A participant who is currently studying to be a teacher said she would definitely consider using this kind of workshop with students in the future.

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Speaker: Prof. Anna Bulanda-Pantalacci, Communication Design, University of Applied Sciences Trier, Trier, Germany; Ben Jurca, University of the Arts, Bremen, Germany; Nathalie Schmidt, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg Reviewer: Miwa Chiba, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, miwa.chiba.001@student.uni.lu

DecOLO nisi NG I NTER natioNA l E duC atION B y ConfrO nTIN g ouR HI storicAL C oNText Tricia Sherrard

This roundtable discussion focused on the exchange program of Miami University in Ohio in Fiji. Ms. Sherrard shared her experiences on the island of Fiji and the cultural practices which she has observed on this Pacific island. One of these experiences was seeing the famous, all American cartoon, Pocahontas in a Fijian setting, on the only television of the village she visited during the programme. This particular act of cultural appropriation struck the observer all the more because of the history of colonisation of Fiji by the British: the cartoon tells a story about the coloniser and the colonised and their interaction where they learn from each other the importance of cultural exchange and dialogue but where the coloniser is in an inherently superior position. Fiji’s history of genocide and the colonisation by the British is very similar to the cartoon the Fijian children were watching and this sparked interest in the speaker.

Some centuries ago, the Myaamia tribe resided in Ohio, where the Miami University is located today and this also contributed to Sherrard’s interest in celebrating cultural differences and the effects of globalisation on connectivity between individuals.

Cultural exchange and decolonisation in international education has become one of Sherrard’s main focal points of analysis in the case study of Fiji.

In Europe and the US where colonisation has a long history, ethnocentrism – the belief that the own culture / ethnicity is the most important – seems to be old fashioned and less present, but Roundtable Discussion there is still a long way to go until Cultural Diplomacy as: a fully inclusive cultural dialogue is Education, Conservation of Heritage reached.

Education provides a frameDate: Wednesday work to achieve cultural diplomacy, 24th May, 15:15–16:15 therefore students participating to Keywords: Cultural the exchange programme visit forDialogue, Colonialist merly colonised countries in order Discourse, Decolonisation, Ethnocentrism, to understand other cultures and Exchange Programs the power relations which colonialism has established in these countries. The current trends of exchange programs for universities and studying abroad increased since the 60’s when these programmes were shorter. Today, they focus on questioning one’s identity in comparison to the experiences abroad. The most popular destination has become Europe but formerly colonised countries (remote and exotic destinations) also sparked interest in students to learn about new cultures and cultural practices. However, not everybody can profit from the positive effects of such cultural exchanges and study programs. Some students – especially black and Hispanic students – are underrepresented because of financial disabilities or a lack of interest from the parents to send their children abroad to study.

Further steps need to be taken in order to promote exchange programs for all.

Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: In this roundtable discussion, the participants – students exclusively – were asked to share their experiences. For most of the students, Europe represents a challenge and differences are observed in the most basic cultural practices such as talking: one student observed that in Europe, talking is done in a lower voice, whereas American tend to speak louder. Others shared the same view, which shows that even though these student have only spent some days in Europe, the different cultural practices struck them and that this influences also their manner of interaction with Europeans.

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Speaker: Tricia Sherrard, Master of Science, Student Affairs in Higher Education, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA Reviewer: Greta Szendrei, Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, greta.szendrei.001@ student.uni.lu

GOV ernmeNTS And CULTUR al Di PLomaCY: Soft PoWE r, TrANSFOrmATIV e RE sULT s Daniel M. Pattarini

In this roundtable discussion, the topic of cultural diplomacy was addressed and how it is present in our society today. Cultural diplomacy can take many forms and it is a vehicle for conversation, therefore it is not the usual kind of diplomacy. Soft power in this context refers to building relationships and connections by sharing values. It can be seen as the counterpart of “hard power” which is the use of military power to resolve conflicts. The aim of soft power is not to establish power relations per se or empowerment but rather to share and dialogue.

In a further discussion, cultural diplomacy was analysed from the perspective of art, sport and other cultural practices and how these contribute to cultural diplomacy and dialogue. The discussion also addressed public education and its value for governments. Often, students are seen as products of education, but today, international exchange programs have given a new value to students. In a way, students have become cultural diplomats as many engage in international exchanges to learn about new cultures. Today, students are truly a product of cultural diplomacy.

This is particularly the case for students from the US who visited the conference: differences between American and European culture are observable for many. This roundtable discussion encompassed different perspectives on this topic as the participants were of various origins: US, Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium were represented. This created a true cultural dialogue. The discussion also showed how culture is exchangeable between groups. However, stereotypes are still present even today and cultural dialogue can help dissolving false beliefs about cultures. For example, for the sake of this conference, the Harvard Gospel has come to Luxembourg to show

a different, less mainstream face of American culture and history. Often only a fragment of cultures is known to the “outside” world and the most popular cultural practices are often the Roundtable Discussion most profitable (such as Coca Cola Cultural Diplomacy as: and American fashion).

Information, Communication, Cultural dialogue and diplomacy is therefore all the more Dialogue, Diversity, Human Rights, Education important. However, it is often the Date: Wednesday choice of governments or higher 24th May, 15:15–16:15 level managements to diffuse cerKeywords: Education, tain ideas about a culture and proCultural Diplomacy, mote specific products in order to American Culture gain profit. Language is also a way to share or on the other hand restrict cultural dialogue.

Cultural practices such as sports, music (American musical styles, hip hop, jazz, gospel) are languages by themselves and no other language is a barrier to share these practices as they connect people.

The question the participants were asked was: what would you want your government to promote to the “outside” world? How can we transmit these practices? Answers included sports such as baseball, American immigrant experiences and the mother culture of immigrants that should be more expressed, cultural dialogue through food and sharing meals with people from different backgrounds were ways of cultural exchange a dialogue for which the participants saw a need today. These kinds of dialogues create a face-to-face exchange and bridge the gap between people in a meaningful way and education is an important part of creating a dialogue. Creating a piece of art together where students would learn from each other and elevating cultures to an equal level, not where one that dominates over the other because these hierarchies create conflicts (e.g. Belgium) is the most important mission of all of us today.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: This roundtable discussion helped the participants to truly engage in a cultural dialogue and to learn about the presence or absence of certain cultural practices and their promotion outside their respective country. The participants exchanged their perspectives on cultural practices and how they influence cultural dialogue and diplomacy.

Speaker: Daniel M. Pattarini, Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy Luxembourg, Luxembourg Reviewer: Greta Szendrei, Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, greta.szendrei.001@ student.uni.lu

SE xul ASsault oN UNIV ersi TY C ampUSE s: A CultURE Of HeGEMonic MA sCULI niTY Brandon Cash

THE I MPACT of InTER nati ONA l EDUC atiON I niTIATives On CUltUR al DIPLO maCY DEVE lopmEN t Natalie Cruz

SPeAKIN g AcROSs N atiONS: USing StorYtELling tO CultivaTE CULturAL D ipLO macy MyTresa Taylor, Chatrice Barnes, and Scarlet Davis

When different nationalities come together and start interacting with each other, there is always a clash of cultures which needs to be discussed. Nowadays people wear “masks”, meaning they are pushed into an image on how they should act and react. Visual performances, like social media or movies, tell boys at a young age what it looks like to become ‘a man’. Not crying in public, the obligation to be part of a sports team, and/or constantly competing with others are just a few unwritten rules on how masculinity is portrayed to young men. These are the “toxic masks” society forces them to wear. Unfortunately, this is the main reason which might lead to problems concerning interactions with women. That is why awareness of sexual assaults especially on campuses, and the protection and support of women in such situations should be stressed more in public.

The above-mentioned masks can be transferred to international students in a new cultural envi-

ronment as well. Exploring and living in new countries can challenge not only the exchange students but also community members. In the event of too many international students, it is hard to Roundtable Discussion keep them away from their culturDate: Wednesday al groups with which they are al24th May, 15:15–16:15 ready familiar. On the other hand, Keywords: Development, a mistake would be to make interCulture, Masculinity, national students – in a minority – Storytelling, Education feel “special”, since it could lead to the feeling of being different. On the contrary, if an international student is seen as ‘popular’ their focus may be deterred from their academic focus and shifted to their social lives based on this attention.

Highlighting the fact that all people from every part of the world have completely different backgrounds, it is important to remember that they cannot be defined based on simply their origins. People should be evaluated as individuals before being stereotyped or cast into generalizations based on certain characteristics. For example, when meeting others, conversations typically begin with empty phrases such as “where are you from” or “what do you do”.

Yet these questions can leave out the personality of the individual. However, when people share more information about themselves, there may be hesitation because opening up to others can make someone feel vulnerable. When people tell their stories, they may feel stronger, free, and more authentic. These types of conversations can help people connect at deeper levels and assist in developing empathy.

To sum up, human bonds should be created in any situation and sometimes cultural interaction might result in better understanding and inspiration.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: During the discussions, it was interesting to compare the different systems that we have on our campuses and countries. Moreover, the education methods seemed to differ a lot from one to another.

Therefore it was nice to have a variety of perspectives and ideas to find solutions.

Speaker: Brandon Cash, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA, Natalie Cruz, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates, and MyTresa Taylor, Chatrice Barnes and Scarlet Davis, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA Reviewer: Kimberly Gnoss, Student, htw saar University of Applied Science, Saarbrücken, Germany, kimberlygnoss@web.de

Thursday 25th, May

Parallel Panel Sessions II

Parallel Creative Ateliers II

Tibetan Meditation

“Do you know your crazy monkey mind?”

Kenne Sie dieses Gefühl, es ist spät am Abend, Sie liegen in Ihrem Bett, Ihr Körper mit all seinen Gliedmaßen ist vollkommen entspannt aber Ihr Unterbewusstsein ist gefangen in einer Teufelsspirale seiner selbst, Sie denken und denken und denken.

Nowadays, most people in Western countries are under huge

time pressures, on a regular basis. Being in a hurry, running from one appointment to the next, feeling the need to do five completely different things at the same time.

Does this sound familiar? All of this leads us to see time as a resource which is very scarce.

Instead of sleeping we let the day pass in review and ask ourselves how we could have reacted differently in past situations. What would that have changed and how would the day have evolved? Or we are wracking our brains about potential future situations we may get into. We already aim to be prepared for every eventuality and keep control, instead of listening to our inner voice and relying on our feelings triggered by any situation.

Compared to other countries, the educational standards in Western countries are relatively high.

Free access to an extraordinary amount of information supports the process of lifelong learning.

One might think the Internet will answer all questions but there are also questions to which the Internet just cannot provide us with the answer. Have you ever asked yourself what is mind and in relation to this: who am I? To be able to answer those questions, one must be able to reflect on oneself. We all have positive as well as negative emotions.

Imagine that your right biceps represents your negative and the left one your positive emotions. If you train the right one harder, then it will surely become stronger than its antagonist. With your emotions, it is the same: If we allow our negative emotions to rise and start to “nourish” them by frequently making them a subject of discussion, they will sooner or later dominate our mind.

But what is the reason behind that? Very often people are completely unaware of what they are feeling in the present moment and

of where emotions and feelings come from. It might not be a problem to distinguish whether we are in a good or in a bad mood as such, however, it is extremely difficult to truly find out the reason this feeling appeared.

Meditation can help us to develop the necessary awareness to reflect on ourselves. It allows us to harmonize our body and soul through the generated balance. It allows us to enjoy life right here, right now, not only physically but also mentally.

Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: Ich selbst habe mich in diesen Beschreibungen sehr schnell wiedererkannt. Daher haben mich die Worte des Lamas sehr berührt.

Auch ich bin ein Mensch der sich sehr schnell sorgt und dazu neigt, sich den Kopf über Dinge, welche nicht in meiner Macht liegen, zu zerbrechen.

Selbst wenn man seinen Mitmenschen körperlich sehr nahe ist, ist man mental doch oft meilenweit voneinander entfernt. Egal ob man seinen Ausgleich in der Meditation, dem Sport oder anderen Bereichen findet, ein freier Geist ermöglicht es uns auch mental im Hier und Jetzt anzukommen. Wir können unser Leben in vollen Zügen auskosten, das Positive in uns aufnehmen und es mit unseren Nächsten teilen.

Speaker: Lama Jigmé Namgyal, www.tibetculture.lu Date: Thursday 25th May, 08:00– 08:45 Keywords: Mind, Balance, Emotions, Self-Awareness Reviewer: Jennifer Selgrad, Student, htw saar – University of Applied Sciences, Saarbrücken, Germany, j.selgrad@gmx.de

Plenary Round Table: How Can Universities Harness the Potential of Cultural Diplomacy to Transform Societies?

sionals from a variety of backgrounds could develop a curiosity in students that will lead them to a multitude Cultural Diplomacy as: Information, of interests.

Communication, Dialogue This method, as Date: Thursday 25th May, Dr. Meyer Auf 09:00–10:00 der Heyde proposed, could Keywords: Diversity, Humanities, Empathy, inspire students Interdisciplinary Education to go abroad themselves to gain experience and understanding of differing cultures.

The Plenary Session began with moderator Dr. Coudenys of KU Leuven challenging the guest speakers to explain how students can thrive in a continuously changing society. The following three questions were discussed in the hope of finding a conclusion: 1) Does increased specialization hurt cultural diplomacy?

Dr. Crawford of Miami University and Prof. Saso of UNICA both believed that an interdisciplinary approach to education would provide cultural diplomacy with a stronger foundation. Students of liberal arts colleges show greater character development and impressive critical thinking skills. It is necessary to keep traditional holistic values that teach minds to be flexible and adapt to surroundings.

2) How do educators interest students in different fields?

Dr. Tarrach of the EUA suggested that appointing teaching profes-

3) Is it possible to bridge the gap between “university elite” and the “outsiders”?

Dr. Meyer Auf der Heyde of IASAS suggested that students have a responsibility to become active members of their communities.

Furthermore, Dr. Crawford believed this would advance empathy among students, encouraging cooperation in sharing knowledge and skills across nations.

Moderator: Dr. Wim Coudenys, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Panelists: Prof. Dr. Gregory P. Crawford, President, Miami University, Ohio, USA; Achim Meyer auf der Heyde, Vice-President, European Council for Student Affairs (ECStA); President, International Association of Student Affairs and Services (IASAS), Berlin, Germany; Prof. Dr. Luciano Saso, President, Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA), Brussels, Belgium; Prof. Dr. Rolf Tarrach, President, European University Association, (EUA), Brussels, Belgium

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Reviewer: Megan Buchanan, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, megan.buchanan.001@ student.uni.lu

MuSIC In EU roPEAn HISTory Erna Hennicot-Shoepges

JAZ z DiPLOmaCY AN d Cult UR al DIALoG ue James Ketterer

On the general topic of music being used as a means of communication, two aspects of the question have been addressed, focusing respectively on Europe and on the USA. Mrs Erna Hennicot-Schoepges firstly undertook an historical approach by pointing out that music has been a part of European societies since times immemorial and by analysing the role of composers throughout the ages. Dr. James Ketterer then pushed further into the question and oriented the discussion on how jazz specifically was used as a tool of cultural diplomacy, focusing on the USA. 1. Music in European History, Erna HennicotSchoepges How does music affect people?

Research has shown that as long ago as 2 million years, people recognised each other by the sound of their voices. The known history of music goes back more than five thousand years. Singing and music in general are deeply rooted in the very nature of every single human being, almost as an anthropological part of their DNA. How can music stimulate Cultural Dialogue?

The ancient Greeks, Plato, Frederic the Great or even Stalin all were aware of how music could be used as tool to promote ideas. Music, as are other art forms, is a way for composers to spread ideas and to send a message to the listener. Even the 5 minutes long period silence in John Cage’s most famous piece has to be analysed as intending to make a point.

Is contemporary music outdated nowadays?

The benefits of being exposed to music from an early age have already been proven several times. However, it seems that nowadays, very little attention is given to contemporary music, despite the digital age, opening access to a large variety of types of music. As a reaction, Mrs Hennicot-Schoepges during her time as a Minister of Culture has promoted the teaching of music for the younger generations by supporting music schools all over Luxembourg.

Moreover, it is important to bear in mind that composers through their music can bring attention to present-day issues and it is therefore still essential to take the time to listen to their messages. Their impact on younger generations should be discussed however, since it appears, that contemporary music almost exclusively appeals to a certain elite.

2. Jazz diplomacy : the American conversation with the world – and with itself, Dr. James Ketterer How has jazz been used to promote American values?

At the turn of the 20th Century, the U.S. govern-

ment, under the impulse of Harvey Parnell used jazz as a way to promote American values. Initially deeply rooted in the Afro-American culture, jazz appeared to be an appropriate tool of cultural Panel Session diplomacy because of the “demCultural Diplomacy as: ocratic” organisation of the enInformation, Communication, Dialogue sembles. Several jazz artists were consequently sent on tours abroad Date: Thursday including Louis Armstrong who 25th May, 10:45–12:15 was seen as an acceptable ambasKeywords: Cultural sador because of his joyful beats Diplomacy, Music, Cultural Dialogue, Jazz and lyrics. However, it is essential to place this in the context of racial segregation and of the issues of civil rights which were raised at the time.

How does jazz stimulate Cultural Dialogue?

Using jazz as a tool of cultural diplomacy encourages a two-way dialogue between distinct cultures.

The USA was effectively promoting their values, but in the meantime, artists returning from their world tours also brought back influences from these foreign countries. Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite being a good example of this two-way dialogue.

Even today, jazz appears to be an appropriate way to engage dialogue with other cultures thanks to its undeniable demographic qualities. It appeals to massive audiences and a vast variety of styles have emerged throughout the globe, regardless of the limitations cultural appropriateness could impose.

Subsequently, the growing importance of public policy as a priority of the U.S. government, despite the integration of the U.S. Information Agency in the State Department, allows even a bigger promotion of culture for diplomatic ends.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: Addressing the topic of music as a tool of Cultural Diplomacy through two distinctive yet connected approaches offers a very complete overview of the matter. The conference was a combination of lecture and discussion. Participants were very eager to learn and to share their knowledge.

Speaker: Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, Former Minister of Culture, Former Member of the European Parliament, Pianist; Dr. James Ketterer, Dean of International studies and Director, Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program, Bard College, New York, USA Reviewer: Véréna Bilo, Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, verena.bilo.001@student. uni.lu

DEFin ING CrEA tiV itY And CRE atIV e IdeNTITY : MaXIMI zing OP portUNITI es foR C ulTUR al DiplOM acy Michele Welkener

“On a scale from 1 to 10, please rate the degree of creativity you believe you have.” This was one of the tasks given to the participants at the workshop delivered by Dr. Michele Welkener to evaluate the impor-

tance of creativity for personal development. An initial debate on the elements defining creativity allowed the group to plunge into the world of cultural diplomacy, and analyse to what extent creativity is needed

in order to fulfil the mission of a cultural diplomat.

Having the courage to explore new paths to finding yourself was one of the creative abilities highlighted by participants. In this sense, creativity can be seen as a necessary element in the process of self-actualisation. Participants also mentioned the ability to invent new mechanisms to make life easier, the ability to rely on your intuition, and the need to express your own character. Finally, the ability to adopt new perspectives was evoked through the paronomasia “vu-jàdé”, offered by one attendee, describing the process of looking at a known phenomenon in a different way.

Dr. Welkener subsequently presented the design of a research study which provided the theoretical grounding to the analysis. Nineteen students at a liberal arts university in the US, belonging to different courses of study and socio-economic backgrounds, were invited to self-identify the degree of creativity they thought was necessary to live by in their every day lives. These case studies illustrated different forms of creativity and different roles it can play for individuals: some students deemed creativity to be an essential part of their lives, while others believed their access to creativity was limited.

With these different definitions and uses of creativity in mind, participants were invited to examine the role of creativity in cultural diplomacy. As a cultural diplomat, we indeed need a set of abilities which rely on creativity: a strong ability to relate to others, a refined sense of self, and the empathy to understand a variety of meanings which people can give to their lives. We can instantly recognise that preliminary creative exploration of our own self will greatly enhance our ability to excel in these tasks. Engaging on the path of self-exploration and exploring the core of our own being will help us to open ourselves to others and deeply grasp the very personal identities of our fellows.

Creativity is not only an important factor when it comes to acquiring the personal skills of a successful cultural diplomat, but creative expression can also be a powerful tool in the practice of cultural diplomacy: creativity allows human beings to transcend location, languages, and other elements which could inhibit our access to new cultures. Engaging novices in activities of creative expression can be an effective vehicle for promoting cultural diplomacy, provided that the people involved feel connected with the activity.

What can we do in our work to foster cultural diplomacy via creative expression in ways that include everyone? How can we make sure our efforts will be transformative for individuals and communities? In response to these questions, a final set of recommendations was set up by the presenter. First, the

educational and training practices we develop need to acknowledge a variety of creative identities if we intend to help others access their own creative potential. Second, creative thinking can Panel Session be trained by considering ill-strucCultural Diplomacy as: tured problems: these problems Information, Communication, Dialogue are very complex in nature and require complex responses, meanDate: Thursday ing that no single response can be 25th May, 10:45–12:15 identified as right or wrong. In this Keywords: Self-Exploration, regard, they can be seen as a per- Identity, Creativity, Cultural Diplomacy, Courage fect playground for creative minds, and, according to Dr Welkener, the world of today offers an increasing amount of these challenges.

Education and training initiatives also need to provide opportunities for creative risk-taking, starting with low risk challenges. Furthermore, we can foster the creative capacity of our peers by transferring our ability to model different creative approaches in work processes. And finally, education and training need to promote self-exploration. In this respect, participants recognised the opportunity to highlight the personal talents of our peers, or to show a particular interest in their favourite activities. Combined with our honest and sincere appreciation, these actions can help our fellows to refine their sense of self and further advance on their path of self exploration, which in turn will increase their capacity to perceive and appreciate the singularity of another person.

Summary of questions and debate: – “We need to do everything we can to honour creativity.” – Dennis C. Roberts, PhD, Independent Consultant, Illinois, USA. – “Creativity means having the courage to realise your own ideas.” – Julia Schneider, student of Communication Design, University of Applied Sciences Trier, Germany.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: “Creativity means having the courage to invite the world to see a hidden piece of yourself.” This sentence puts the outcome of this workshop in a nutshell: creativity not only gives us the potential to act as cultural diplomats, but also induces our peers to follow the same path.

Speaker: Dr. Michele Welkener, University of Dayton, Ohio, USA Reviewer: Philippe Ternes, Consultant, Genera – Social Innovations, Luxembourg. p.ternes@genera.world

W he RE THey ReALly ARE: A CuRriCULum ApPRO ach tO CULturAL ComPeTENcy Zduy Chu and Ashley Brown

Dr. Chu and Ms. Brown excellently explained their process for bringing recognition and higher level awareness to Bachelor’s students on their Georgia State University campus. TogethPanel Session er, the duo brought analytical Cultural Diplomacy as: tracking to a highly conceptual Diversity, Human Rights topic by using an adapted version Date: Thursday of Bennett’s (1993) assessment of 25th May, 10:45–12:15 intercultural competence to help students self-report their level of Keywords: Cross-Cultural, Undergraduate, cultural competency and areas of Diversity, Competency growth. Using this information they tailored a programme designed to not only expose but also immerse a student to the cultural groups they are in and surrounded by. This, prepared with intense one-on-one coaching sessions, helps guide students to improvising their cultural lens.

Student participants present reacted that they felt the class gave them the vocabulary and conceptual understanding to explain where they felt their feelings influenced their prior thoughts and how to overcome them in a way that best suited them. They also remarked that the course helped them to develop their conflict resolution and communication skills as well. Using these learned skills, the students felt more prepared to not only take on their college campus and daily under graduate life but also professional life experiences and thoughts.

The entire team remarked on the usefulness of the programme for students and benefits yielded but also that the same framework would transfer well for graduate students and professional staff alike. By highlighting the dissonance between perceived and actual cultural competence, participants were gaining a toolbox of critical knowledge to better themselves and the world around them.

One of most critical questions posed was about the incorporation of power dynamics and its role in this programme. Followed up by a student, this programme prepares students by giving them tools for dialogue rather than reasons to not build bridges with differing opinions. Overall, this population proved to be very impactful for students, providing them with concepts and terminology interlaced into the curriculum that can help to verbalize their perceptions of culture.

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Speaker: Dr. Zduy Chu, Georgia State University, USA; Ashley Brown, Georgia State University, USA Reviewer: Courtney Taylor, Masters of Arts Graduate Student in College Student Personnel, Bowling Green State University, USA, cjtaylo@bgsu.edu

FrOM IMmigratiON tO INT eGR atiON : EXPLORI ng tHE POSsibiliti ES For HiGHER E ducAT ioN'S REspON se tO TH e MIgRATI on CRISis Harvey Charles and Hanneke Teekens

At no other time in human history has there been as many displaced people as there are right now. Fueled by war, persecution, joblessness and poverty, millions of people are on the move, seeking refuge in countries where they hope to rebuild their lives. Hundreds continue to die as they seek to escape intolerable circumstances, thousands are imprisoned or held in detention before they can achieve their dreams of resettlement, but millions have succeeded in finding countries that offer safety, stability, and a chance at meeting basic needs and realizing their aspirations for a normal life.

Although globalization has facilitated the freer movement of goods, services and ideas across borders, the movement of humans, or migration, has historically been and continues to be a significant challenge for the migrants themselves as well as for receiving countries. The fact that approximately half of all migrants are young people is also quite salient. This has been a very contemporary issue within the transatlantic space. The Syrian civil war, now in its fifth year, as well as the rise of ISIS, have spawned the flow of millions of migrants out of Syria and surrounding countries into Europe. Not only has this has turned out to be the largest refugee problem in European history, but it has influenced the political realignment in many European capitals. The situation in the United States, if less dramatic, has been much more longstanding, with an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants currently residing in the US and the issue still serving as a political lightening rod.

Regardless of how we come down on the issue of immigration, we cannot ignore the fact that human

beings, often in the most vulnerable and wretched condition, need the support of others if they are to find a way to meet their most basic needs and be able to restore a sense of dignity Panel Session to their lives. Indeed, the obligaCultural Diplomacy as: tion to act in support of migrants is Diversity, Human Rights enshrined in international law, but Date: Thursday there is also a moral dimension to 25th May, 10:45–12:15 this issue, asserted by most if not all of the major world religions. As communities on either side of the Atlantic embrace these migrants, the question for us as educators is whether higher education has a role to play in addressing the present migration crisis. While much more can be done, and while there are barriers that complicate the ability of colleges and universities to act affirmatively, there is much that is currently being done. Some US institutions have enacted policies that involve extending the right to pay resident tuition (and not the non-resident rate that would be prohibitive for them), English language training, campus-based centers dedicated to providing a range of academic and social support to this group and scholarship funding to help with tuition fees. Although more challenging in the European space simply because it is not possible to be enrolled at a university lacking authorization to reside in the country, higher education in the EU is concerned about this issue and some institutions are doing what they can to help this population. Some of these forms of support include providing health care and accommodation, intercultural training and host-language courses, validating academic credentials without paper evidence, providing access to courses without formal enrollment, scholarships and providing temporary employment to migrant lecturers and lab space to migrant scientists.

There is no question that higher education has to be in the vanguard of the migrant crisis, helping to ensure that migrants can gain the academic skills and expertise to support and settle themselves in the new host country, to contribute to the host nation through taxes, and to realize their own dreams for themselves and their families. Our voices as international educators are therefore needed more than ever in articulating a role for higher education, in debating how best to develop international laws that are more responsive to the human condition, and in advocating that colleges and universities do their part to help resolve this crisis.

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Speaker and Author: Dr. Harvey Charles, University at Albany New York, USA; Hanneke Teekens, Association of International Educators (NAFSA)

WhAT AR e We Spea KINg AbOU t W HEN We ArE SpEAking AB oUT GenDE r?

Christel Baltes-Lรถhr

Prof. Christel Baltes-Löhr opened the workshop with the following question: “What do YOU think when you hear the word gender?”. Answers given by the participants, such as “social construct”, “identity”, “discrimination”, “expectations” – just to mention a few – were the first signs of an audience with a deeper understanding of the complexity of the topic and a willingness to engage and explore it in an open conversation.

Prof. Christel Baltes-Löhr, who is an Associate Professor for Education, Gender, Identities, Performance, Migration as well as a former long-term Gender Delegate of the University of Luxembourg, answered the same question. She led the international group of students and educationalists through almost 60 years of Women’s and Gender studies. She outlined the main paradigm shifts in social sciences and their influence on the “real world” and vice versa. She took us from strict categorisations of humans into boxes with the only two available and excepted labels “male” and “female” to a multidimensional view of gender as a construct with physical, psychological, social and sexual dimensions – each of them individual, fluent and interactive. According to Professor C. Baltes-Löhr, the progress in social as well as hard sciences has diminished the validity of the bi-

nary perspective on gender and she calls for a “polyplural” understanding of “gender as a continuum”, allowing all human possibilities and dimensions to be situated within.

Panel Session The question remains, howCultural Diplomacy as: ever, how this fluent view of gender Diversity, Human Rights applies in the world outside of uniDate: Thursday versities, outside of the research 25th May, 10:45–12:15 community, where official documents usually still give only two Keywords: Gender, Plurality, Gender as a Continuum possible choices to put a cross in for “gender” and where public claims for transgender rights sometimes lead to violent attacks on human beings. These issues opened the gates for a thought provoking conversation among the participants of the workshop, who reflected on their experiences in the communities they live, study and work in. It became evident that the polyplural approach for something as fundamental to people’s world view as gender is not being accepted or embraced equally all over the world, not even all over one country or region. Media as well as language were discussed as some of the main influencers shaping the gender issue debate and imagery throughout the world. This led to a debate about the possibility of intersexuality, asexuality or other “non-traditional” forms of gender being more of a current and short-lived trend. This notion, however, did not find much support in the audience and Prof. C. Baltes-Löhr, who argued against it by pointing out the long fight for acceptance and equal treatment, the origins of gender studies as well as the change in power dynamics and diversity within the research community and outside of it. The most resonant and most important argument presented by Prof Baltes-Löhr drew attention to the fact that this issue is a matter of a person’s identity, a very intrinsic and private part of a human being, not a choice.

I left the workshop with a feeling of hope. Seeing the development and current state of mind in the Gender Studies community as well as the possibility to engage in a conversation with people of different backgrounds about such a human issue, allows us to hope and strive for more dialogue and open-mindedness in the world outside of the university as well.

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Speaker: Christel Baltes-Löhr, Associate Professor Education, Gender, Identities, Performance, Migration University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg Reviewer: Agnes Wissmann, Master in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, agnes.wissmann.001@student.uni.lu

InTE rNAT ional HigHE r EduCATION PoLICY AS CULtura L D iPlomaCY I n AsIA Miki Sugimura

HoW tHe UnivE rSAl DesI gN UN iverSIT y FostERS I nCLuSION in SoCIETI es Justin Powell

Dr. Sugimura’s talk focused on the functions of international higher education such as establishing connectivity, cooperation and network for young leaders.

Higher Education is closely linked to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (Education is Goal no. 4) as education is key to global citizenship. Achieving SDG Goal no. 4 creates responsible citizens in today’s

globalised world through teaching and learning about other cultures in order to understand them. And international exchange programmes and international networks have become increasingly important in the last decades. This case study of the Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan was the focal point of this discussion to demonstrate how international exchange

programmes are created and why they are vital for students.

As each country has different policies, education is often nationalised while higher education today seeks to become more international. The Campus Asia programme (similar to the Erasmus Mundus in Europe) promotes exchange among Asian universities as well as the networks such as SAU, AUN and UMAP. In the case of the Campus Asia as a circulate exchange programme was created where the students of three countries’ students would spend together two semesters in China, Japan and Korea during their six semesters of study. As this trilateral programme aims to promote cultural exchange as well as language learning as this programme, the medium of instruction is not English but the languages of the aforementioned countries. In order to facilitate Asian exchange programmes, credit transfer systems were also established and each year new countries and universities join such programmes. The challenge of exchange programmes can reside in the differences in national policies and the infrastructures. Each country has different perspectives on what education should offer, therefore a dialogue is vital among countries and universities. Sophia University also attaches importance on cultural diversity and Sophia tries to offer a common academic platform for researchers and students as a connecting hub by transdisciplinary research and study which raise awareness about the importance of cooperation in solving problems as well as promoting cultural diplomacy as early as in university through international exchange programmes.

Dr. Powell’s talk focused on inclusive education and how the places where universities are located can be inclusive or exclusive through their design. Countries have different norms on inclusive education, despite the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that calls for inclusive (higher) education and has been ratified by most countries worldwide. In the case of the new Belval Campus of the University of Luxembourg, key issues for the accessibility for students include the organisation and design of learning spaces. How can a university become more accessible and equitable for all? The solution that Dr. Powell suggested in this discussion was the Universal Design University (UDU), which as a model counters ableism, institutionalised discrimination and the exclusion of disabled and disadvantaged people in university settings. Ableism is defined as the devaluation of disability and it is a societal attitude and a pervasive system of discrimination that has hindered the participation of people with rcognized impairments from universities for centuries. Images were shown as evidence for exclusion in Belval’s design and infrastructures. By

contrast, universal design refers to the enhanced usability of services, products and environments for most (potential) users from the beginning without the need for adaptation or change of design; Panel Session already optimised and suitable for Cultural Diplomacy as: all, accessible and fair. However, Education challenges of the UDU include lack Date: Thursday of awareness among campus plan25th May, 10:45–12:15 ners and architects as well as myrKeywords: Higher Educaiad existing barriers in programs tion, Exchange Programmes, and structures. In order to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Inclusion, universal design in learning, uniUniversal Design University versities need to counter exclusion and social discrimination and promote the benefits of inclusive education for the society.

Summary of question and debate: Questions for this discussion included Asian internationalisation processes, the financial challenges of international exchange programmes, the influence of the Bologna convention on Asian universities, the percentage of students participating to such programmes and the challenges of “keeping” students in their chosen destination after their completion of mobility programmes.

Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: In this discussion, inclusion, acceptance and dialogue were the focal points of both presenters. In the case of exchange programmes, cultural dialogue and exchange play an important role in education and learning about new cultures in order to practice cultural diplomacy. In the case of Universal Design University the dialogue between universities (more specifically their design and space management) and students with and without disabilities should be encouraged, as in the design of learning spaces in the University of Luxembourg’s new library. In initiatives to support educational exchange and universal design in universities, the inclusion of all in higher education and the fighting of inequalities are the main goals. Both topics saw universities as crucial spaces for exchange and personal improvement that should be available and accessible to all.

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Speaker: Dr. Miki Sugimura, Vice President for Academic Exchange, Sophia University, Japan; Dr. Justin Powell, Professor of Sociology of Education, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg; Reviewer: Greta Szendrei, Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, greta.szendrei.001@ student.uni.lu

USIN g GR aduATE E ducatION To ForeWOR d CU lTUR al DI plomACY IN TranS fOR ming SO cI ety Pamela Havice and Tony Cawthon

The interactive session lead by Dr. Havice and Dr. Cawthon dealt with their teaching experience on the academic programme Educational and Organizational Leadership Development (EOLD). The program, followed by 70–75 Masters students and 60–65 PhD students, aims to forward cultural diplomacy through interactive ideas and initiatives.

The academic curriculum is based on a dialogue on how to take action through the understanding of who we are and balancing between ourselves and society; such a curriculum is based on a theoretical framework grounded in social justice, fostering principles of equal access to resources and a personal commitment to overcoming inequality.

Supported by the 10 years-old research programme ACPA/NASPA, a professional competencies rubric, the structure of the course reflects decades of scholarship devoted to identifying the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for effective practice in cultural diplomacy from a multiplicity of perspectives.

In addition to that, the course is structured on humanistic counselling; according to Dr. Cawthon “[…]

Everybody has dignity and the right to control their own destiny”.

Considering that the EOLD mission statement aims to serve underperforming schools and a diverse population, “dialogue” becomes the core of the program and it is developed around actions to ensure this; given our responsibility as educated people, “diplomatic dialogue” is the key to solving conflicts between people and to developing socio-economic and religious inclusion.

The programme is further inspired by the exercise of an online training course for the University staff; the teaching involved the benefits of diversity, breaking down prejudices, intersectionality Panel Session and body language. The result of Cultural Diplomacy as: the online training is that diversiEducation ty can give great benefits to higher Date: Thursday education in terms of respect, un25th May, 10:45–12:15 derstanding each other’s culture; Keywords: Cultural in a word: empathy.

Awareness, Social Justice, On the student experience Communication, Empathy, Think More Policy side, the development of such empathy is through a “think more” policy. Education for social justice is realized through a professor-student dialogue and through personal commitment to a cause; in fact, the course deals mostly with global problems and is engaged in raising students’ global awareness.

Professors have a great role as facilitators of students, that is, helping solve conflict with constant communication and exchange of information. In class, a professor and students mutually learn from each other, thus it is fundamental to establish from the beginning a comfortable environment open to communication and dialogue. Along with the concept of dialogue as bridge between people and culture, the course provides workshops and programmes for the development of the concept of inclusion among students and staff; these involve intense sessions to develop their own identities to help them navigate the world.

Finally, the last part of the session dealt with improvements and advice which could be made to the foundations of this academic programme, enhancing its powerful impact on the society and institutions.

The interactivity of the session showed up during the whole presentation, as evidence of the debate, engagement and communication within the academic curriculum; through many activities, such as a debating, thinking, pair sharing activity and the participants’ description of what triggers them most to intervene in a situation, the lecturers demonstrated the essential core of the course, that is not only purely academic but indeed strongly activist; this could be observed in the last interactive exercise given to the participants: suggest a word to represent your personal commitment to improve our relationships with each other.

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Speaker: Dr. Pamela Havice and Dr. Tony Cawthon, Clemson University, South Carolina, USA Reviewer: Alberto Sgubbi, Master student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, alberto.sgubbi.001@student.uni.lu

CU lturAL DiploMA cy anD TOuriSM Kerstin Heuwinkel

Cultural diplomacy plays an important role when people from different backgrounds come together.

This always happens when you travel.

Travelling means that people change their location to visit a different place due to a motivation, like the interest in discovering new places, having time with the family or even some practical reasons, like professional travels. These different motivations change over a lifetime, which is also called “travel carrier”. In contrast to that, tourism is a profit-oriented business that provides the infrastructure that you need to travel.

Culture is a huge part of tourism and has many different “faces”. There are some attractions or events that tourists should have seen when they visit a destination. Furthermore, typical products or national sports are cultural aspects that often are part of a tourist’s “to-do list”. Food and beverage also play an important role in the culture of a country. This does not only imply what the inhabitants of the country typically eat, but also how they eat.

All these cultural aspects might raise the question, how tourism influences a culture. First, tourists often frame a culture, because they determine what is typical for a region, although they Panel Session do not have any proof or knowlCultural Diplomacy as: edge about the reality. In addition, Sustainable Development tourists anticipate this expectation Date: Thursday during their travels, because they 25th May, 10:45–12:15 look for entertainment and deKeywords: Tourism, mand authenticity.

Culture, Ethics, Often, people criticize mass Stereotypes, Authenticity production tourism, because they think it reduces a country’s richness in culture and geography and could take away from the countries individuality. The specialty about culture being customized and standardized in tourism is, that tourism is the only product where producer and consumer meet and interact, which is the opposite to other products and which may bring many difficulties.

The Global Code of Ethics in Tourism, addresses these difficulties by determining how to behave and what to expect in different countries. Furthermore, a licence to travel, which allows tourists to visit a country only when they know enough about it, could be a conceivable way to handle these difficulties. Finally, teaching the next generations, which may travel more than the current generation, could prevent countries from becoming stereotyped and standardized.

Nevertheless, tourism is a powerful tool to connect people and it creates a dialogue and cultural exchange between diverse cultures. Additionally, tourism contributes to a better solidarity between humans and therefore to the construction of peace.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: Overall, I am glad to have participated on such a refreshing, interactive panel session with people that had great ideas on how to combine cultural diplomacy and tourism. In my opinion, culture is the identity of a nation. That is the reason why I think that the protection of cultural reserves is very important as barriers will disappear more and more and distinct cultures and backgrounds will clash more often.

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Kerstin Heuwinkel, htw saar – University of Applied Sciences, Saarbrücken, Germany Reviewer: Alana Groß, Student, htw saar – University of Applied Sciences, Germany, Saarbrücken, alanagross@gmx.de

CON necTE d: U sing CoNTEM plaTION And ArtiSTIC E xprESsiO n to EXPLore OUR COM mON HU manITY Julia Pruy and Renelde Liegeois

In this workshop the participants engaged in practical exercises using the voice and short contemplations on attentive presence in order to cultivate empathy, understanding, awareness, listening and a sense of connectedness with ourselves and others. The sharing was free and intuitive.

At the beginning the participants played a short game to get in contact with each other. Therefore, they walked around the room and when Renelde Liegeois rang the singing bowl everyone stopped in front of a partner with whom they introduced themselves by saying their first name and shared a moment of joy. Afterwards the participants closed their eyes to trace their impressions as well as being aware of the power to have their feet on the ground. These short contemplations to gain more space in life were a guiding thread through this workshop. They signified the key role of mindfulness which underlined the program Mind with Heart by using the three b’s – body, breath and being. Breath taking and humming exercises as a warm up were followed by the second game concerning the voice. The aim was to sing the first name of the neighbour in a kind and gentle way that someone

would sing to a new born baby. It is important not to see it as an artistic performance but as a natural way to communicate. The shared reactions and feelings of the participants were different, Panel Session for example, a changed energy Cultural Diplomacy as: level or a relaxed attitude. AnothSustainable Development er one-minute-contemplation was Date: Thursday followed by doing nothing and ob25th May, 10:45–12:15 serving how fast the mind changes Keywords: Mindfulness, its thoughts as humans are restAwareness, Presence, less. It is amazing what it is going Attentiveness on in the mind during only one minute but it’s important not to block these feelings, senses or smells. However, if the mind is distracted and you become aware of it, do not get stressed by thinking of having failed the exercise, but be happy and come back to your focus. Thinking shapes the brain in a similar way to how repeated physical movements do, therefore training is necessary. To train to be more aware, Julia Pruy suggested three steps to building up the daily routine. First, choose a trigger like being mindful of the feet while walking. Second, build up a routine because routine means that there is no effort for the brain and third, like what are you doing, do the things with joy. Julia Pruy and Renelde Liégeois talked of the importance of building a gap between the first sensory impression and the second step, the mental judgement, the creating of a story.

To put this into practice, the participants should characterise a happy person by telling this to their neighbour, who only listens without giving a reaction. This gives a strong feeling to the participants, they respect the speaker, collect the information without being judgemental, they just listen. An often missed attitude nowadays. Furthermore it is important to create an environment to calm the mind.

In conclusion, it is important to integrate and train awareness in our daily life with these little exercises, although it is not easy in our busy world. Nevertheless, you can start right now with a quick break of work, take a deep breath and close your eyes for 30 seconds.

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Speaker: Julia Pruy, Teacher, Lycée Ermesinde, Luxembourg, Luxembourg; Conductor, Choir of the University of Luxembourg; Luxembourg; Trainer ‘Mind with Heart’; Renelde Liegeois, Clown and Artistic Director Compagnie Doctors Zinzins, Belgium Reviewer: Sabrina Rüther, Student, htw saar University of Applied Sciences, Germany, Saarbrücken, sabi-ruether@web.de

moving.lab

Constitutional Meeting

Some members and others came together in Luxembourg, where the first project took place during the Culture Capital Luxembourg in 2007, to found the European association “moving.lab - European Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Education and Culture”.

The “moving.lab” aims to extend and continue the experiences organized by the “Cross Border Network” in cooperation with various institutions and actors of civil society. Continuing education, advanced training and interdisciplinarity in the areas of art, design and science for students, teachers, schools and those interested outside the universities are the goals of the “moving. lab”. Through the promotion of intercultural skills and the implementation of creativity in society and schools, the association strives for the strengthening of a holistic education and culture.

The constitutional meeting was opened by welcoming addresses by François Carbon, chair of the TAD 17 and host of this meeting, and Mrs. Vera Spautz, Mayor of Eschsur-Alzette. Then Prof. Anna Bulanda-Pantalacci welcomed all attendees to the meeting and her organizational team gave a short introduction about past projects of the “Cross Border Network”. For the foundation of the European association “moving.lab” the statutes were read and adopted unanimously by the founding members after adding minor corrections. Then the board of directors and its president, two vice-presidents, a secretary and a treasurer were elected as well as the scientific advisory board and a chairperson and two vice-chairpersons. Two auditors were appointed by the general assembly. After the statutes were signed, the constitutional meeting was closed with some last remarks and official photo-

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The “Cross Border Network of History and Arts” was founded by Prof.

Anna Bulanda-Pantalacci in 2007 and has grown ever since. This network of universities and academies across and beyond Europe organizes international and interdisciplinary workshops for students each year. After ten years of extensive intercultural, creative and educational work and sustainable networking, it was the time for the next big step in the development for this network.

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About We are a non-profit organization which aims at giving cultural institutions in Luxembourg, the greater region and throughout Europe a platform for interdisciplinary exchange and networking. More specifically, we continuously offer international cultural activities that support students’ personal development in general and their intercultural competences in particular. To this end, we organize: – interdisciplinary workshops, – classes on portfolio preparation for students, that are preparing for studies in the field of arts, – training programs on intercultural competences, – training programs on body language, – summer schools for students from all nations – and exhibitions in combination with concerts or reading lectures.

Why do we found the Moving.Lab? The 10-year ongoing international work of the „Cross Border Network of History and Arts“ (Established in 2007) and the „Transatlantic Dialogue“ conference, which has been held since 2008, have given us numerous positive insights in the field of „Cultural Education“. We want to extend and continue these experiences in cooperation with various institutions and actors of society. In a second step, a consortium consisting of elected European and also non-European academies and universities will be targeted as a means of internationalization.

This institution allows any partner of the Moving.Lab to avoid political or ideological constraints in its home country.

Purpose of the organisation is,

above all, to strengthen all facets of education and culture by creating synergies between the cooperation partners. In so doing, we promote intercultural competences, through the propagation of student culture at universities and other institutions in both European and non-European countries.

How we want to work?

Building on the experience of the Cross Border Network, we continue to organize and offer international and interdisciplinary workshops for students from European and also non-European academies and universities at different locations in Europe every year. These workshops will continue to be open to all population groups.

Continuing education, advanced training and interdisciplinary activities in the areas of art, design and science for students, teachers, and any other interested people are the goals of the Moving.Lab. In addition, close cooperation with local authorities (e.g., by jointly organizing artistic projects in various cities, as well as developing a concept for the promotion of cultural education in schools) is very important to us.

What do we want to achieve ?

1. Promotion of holistic education and culture with numerous cooperation partners.

2. Promotion of intercultural skills.

3. Promotion of student culture at the academies and universities of European and also non-European countries.

4. Implementing creativity and innovation in society through art, design and science.

5. Promotion of ecological awareness among the population.

6. Anchoring cultural education in schools and universities. http://moving-lab.eu/

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Founding Members of moving.lab

Board of Directors Honorar Chairperson of the Board of Directors: Heide Prinzessin von Hohenzollern, Manager of the Cultural Sector, Germany, Nationality: German Chairperson of the Board of Directors: Prof. Anna Bulanda-Pantalacci, Professor, Direction Cross Border Network of History and Arts, Trier University of Applied Sciences, Germany, Nationality: German First Vice President of the Board of Directors: François Carbon, Chargé de mission culture, University of Luxembourg, Campus Belval, Maison du Savoir, Luxembourg, Nationality: Luxembourgish Second Vice President of the Board of Directors: Prof. Dr. Bogdan Achimescu, Vice-Rector, Academy of Fine Arts, Cracow, Poland, Nationality: Polish Secretary of the Board of Directors: Silvia Gessinger, Designer (Dipl.), General public relations at the Trier University of Applied Sciences, Presidential Office, Germany, Nationality: German Treasurer of the Board of Directors: Philipp Paulus, Research Associate, Business Administration, Trier University, Germany, Nationality: German

Alois Christoph Kaufmann, Design Student, Trier University of Applied Sciences, Germany, Nationality: Swiss Dr. Thierry Leterre, Dean and Professor of Political Science, Miami University, John E. Dolibois European Center, Luxembourg, Nationality: French Marinella Rinaldis, Social Worker, Social Pedagogy, Nationality: Luxembourgish

Scientific Board Chairperson of the Scientific board: Dr. hab. Bartłomiej Struzik, Artist, Academic Teacher, Academy of Fine Arts, Cracow, Poland, Nationality: Polish Vice Chairperson of the Scientific board: Dr. hab. Kazimierz Ożog, Art Historian, Academic Teacher, Art Institute University of Opole, Poland, Nationality: Polish Jill Biebricher, Designer (BA), Scientific Assistant, Trier University of Applied Sciences, Germany, Nationality: German Bärbel Böcker, Managing Director/ Film and Television Production, Germany, Nationality: German Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, Former Minister of Culture of Luxembourg, Nationality: Luxembourgish Dr. hab. Magdalena Hlawacz, Artist, Academic Teacher, Art Institute University of Opole, Poland, Nationality: Polish Auditor: Johannes Ben Jurca, Designer (MA), Nationality: German

Ioannis P. Kokkoris, MSc, PhD Research Associate at the Department of Biology, University of Patras Rion, Division of Plant Biology, Greece, Nationality: Greek Eva Molter, Lawyer, Compliance Officer, Fresenius Medical Care AG, Law Office Eva Molter, Germany, Nationality: German Prof. Łucja Piwowar-Bagińska, Artist, Academic Teacher, Director of Art Institute University of Opole, Poland, Nationality: Polish Vera Spautz, Mayor of Esch-surAlzette, Luxembourg, Nationality: Luxembourgish Dr. Michał Wanke, Academic Teacher, Researcher in Sociology, University of Opole, Poland, Nationality: Polish

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I NSTANT THEATRE Angel Alfaro, Martin Haberstroh, Dea Rakovac, and Nina Roob – GrAFiTi Student Theatre in the Greater Region ASBL

The session began with the three instructors introducing themselves; Then, we were told we were going to do some exercises to loosen up and get ready for our acting roles. In the first acting exercise, we had to walk around the room and perform emotions and actions according to what the instructor described. For example: we would pretend we were walking by a lake and something intrigued us, or we were waiting for a loved one at the airport but they never showed up.

Practising these emotions made us more vulnerable in the sense that we were acting out these personal emotions in front of strangers; However, this in return made us more confident in expressing our feelings in the presence of others. After a few acting exercises, the instructors prompted us to make an improvised play from scratch. First, we started with the main character named Eiffel. Eiffel was a jasmine flower that protected her brother Jimmy, another flower, from his general sickness. The two flowers had been living in a dome all their lives and Jimmy wanted desperately to see the outside world so desperately that his emotions made him sick. However, he could not venture out the dome because of impending danger in the outside world. Acid rain poured onto the dome every day as the result of a huge natural disaster that destroyed all of mankind, leaving the dome as the last thing standing. Along with the two flowers was an oak tree that had lived for a long time and was alive to see humankind and the earth before all of its destruction.

This tree was looked at as the wise woman who knows all. Lastly, there was a scientist who would take care of the flowers and oak tree and do a test on Jimmy to help his mental sickness.

One day, Eiffel had a dream that the oak tree, that she usually couldn’t understand because of language barriers, told her a solution to Jimmy’s sickness. The solution was that someone must sacrifice themselves in order to restore health to Jimmy. After waking in distress, Eiffel decides that she must die and tells the scientist who tries to stop her. Sadly, it is not enough. She gets sick as a result of stressing over Jimmy and decides it is finally time to go on her way. However, the group, in distress, forgot about an important character: the wise woman oak tree. She had another solution outside of the dream. So, she cracked the dome and purified the rain with her mag-

ic abilities. While purifying the water, something no one knew she could do, she had a fatal fall and her life ended. After seeing the oak tree’s death, the flowers wanted to honour the wise oak Creative Atelier in some way. So they vowed to be Cultural Diplomacy as: flowers on her grave for the rest of Information, Communication, Dialogue eternity. Luckily, with the crack on the dome, they were finally able to Date: Thursday go outside and be one with nature 25th May, 13:30–15:30 forever protecting the oak tree.

Keywords: Interactive, This was the end of our play, Creativity, Acting, Group Effort, Inspirational which I think turned out fantastically. However, the response from everyone at the end (talked about in my summary) was just as equally fantastic.

Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: This improvised session was like nothing I had ever done before. By adding more and more pieces into the story we really brought the characters and their emotions to life. At the end of the play, we went around and talked about how each person felt about the improvisation and the response was very touching. Some said that the way the actors conveyed their love for one and other and their willingness to sacrifice themselves was inspirational and tear provoking. The audience talked about struggles in their home countries as well. One group was from a country where they were having an abundance of trees cut down. They described to the group how the story of the tree and its love for the flowers really resonated with them. After hearing all the stories and responses to the play, I began to truly see the importance of a session like this one. Though we were all from different parts of the world (Mexico, Germany, Poland, USA, Belgium) we were all able to make this beautiful play that, because of our unique cultures, meant something different to each and every one of us. Hearing people’s response was, to me, like looking at the play through that person’s cultural lens and it was truly an amazing thing to witness. This is why it is so important to have conferences like TAD where participants are able to experience these crucial moments of learning and appreciating other peoples and their cultures. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this session and hope there will be more like this in the future!

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Speaker: Angel Alfaro, Martin Haberstroh, Dea Rakovac, and Nina Roob, GrAFiTi Student Theatre in the Greater Region ASBL Reviewer: Brittney Hill, Student, Georgia State University, USA, bhill35@student.gsu.edu

M oVEM enT BAS ed EXpRESsive ArTS 'Your PE rS oNAL SUST ai NABlE DevE loPment aNd DaILy E NER gy MAna GEmeN t' aND 'PLANE tary DA nCE' Anne Miranda Welter and Erica Mott

Creative Atelier

This session consisted of two parts, the first providing the practical demonstration of dance moves.

Ms. Anne Miranda Welter and Ms. Erica Mott creatively showed how through dance, movement and in general art, it is possible to sustainably develop and manage your own personality and energy.

The opening session involved all the participants taking part in a collective dance, trying to discover and open new personal interaction with others. The active part of the session brought a lot of joy, fun and, possibly, broke down many inner barriers.

Cultural Diplomacy as: Sustainable Development Date: Thurssday 25th May, 13:30–15:30 Keywords: Dance, Art, Sustainability, Embodiment, Energy Anne Miranda Welter, Dancer, Choreographer, Psychologist, Art Therapist, Movement Based Expressive Educator, Vision Therapist, World Changer, Clé d'Arc Médiations, Danzatelier, Mir&Danza Dance Co, Luxembourg Erica Mott, Choreographer, Sculptural Object Designer, Cultural Organiser, Chicago, USA

The second part offered an opportunity for each participant to gather their thoughts, emotions, and experiences they just had by drawing a painting and sharing their final results with everyone.

At the final stage, the presenters summed up their ideas about dance and art therapy. They suggested that knowledge attained by embodiment stays longer and brings more power. Engagement with your own and others’ bodies gives complexity to your own personality and life.

With the huge technological influences nowadays, it is essential to stress the importance of being in the present moment, as people live their everyday lives attempting to manage the gap between balance and unbalance, as well as, embodiment versus the digital world.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: This session, which I participated in myself, certainly had a therapeutic influence practically from the first moment of the dance practice. Everyone was engaged and united in enjoyment at the same time.

Sustainability is the key to the world’s development in the domains of ecology, economics, and politics, but the cultural and art fields are as impactful and beneficial.

Reviewer: Loreta Stoskute, Master Graduate in Modern and Contemporary European Philosophy, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, loreta. stoskute@gmail.com

BoDY LangUAG e ATELI er: MO veMENT, EmOTI on, ImaGI natIO n = COMmuNIC atiON Anna Bulanda-Pantalacci, Ben Jurca, and Nathalie Schmidt

This creative workshop was deCreative Atelier signed to complement the preCultural Diplomacy as: vious session. Participants were Information, Communication, Dialogue given the opportunity to build stronger connections with fellow Date: Thursday students by having shared experi25th May, 13:30–15:30 ences that aimed to create a sense Keywords: Awareness, of community.

Personal Space, Transformation, The afternoon began with Common Experience activities to ignite awareness of personal space and the recognition of emotions in others: To awaken the senses, students enthusiastically imagined how various environments would affect walking conditions. Next, an experiment with physical distance between participants showed how the individual comfort zone likens to familiarity over the unknown. A final exercise challenged students to identify the feelings of others based on facial expressions alone, setting a stage for the remaining session.

With participants dressed in crisp, white clothing and a bucket of clay in tow, the workshop moved outdoors amid the industrial landscape of Belval. The wet clay, a reminder that we are all connected by nature, was applied to faces and fashioned a common bond in the form of masks and uniforms. Students proceeded to venture around University grounds posing for photographs. Creative ideas devised by the group prepared the way for unique picture layouts that displayed both personal expression and unification.

Upon conclusion of the workshop, many of the participants walked away with not only a smile and free facial (!), but with valuable attitudes and experiences. A common statement declared a sense of thanks for being pushed outside of one’s comfort zone. New experiences can be frightening, but when shared with other individuals, a sense of understanding develops, creating avenues of support to make any challenge easier. This workshop successfully transformed participants by showing diversity as a means of creating bonds, not borders.

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Speaker: Prof. Anna Bulanda-Pantalacci, Communication Design, University of Applied Sciences Trier, Trier, Germany; Ben Jurca, University of the Arts, Bremen, Germany; Nathalie Schmidt, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg Reviewer: Megan Buchanan, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, megan.buchanan.001@student.uni.lu

MuSICAl POR t RAI ts New LIGht TH rouG h MU siCA l REflE cTIO n Karen Humle

Creative Atelier Cultural Diplomacy as: Diversity, Human Rights Date: Thursday

This creative workshop was led by 25th May, 13:30–15:30 the Danish violinist and educationKeywords: Music, alist, Ms Karen Humle.

Dialogue, Humanity The workshop consisted of three parts (i.e. Sonata form according to the lecturer), starting with the lecturer introducing herself, followed by the participants introducing themselves including their important values in one word, and thirdly, discussion in pairs about the questions of: (1) How do the problems of humanity affect you personally? and (2) How as an individual, with your personal values in mind, can you make a positive impact on changing the world for the better?

During the first and second parts, the lecturer played improvised music with her violin, composed in accordance with each person’s value. The examples of the values presented included, integrity, creativity, continuity, faith, light, honesty, hope, equality, respect, thinking and patience.

In the third part, participants freely and actively engaged in a discussion on the two questions, exchanging personal experiences to overcome challenges and what they have been doing to share their values for better world. One of the interesting remarks from the participants was the importance of “pause” or “silence” (as opposed to “noise” or “action”), how these can be interpreted. It was also mentioned that, in order to understand others, “listening” plays important role.

Another remark was that, using music instruments, we could spread our emotions and values to everyone no matter where that person is from. Further, a participant talked about “love” and “being-loved” with a story based on her experiences.

“Individual may not be able to change systems, but connected with other people, they can change human pattern”, said other participants.

The workshop was closed with an unexpected, heart-warming performance by the lecturer together with a participant from the U.S. who played the harmonica.

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Speaker: Karen Humle, Violinist and Educationalist, Denmark Reviewer: Miwa Chiba, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, miwa.chiba.001@student.uni.lu

ExpLOring DI fferiNG AT tiTUDes TO CultURAL DIVerSI tY - ToLeRaTI ng or CelE bR atinG 'The OtH eR' ?

Venu Dhupa

The session was based on Professor Dhupa’s comparative research on the attitudes and perceptions on Diversity in Europe and the USA. The study, first commissioned by the Dutch Embassy in London consisted of a variety of 31 questions submitted to Europeans. To expand the range of the research to the USA, Professor Dhupa subsequently initiated a dialogue on the matter with the Virginia Commonwealth University. The methodology used in conducting the study is perception-based and consists in considering the feelings and thoughts of a given group in addition to mere data.

Throughout the session, participants were asked to work in small groups and to reflect upon a selection of questions drawn from the study. Prof. Dhupa then compared the results with the data collected.

Why is conducting a perception study on Diversity on a pan European level particularly important nowadays?

Whilst being one of the main concerns of a number of governments and particularly the E.U. no research on Diversity has been conducted for several decades.

The current issues of migration and the rise of rightwings parties further stresses the need for an evaluation of the thoughts and concerns of the population.

The fact that Brexit occurred is a relevant example of how the feelings of people were neglected.

Is Diversity a shared concern across Europe?

In order to seize a pan European view on the topic, it is essential to disseminate the research in as many countries as possible. However, it seems that some regions of Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean area and eastern Europe are not as willing to participate. Finding out the reasons why is a challenging task, but one might assume that it could be linked to cultural specificities or to the local contextual circumstances.

How is intercultural dialogue possible?

To define what intercultural dialogue is, it is important to draw a distinction between who can do it, and who

thinks they can. Intercultural dialogue implies there being a discussion from person to person. Institutions such as the British Council, even if pretending otherwise, are limited to creating Creative Atelier an environment suitable for such Cultural Diplomacy as: a discussion. It supposes adopting Diversity, Human Rights an open-minded attitude, and the monopoly of the English language Date: Thursday 25th May, 13:30–15:30 in this context may be seen as unhelpful.

Keywords: Diversity, Intercultural Dialogue, How are Diversity and EuPerception Study, Debate rope defined by Europeans and Americans?

Both the results of the group work during the session and the data already gathered for Prof Dhupa’s study show that there is no common understanding of what these two ideas represent. However, concepts of unity, collaboration, culture and History are often used when discussing Europe, and colour, variety, and race with regards Diversity.

The challenges, benefits and negative effects of increasing Diversity were subsequently discussed as well as the fear it could induce in people. The study also showed that the question of the willingness to increase Diversity underlies the entire matter rather than ability. People tend to encourage greater Diversity as long as it doesn’t affect them personally.

Incidentally, Americans seem to have a different approach to Diversity than Europeans as their shorter history encompass a variety of origins (melting pot) in their definition of a national.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: Matter such as Diversity and Cultural Dialogue are essentially subjective.

Throughout the session, participants were encouraged to express their opinions and to engage in a general dialogue. Despite being absolutely vital nowadays, many of the participants were confronted with these questions for the first time and realized they had never previously thought of defining what Diversity meant to them.

The work done during the session has encouraged the participants to step back and reflect upon what is at stake in order for them to get a better understanding of the world.

Speaker: Prof. Venu Dhupa, Visiting Professor, University of Nottingham, Trent, UK Reviewer: Véréna Bilo, Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, verena.bilo.001@student.uni.lu

Popular Open Air Festival and Barbecue

The “Popular Open Air Festival and Barbecue” was an experience like no other for me compared to my traditional experiences and outlook on what a barbecue festival was and could be. There were some very similar aspects about the barbecue and some very different aspects as well. For example, from my experiences, when I hear “barbecue”, I think of grills, hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, coolers, etc.

With that, my culture is used to a specific dress at a cookout.

There is the typical shorts and sandals or very comfortable wear with sun shades and hats. The Festival and Barbecue here in Lux-

embourg brought on an entirely new aspect and idea for me. There was not just the barbecue food that I am used to, but food trucks that consisted of many different cultural foods as well. The dress for the barbecue was not limited either, it was open and there was a variety of different wear such as dressy, casual, business casual, etc. I really enjoyed how interactive the crowd was with each other, vendors, as well as those that were performing. It was such a new and amazing experience to watch the GLEE club perform. GLEE Club as well as the other musically inclined artists were delightful and provided me with an entirely new perspective on what a festival and barbecue actually were.

Being at this festival, in a completely foreign place, I was able to mingle and interact with many people from all over the world.

I learned quite a bit from those surrounding me; about themselves, their culture, and even a few cultural dance moves! I loved how inclusive this event was. The location was one that was inviting and included everyone being that it was at the end of a shopping strip!

From my short time here in Luxembourg, I have found it to be a country on the move! The people here are very celebratory, loving new things and gaining new experiences. I am grateful that I was granted the opportunity to be here to experience this festival here in Luxembourg. I am taking away with me an entirely new perspective on what a festival and barbecue could be/can look like as well as how to party!

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Date: Thursday 25th May, 18:30– 22:00 Reviewer: Ta’keirra Butts, Georgia State University, USA

Friday 26th, May

Parallel Panel Sessions III

Round Table Discussions II

Tibetan Meditation

Auf der Suche Mit der Hoffnung Ruhe und Entspannung zu erfahren, betrat ich am Freitagmorgen den Meditationsraum der Uni Luxemburg.

Dort anzutreffen war Lama Jigmé Namgyal und ein Raum voller Menschen, ein Raum voll von unterschiedlicher Erwartungen. Ich kann nur für mich selbst sprechen, wenn ich sage, dass Lama Jigmé Namgyal mich tief berührt hat und meine Erwartungen weit übertroffen hat.

Wir leben in einer Zeit, wo Veränderung an der Tagesordnung steht, wir haben nur noch wenige Konstanten in unserem Leben, was heute noch als richtig galt ist morgen schon wieder falsch. Was wir heute noch mochten, ist morgen schon wieder uninteressant. Wir lieben heute, wir hassen morgen. Wir bilden uns weiter und kommen doch niemals an. Wir denken an Gestern, planen das Morgen und vergessen ganz nebenbei zu leben. Die heutige Gesellschaft ist geprägt vom Wandel der Zeit, vom technischen Fortschritt und einer globalisierten Welt. Mit größtem Eifer versuchen wir Schritt zu halten, legen Sprints ein, kommen oft kaum

hinterher… weshalb wir uns nur selten eine Pause genehmigen.

Auf diese Pausen ist Lama Jigmé Namgyal sehr stark eingegangen und hat mit sehr weisen und tiefsinnigen Worten versucht zu erklären, wie wichtig ein Moment der Entspannung für unseren Geist, unsere Seele und unseren Körper ist.

Er sprach sehr oft vom „Crazy Monkey Mind” und davon, dass wir Menschen alle einer Sucht unterliegen und zwar dem „Denken” … und ja er hat Recht. Selbst wenn wir abends im Bett liegen und unser Körper zur Ruhe kommt – unser Geist ist stets aktiv. Dieser kleine, verrückte Affe sitzt in unseren Köpfen und hört einfach nicht auf sich im Kreis zu drehen, selbst in unseren Träumen hüpft er munter hin und her. Es ist wie eine Sucht, als hätten wir Angst davor, unserem Geist Ruhe zu genehmigen, vielleicht auch aus Sorgen, wir werden derweil von anderen überholt. Überholt zu werden – warum haben wir Angst davor? Woran liegt es, dass wir Menschen so oft danach streben unter den Besten zu sein? Die Begründung hierfür fand Lama Jigmé Namgyal im menschlichen Ego. Er sprach darüber wie traurig es ihn stimmte, als er nach Europa kam und feststellen musste wie viel Einsamkeit hier vorzufinden ist.

Die Menschen leben in Häusern so nah beieinander, man blickt in so viele Gesichter, während man durch die Straßen läuft und doch schaut man nicht wirklich hin. Die Menschen sind so sehr beschäftigt mit sich selbst und ihrem eigenen Leben und vergessen dabei wie bereichernd und erfüllend eine Gemeinschaft sein kann. Viel mehr als dieses Gut zu würdigen und zu leben, neigen wir dazu uns über andere Menschen zu beschweren und uns über Kleinigkeiten aufzuregen. „People love gossip

and love to complain” war seine Aussage hierzu. Es gerät in Vergessenheit, dass auf unserer Erde Polarität herrscht, wo schlechtes ist, ist auch immer gutes vorzufinden. Jedoch entscheidet jeder Mensch für sich selbst, ob das Gute gesehen werden will und ob darüber gesprochen wird. „We believe in negative emotions” sagte er zu dieser Thematik, und ich denke er hat recht – wir glauben nicht an vieles aber daran halten wir fest.

Viel wichtiger wäre es den Glauben an uns selbst zu festigen, an unseren Geist und die Stärke die dieser beherbergt. Wir sprechen so gerne über uns selbst und wer wir sind, und sind doch so weit entfernt von der Wahrheit. Liebe und Glück ist zu allererst in uns selbst zu finden, bevor wir fähig sind es zu teilen. Doch hierfür benötigen wir Pausen, die uns den Weg zu unserem Geist ermöglichen.

Schließen möchte ich mit einem Auszug aus dem Buch Der Kleine Prinz von Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: „‚Wo sind die Menschen?’, durchbrach schließlich der kleine Prinz das Schweigen. ‚Es ist einsam in der Wüste...’ ‚Es ist auch bei den Menschen einsam’ sagte die Schlange.”

Lama Jigmé Namgyal hat mich tief inspiriert und ich glaube, würden wir alle etwas mehr nach seiner Lehre leben, könnten wir diese Einsamkeit gemeinsam durchbrechen.

Speaker: Lama Jigmé Namgyal, www.tibetculture.lu Date: Friday 26th May, 08:00– 09:00 Keywords: Meditation, Interfaith Dialogue Reviewer: Jasmin Kunz, htw saar – University of Applied Sciences, Saarbrücken, Germany

Plenary Session: The Role for Art and Artists in Cultural Diplomacy and the Development of Trans-Atlantic Cultural Bonds Between Europe and USA

Four members of the European Cultural Parliament (K.-E. Norrman, L. Nurse, J. Friggieri, J. Garančs) and two invited guest speakers from Europe and USA (F. Carrijn, J. Ketterer) spoke as members of a panel to consider the ways in which the arts equip citizens to navigate the complexities of our world and communicate across cultural boundaries.

Dr. Lyudmila Nurse, Director of Oxford XXI think tank, offered a review of the ECP’s symposium on May 24, “The Growing Role for European Art and Artists in Cultural and Diplomacy and the Development of Trans-Atlantic Cultural Bonds.” Participants had discussed the challenges facing artists and the ways in which artists perceive their roles in diplomacy. Dr. Nurse called for continued collaboration among conference participants.

Noting a pattern whereby cultural programming is often targeted in budgetary cuts, Dr. Joe Friggieri of the University of Malta defended the importance of studying the humanities and liberal arts.

The humanities, he said, give students the tools to avoid reductionism in attempting to understand the complexities of the human experience. Further, the liberal arts and humanities instill the desire to discern the human and the humane and to consider the meaning of justice and truth. A study of the humanities, he argued, offers analytical and critical skills, and its practitioners pursue the value of truth “in an age of fake news.” As such, the humanities encourage people to question prevailing atti-

tudes and can offer a possibility of self-definition through self-questioning. Finally, he asserted that the study of languages allows people to communicate, build understanding, and interpret the arts.

Karl-Erik Norrman, Secretary General of European Cultural Parliament and panel moderator, posited that opera is a form of cultural diplomacy. There is “no art form more European than opera,” he said, and performers in one opera often represent many different countries. Norrman contrasted American and European attitudes towards opera; American opera is often privately funded, indicating the enthusiasm of its supporters.

The public model of funding European opera, he said, suggests that opera is recognized as part of culture and accessible to all. For opera’s future, Norrman hopes for public responsibility to be met by enthusiasm for the form.

Jãnis Garančs, a visual artist from Latvia, highlighted some projects of the Riga Centre for New Media Culture, of which he is co-founder. One such project, for example, is an exploration of former military sites and interviews with those who live nearby.

Dr. Flora Carrijn, Provost of the University of Leuven and President of the University Network of European Capitals of Culture, echoed Dr. Friggieri’s defence of the humanities and added that various disciplines must be in dialogue with each other. At her university, for example, colleagues of medicine and science are often staunch advocates of the humanities, as the humanities position us to navigate the ethical questions raised in the sciences. Collaboration of the humanities and sciences, she said, “makes us better”.

Finally, James Ketterer, Dean of International Studies at Bard College in New York, noted that the United States and the Europe-

an Union face similar challenges in this particular and “deeply dangerous” political moment. Artists, he said, promote diplomacy rather than propaganda. Through art, citizens can negotiate and discern “the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

He called for conversations at this conference to move beyond the lecture theatres, challenging audience members to reach out to those who may not have access to, or interest in, participating in cultural and artistic discussions.

At the conclusion of the panel, I felt stronger in my conviction that the arts offer possibilities for connections across cultural boundaries. As a remedy for division and a counter to narrowness, the arts and humanities are an imperative.

Moderator: Karl-Erik Norrman, Secretary General, European Cultural Parliament, Berlin, Germany/ Stockholm, Sweden Panelists: Dr. Lyudmila Nurse, Director, Oxford XXI, UK; Dr. Joe Friggieri, Professor, University of Malta, Malta; Jãnis Garančs, Riga Centre for New Media Culture, Latvia; Dr. Flora Carrijn, Provost KU Leuven, UNeECC President, Belgium; James Ketterer, Dean of International Studies and Director, Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program, Bard College, New York, USA

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Cultural Diplomacy as: Arts/ Cultural Exchange Date: Fri 26th May, 09:15–10:15 Keywords: Liberal Arts, Opera, Humanities and Sciences, Cultural Dialogue, Education Reviewer: Carly Peruccio, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, USA, carly.peruccio@gmail.com

Pa RLI aMENTARy DiploM acY - IntERPretaTION ANd ActION CultURAl DiPLOM acy Mars di Bartolomeo

al-, bilateral-, and European action. The Chamber of Deputies is also a member of the Interregional Parliamentary Council, which besides the Luxembourgish Parliament, includes the Panel Session French, Belgian and German reCultural Diplomacy as: gions surrounding Luxembourg.

Information, Communication, Dialogue Di Bartolomeo Mars reminded us that meetings with other repreDate: Friday sentatives of a given country are 26th May, 10:30–11:45 a helpful way to learn more about Keywords: Parliamentary their facets and perspectives. The Diplomacy, Democracy meetings are also very helpful to discuss multilateral, international and European issues, as for example the future of the EU. Furthermore, there is a European dimension of parliamentary diplomacy. Since 2009, national parliaments have a say in the European legislative process.

This is a way to stay informed about European politics but also to engage actively and directly with its leaders in order to shape the European policy. Since the beginning, Luxembourg has been very active at this European level of parliamentary diplomacy. At the EU level, national parliaments increasingly have a say and take responsibility.

The values of Cultural diplomacy Not only the Speaker, Vice-Presidents, Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, but also all Members of the Parliament take part in these international activities. Shortly summarized, democracy, common values and the difficulties in every country are being discussed. Nevertheless, parliamentary diplomacy is also about serving your nation well and fostering relationships with other countries in the hope of long-lasting political and economic cooperation.

Di Bartolomeo insisted on the idea of democracy, defining it as the most important element of our main narrative. Being the President of the Luxembourgish Parliament since 2013, di Bartolomeo has understood the importance of human rights, freedom of press, rights of minorities and the need for openness and tolerance. Democracy is about considering our counterparts, even if their democratic standards are not “perfect” and being able to discuss frankly and respectfully those topics, without crossing “red lines”.

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The structure of Parliamentary Diplomacy in the world.

The title of this panel, Information, Communication and Dialogue, displays three techniques and instruments of parliamentary diplomatic activities.

Di Bartolomeo Mars started this speech by defining the term parliamentary diplomacy, which is a form of policy action where parliaments take initiatives, but also political responsibility to debate and discuss international questions from the very beginning while they are being negotiated. Based on the Luxemburgish Chamber of Deputies, three different elements can be distinguished, namely, multilater-

Speaker: Mars di Bartolomeo, President Luxembourg Parliament, Luxembourg Reviewer: Sarah Gentili, Student journalist, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, sarah.gentili.001@student.uni.lu

CULtu RAL CreaTIVI ty In ForEIG n RELATI ons Carlo Krieger

In this session, a presentation and a lively discussion took place around the topic of building bridges between countries and their societies by promoting cultural exchange. The latter brings us right to the topic of cultural creativity in foreign affairs. In Luxembourg, 52% of residents are of Luxembourgish nationality but although they all have the same nationality, they are culturally diverse, as they come from many different regions and countries. Nevertheless, there are no extremist parties in Luxembourg. Luxembourg owes this to the small total number of its residents, which means that there is not a mass of people claiming: “It is us against them.” In small societies, the individual is not granted the anonymity of big cities, in which it is more difficult to be held responsible for your own actions. The small number of people in Luxembourg seem to create a different society and atmosphere than in larger countries. Furthermore, being a tiny place means that the residents want to identify them-

selves with their history, their culture and their traditions and thus differ from bigger places. However, this does not imply that regionalism does not exist in Luxembourg. Every country claiming to be a country has regions where people identify themselves first with the region and then with the country. These considerations illustrate how difficult it is to grasp any culture, not only the Luxembourgish one.

Hence, the question is: How do we promote our own culture in other countries? European countries spend large amounts of money on the mission of bringing key cultural identifiers to other countries.

Often those are abstractions frozen in a specific time, but in reality, they change with time. Therefore, when we do cultural diplomacy, should we try to explain our cultural behaviour and traditions or should we try to convince others of them? Is our message: We want to explain that what we are doing is different, thus we plea for openness without immediate judgement?

In this context, cultural creativity aims at connecting to the culture of the region or country where someone is staying and simultaneously at translating traditions from one country to the other, thus pleading for tolerance and openness. The longing for tolerance, respect and openness often arises when people stay in a country that has a culture completely different from theirs. In that case, this approach can lead to complicated situations, because some countries have omnipresent cultural values, which do not allow them to be open to the way of life of immigrants or visitors.

Sometimes these circumstances are further complicated by demands of these countries for tolerance as well as acceptance of their cultural values and social rules, although they are not inclined to do the same with regard to foreign cultures. Western European countries aim at explaining their cultures as alternative approaches, but some, due to their past, are in a conflicting situation with respect to this goal. Indeed, during colonial times most often they did not impart their culture in a peaceful manner and now they plea for tolerance for their values and traditions in these same countries. That is definitely a challenge.

In this complex framework, cultural creativity aims at bringing together artists from different countries in order for them to interact and finally to produce something together that reflects the cultures of all the involved artists. In this way, a tiny step towards cultural understanding is taken, as it allows discussion about someone else’s culture without being offensive.

Indeed, for people in Western Europe it is still complicated to go abroad and talk about their culture because of the colonial times. Cultural creativity offers a solution to this situation.

In order to implement cultural creativity, it is necessary to motivate the artists to participate in such a project and to create circumstances that allow for this kind of exchange. It happens that in the end some artists do not manage to work together, but in many cases they do and the end products are so exciting, because no one could tell beforehand what would be the result of this cooperation.

Summary of questions and debate: Q: Consumerism and, on top of that, being a slave to the economy has the effect of making the most profitable aspects of the American culture the most visible and known. If you ask someone what they know about the U.S., they rattle off ten things about our culture that are related to economics (e.g.

McDonald’s, Starbucks, …). How can we introduce people to more than only these aspects? It seems that consumerism is being mistakably replaced in people’s mind as culture. What can we do about that?

A: While it is impossible to give specific advice in this situation, it is necessary to make people aware that a broad range of cultures exists in the U.S. This diversity holds true for LuxPanel Session embourg as well. Therefore, the Cultural Diplomacy as: question that arises is: What is the Information, Communication, Dialogue Luxemburgish culture? Where will you find it? In fact, it is the way Date: Friday people live their life. Putting labels 26th May, 10:30–11:45 on it is wrong. The most important Keywords: Cultural factor of a culture is that it is alive. Creativity, Society, Cultural Exchange, Artists, Therefore, only extinct languages Luxembourgish Culture and cultures are easily preserved; no one speaks or lives them, and thus alters them.

Living languages are impossible to preserve, they change naturally over time and differ by region.

Hence, culture does not reflect what we want people to be, culture is really in continuous movement, therefore allowing people to alter their preferences is showing real respect for their culture and its inherent dynamics. Indeed, we redefine our cultural behaviour constantly. It is not possible to nail something down which is so alive. A society cannot be defined by these superficial things. In this regard, a lot of damage was done during the 19th century, when nationalism came up and culture was used to delineate one’s country mostly in an aggressive way from the neighbouring countries. In this case, labels were often used against others in order to exclude them.

Of course, it is very difficult to impart this cultural complexity in other countries and nations. In the end, there is so little space and time to introduce people to your culture via the media that one has to accept reductions, and present a kind of “mainstream culture”, i.e. a limited number of culturally outstanding identifiers that can be showcased in a given situation.

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Q: How do you select the artists that are sent abroad?

A: Many artists are sent abroad from Luxembourg, but they do not need to have the Luxembourgish nationality to be selected. All those who live and create their art in Luxembourg are eligible, because they reflect the diversity of the country. The artists represent contemporary cultural creation in Luxembourg.

Speaker: Carlo Krieger, Director Department for Consular and Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Luxembourg, Luxembourg Reviewer: Svenja Bourone, svenja.bourone@uni.lu

ThE ROle of th E EU ropeaN COUR t oF JU sticE In ProTECTinG tHE H uM an R IGHTs Franรงois Biltgen

The Court of Justice’s main purpose is to ensure the regular application and interpretation of the Treaty of Lisbon, that became effective on 1 December 2009, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which jointly constitute its primary law. On behalf of the citizens they are representing, every national court and tribunal as well as the European Commission are allowed, and in some cases even required, to refer to the Court of Justice in order to avoid divergent and imprecise interpretations of European law. The resultant judgements of the court introduce new regulations and directives which are immediately implemented in the Primary Law and consequently declared as universally valid for every Member State.

Apart from the legislative and functional aspects of this entity, the question of how and to what extent the Court of Justice of the European Union assures the protection of their citizens’ human rights and diversity needs to be looked at. Another point to examine is if a ruling can differ for several countries due to national and cultural differences. These questions seem, among others, to be especially crucial to debate.

In this regard, the Luxemburgish judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union François Biltgen tries to respond to these questions by means of three exemplary cases treated by this institution with the intention of assuring the compliance of fundamental rights within the European Member States.

For instance, the decisive role of the Court of Justice could be illustrated using the example of a case of indirect discrimination. In the example, a woman is not allowed to wear an Islamic Panel Session headscarf at her workplace.

Cultural Diplomacy as: In fact, the woman in quesDiversity, Human Rights tion was initially fired because of Date: Friday non-compliance with the rules of 26th May, 10:30–11:45 political, philosophical and religious neutrality at her workspace Keywords: Court of Justice of the European Union, by refusing to renounce her reliHuman Rights, Freedom of Expression, Freedom gious symbol. Consequently, the of Religion, Protection of Court of Justice argues with two Personal Data fundamental rights which have to be considered equally in its final judgement. On the one hand, it is the Court’s task to assure the establishment’s neutrality towards its employee. On the other hand, it has to be sure to equally respect freedom of religion and equal treatment in employment and occupation. In the final judgement, the Court of Justice declared that the woman’s dismissal cannot be understood as a direct discrimination because of her particular religious affiliation, especially considering the establishment’s directives of neutrality.

Nevertheless, the Court of Justice also points out that she should have been provided with a different position at the same establishment instead of being dismissed. Therefore, the Court of Justice becomes the balancing factor whose mission is to balance its decisions in order to respect and protect the fundamental rights of both sides of the dispute. The further case law dealt with the issue of the protection of private data and freedom of expression.

In conclusion, a further approach might be to discuss how other countries that basically share the same values as we do in the European Union would return a verdict regarding the aforementioned topics. It is highly probable that a country like the United States of America which seems to be quite similar to Europe in terms of ethics and morals would interpret the same case differently on grounds of her different historic and social circumstances. For instance, concerning the case law of the Islamic headscarf, we might guess that an American tribunal would have rather taken sides with the women due to its strong sense of religious liberty in the whole country.

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Speaker: François Biltgen, Judge European Court of Justice, Luxembourg Reviewer: Ramona Ventimiglia, Intern at the University of the Greater Region in Luxembourg, Luxembourg, ramona.ventimiglia@rub.de

HOW CAn thE MI litARY SuPport UNSCR 1325 on Wom E n, PE ace aND SECuriT y Elizabeth Lape

“A lot of people think military is just hard power and I want to show that there is a soft power element in this and how it relates to women, peace and security”.

This is how Dr. Elisabeth Lape described the aims of her presentation.

In the beginning of her session Dr. Lape asked the audience if we had heard of UNSCR 1325. She told how this resolution was passed and how the world saw the need to adopt it after the Balkan War: The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 was adopted by UN Security Council on October 31th, 2000 and it acknowledges the impact of armed conflicts on women and girls. Dr. Lape spoke about a gender perspective and the importance of including women in military organizations and peacebuilding activities. She discussed how women and children are affected differently than men in conflict situations.

The military has historically been a male dominated field, but nowadays more women are part of it than ever before. Dr. Lape explained why women should be involved in military organizations and how big the role of women in peacebuilding and keeping stability could be: “More than half of the world population are women, how can we use women to our advantage in participation and protection. If we have soccer team, we don’t want to leave half of the team on the bench because everybody can bring something to the game”.

Later Dr. Lape spoke about the cultural difficulties involved in passing UNSCR 1325 in different countries. This illustrated the desperate need for cultural diplomacy and respect of other cultures. She told the audience about cases in Afghanistan and African countries, where basic rights of children are violated during conflict situations. She shared how military organizations are trying to abolish the institution of “child solders” in African countries and “dancing boys” in Afghanistan. Cultural diplomacy is an important tool here and soft military power would be most effective there.

Dr. Lape spoke more about the different side of military organizations, which is mostly ignored by mainstream media. She spoke about the non-traditional role of military organizations in conflict regions and how the military can help civilian populations, as military organizations can get access to the places to which other organizations are not allowed and provide needed help to civilians. That illustrates how big the role of the military is in peacebuilding. Dr. Lape also brought examples of the military protecting women in refugee camps in Africa. It is a fact that in African

conflict regions women are under great danger of becoming victims of sexual violence and they are often attacked when they leave refugee camps to get firewood. Military organizations also Panel Session are involved in finding jobs for refCultural Diplomacy as: ugee men. At the end of her presDiversity, Human Rights entation Dr. Lape asked the audiDate: Friday ence to spread the word about the 26th May, 10:30–11:45 positive side of the military and its Keywords: Military, soft power and session was open Conflict, Peacebuilding, for questions.

Gender, Children The presentation was followed by an active discussion. The members of audience asked how come the media does not cover all the positive actions of military in conflict regions. Other members of the audience also said that they never heard anything like this before. Dr. Lape said that is a problem of the military as well and they are trying to get the soft power and role of military in peacebuilding shown by the media.

Recently there were some articles published which are showing not only the traditional, war side of military organizations, but also this positive one. Next the audience and Dr. Lape discussed conflicts in Afghanistan and Balkan region once again. One member of the audience spoke about the need of cultural diplomacy in Afghanistan as it is such a multinational and multilingual conflict region. Dr. Lape spoke of the training military organizations are organizing in Afghanistan and how more women are involved now in the Afghani police and military as a result of this training. In the end, the audience and Dr. Lape discussed sexual violence during the Balkan war and the need for psychological help for victims to overcome this trauma, and advised the audience which movies to watch to understand and see the situation in conflict regions and its influence on people better.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: In the session Dr. Lape showed the side of the military which not lot of people have seen. Usually when speaking of the military, we never think of it as active members of peacebuilding and keeping stability. In this session, the audience clearly saw the need of including women in the military, as the role of military as peacebuilders could only grow this way.

Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Lape, Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA Reviewer: Nino Kutateladze, MASSES Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, nino.kutateladze.001@student.uni.lu

JusTIC e As UNFAirnesS: HI storiCAL JUS tice and HUmaN Ri GHT s in LiTHuaNI a's (SO viET) GEnOCI de CASES Neringa Klumbyte

Dr. Neringa Klumbyte provided a brief and detailed presentation on a very delicate topic about Lithuania’s (Soviet) genocide cases. The Panel Session presenter examined these cases Cultural Diplomacy as: through a “Justice as unfairness” Conservation of Heritage perspective by noting that alDate: Friday though the 1948 UN Convention 26th May, 10:30–11:45 on the Prevention and Punishment Keywords: Genocide, of the Crime of Genocide did not History, Justice, state genocide as the crime going Unfairness, Lithuania against social and political groups, the Lithuanian Criminal Code Article 99 actually includes such a definition. Specifically, Professor Klumbyte showed her interest in the Lithuanian partisans’ (as political group) cases.

The presenter carefully and informatively provided real facts, numbers and all the necessary statistics in providing an overview of Soviet regime violence in Lithuania and its tragic consequences. Klumbyte analysed Vasiliauskas vs. Lithuania case, in which the national court’s decision was overruled by the European Court of Human Rights. Therefore, even though there is no denial of Soviet Genocide, it is rather difficult to prove historical justice through these cases.

Summary of questions and debate: The session was complemented by an informative discussion. One of the participants observed that Genocide cases do not reach fair justice, because unlike Holocaust cases, where there was a clear and recognized distinction between Jews (as victims) and Nazis (as perpetrator), in the case of Soviet Genocide, the role of the victim was unpredictable, because the victim could also become crime action perpetrator.

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: The speaker herself, being Lithuanian, and examining such a delicate topic, particularly on Genocide cases in Lithuania, attempted to present this session in a most objective way, avoiding, possibly, too personal and narrow takes on Soviet terror in Lithuania.

Speaker: Dr. Neringa Klumbyte, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Miami University, Ohio, USA & Lithuanian Social Research Center, Vilnius Lithuania Reviewer: Loreta Stoskute, Master Graduate in Modern and Contemporary European Philosophy, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, loreta. stoskute@gmail.com

StORYTEL liNG aS AR t-BaSED SoCIA l JuSTICe PRAxis Bianca Zamora and Rachael Lange

This interactive session defined itself through different art-based workshops on storytelling to explore identity, power, social issues and theatre applications.

Both Miss Zamora and Miss Lange intended to get the participants to learn how to take away what they have learned in this session and apply it to the community in which they are working, through various storytelling methods.

The main purpose relied on the concept of cultural diplomacy, explaining how to make change in society, to empower ourselves and the communities from which people are coming. By utilizing art-based storytelling, the presenters invited the participants to consider a way to challenge different social issues and tell their stories in this context. After, their personal presentation, Ms Zamora and Ms Lange argued for the ideal that everyone has equal power, even though in reality, social issues show that we are not an equal and socially just world. What are these social matters that point to the fact that we are not all equal?

“Through art we come to feel often what we cannot see directly”, this quote demonstrated what actions can be engaged through art. In our society, people do not use their body to engage with, or work with their emotions. Moreover, talking about personal stories or sensitive topics is seen as a private matter not a public one. For this reason the presenters offered the first activity, related to art and the feeling of your body, which should explore expression of emotions by moving through a space and following the instructions given. After the activity, Ms Zamora asked the participants how they experienced this kind of exercise with strangers from different social backgrounds.

In the next activity “Tableaux-art activity”, the participants should demonstrate one emotion by building a human statue with one or more participants, using different levels and body parts. To show distinctive social justice issues, the participants had to do big movements to express these emotions concerning these issues.

Later, the presenters asked the participants to write an artistic piece, a monologue, about a social issue in which they are interested and perform it afterwards.

After ten minutes, the participants Panel Session could perform their piece about Cultural Diplomacy as: a critical, current, crucial and imEducation portant issue for themselves about Date: Friday a social problem, in a personal 26th May, 10:30–11:45 perspective that shows one’s true self. Social problems like sexual Keywords: Storytelling, Art, Social Issue, Justice, Power orientation and non-acceptance, identity issues, ethnicity and nationality, as well as social expectations and different cultural background were some of the performed issues. To finish up the session, Ms Zamora invited the partakers to use special clapping to point out the change and solidarity in communities.

By summarizing the questions from the presenters (Zamora and Lange, Miami University) the following one’s were the most relevant, for instance: What do you think light and darkness related to people coming from different social backgrounds? How could a darkness impact someone’s everyday life?

What is it like to write, perform our own story, or to hear and listen to another’s personal story? And finally, what do you take and give away from this session?

The thoughts from the participants that came out of these questions were that: In life, you need to balance your attention, and realize that you are not they only one who is vulnerable in storytelling. “I am human” (Participating student, 2017) showed that through storytelling and hearing, people can connect and relate to each other, even if they have never met and this is power in itself.

I truly believe in the power of art after participating in this inspiring session. The TAD 2017 illustrates itself as being an intercultural conference of “Creating bonds through cultural diplomacy” and this workshop exemplifies these correlations and community building with the aid of art. I would even go so far and claim that we should realize that by listening to another one’s story, we can begin to understand and accept each other, even if our language, gender, sexuality, nationality and religion is not the same. If we listen, “all” problem could be solved.

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Speaker: Bianca Zamora and Rachael Lange, Miami University, Ohio, USA Reviewer: Jill Ciancanelli, Student in the Masses Program Social and Educational Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, jill.ciancanelli.001@student.uni.lu

InteR nAtionaL PAnel oN THe ART Of C u LTUR al DipLOM acy: CulturAl DiplOMAcy iN And OUTSI dE AcADE miA 'ST udeNTS A s gloBAL CI tiZEN s' Tasha N. Coppett, Derek K. Pinillos Matsuda, Koku G. Nonoa, and Jessica Reagan Moderators: Ashley L. Brown and Dany Weyer

This was a panel discussion with young scholars from different countries. Each of the presenters made presentation about his/her experience both in and outside academia. A brief summary of their presentations follows: Ms Jessica Reagan: Her topic was about the experience of Kava ceremony (Fijian) during the study abroad program in New Zealand, explaining how this experience welcomed students from various backgrounds, and how it changed her perception about fear to unknown things and, how it changed her life afterwards.

Mr. Derek Matsuda: His presentation covered the current situation of Japanese students studying abroad and non-Japanese students studying in Japan, he specifically focused on his research with respect to the issues of integration of students and families of Latin American origin who live in Japan. He explained about the activity of Sophia University of Japan (so-called “Community Friend”) where university students help for those students in learning Japanese and also help broader for families. He said that the university students could also learn a lot through the activities.

Ms Tasha Coppett: She explained about the Youth Leadership Program with which she engages with students. She herself experienced the internship and volunteer works in UK, India and Haiti, and is now leading the programme for young students mainly in Haiti, the country with the largest ratio of numbers of NGOs per capita. Her philosophy in interacting with people from different countries/

different cultures is to be open to understand what is expected in a particular country, some approaches which may work in one place, may not work in another place. She explained the Panel Session importance to try to be part of the Cultural Diplomacy as: community.

Education Mr. Koku Nona: The topDate: Friday ic of his presentation was “Art of 26th May, 10:30–11:45 cultural diplomacy as aesthetic”, Keywords: Cultural he described his experiences as Diplomacy, Experiences, a researcher but also as the perStudents, Study Abroad, former/ actor. He explained cul- Inter-Cultural Competency tural diplomacy as a tool for exchanging and sharing cultural knowledge which brings people together, managing some potential conflict. His definition of the art of cultural diplomacy as aesthetic is “a performance and practical people-cantered experience and transformation”, he presented some examples of his performances. He considers that, it is not about “making” or “doing” cultural diplomacy, but seeing “how the doing is done”.

After the presentations, questions were raised from coordinators and also from the floor, which included (1) For students who wouldn’t believe (or not be interested in) the value of cultural diplomacy, how could we approach and convince them the importance? (2) How can students, who do not have the chance to study abroad, experience cultural diplomacy? (3) How could we assess the cultural competency (of students)? (3) What would be characteristics of cultural diplomacy (in comparison with the traditional diplomacy by particular institutions/ instruments)?

The panel session covered a broad range of topics relating to Cultural Diplomacy also from a variety of points of view from the experiences of the participants. This international panel session was a great opportunity for participants from different regions and backgrounds to share and exchange their experiences and views.

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Moderator: Ashley L. Brown, Georgia State University, USA and Dany Weyer, PhD student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg Panelists: Tasha N. Coppett, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA; Derek K. Pinillos Matsuda, PhD student, Sophia University, Japan; Koku G. Nonoa, PhD student, University of Innsbruck, Austria; Jessica Reagan, Bowling Green State University, USA Reviewer: Miwa Chiba, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, miwa.chiba.001@student.uni.lu

FoST eR ing GlobAL CoNnectiVI ty creaTIVE ly, col LAB oraTIVely aN d H armONIO uSLY: YoUNG ArtisT MU sicAL AmBASsadoRS (YAMA) Chika Robertson

1. Introduction The presentation started in a relaxed manner with Dr. Chika Robertson, the session speaker, handing out pencils with the name of the organization followed by a sharpener. A twist of my wrist and the fresh smell of wooden fibers was released, arousing in me past feelings, moments. One after the other we picked our unsharpened stick and turned it into a slim pencil.

Chika started talking about the importance of writing

in her life giving us an insight into what would be the first of a long list of interesting personal accounts. In retrospect, she was building what I believe to be a safe environment for us to feel, move and talk freely. Remembering and sharing was central to achieving that.

This introduction brought space to the room, one that we could use to explore, connect and rediscover memories from the past. She used the pencil to help us transcend time and space and reflect on

both the symbolic and physical meanings this object has for us.

Cultural identities can be understood as the ‘ensemble’ of shared cultural codes and common historical experiences, giving us, ‘the tribe’, a method to ground our existence to something dependable and reassuring that unites us beyond historical disputes. Frantz Fanon refers to the desire to discover our cultural identity as passionate research into the archives and archeology of the past. However, this identity that people must discover is not “grounded in the archeology, but in the re-telling of the past, in the imaginative rediscovery of one’s past” (Stuart, Hall 1990), or said differently that we as people are always motivated by the interplay of ‘being’ and ‘becoming’.

There are other definitions of cultural identity but I found this one to be concerned the most with the enthrallment of reconstructing cultural identities through musical recollection and remembrance. The passionate research becomes the transformation of what Stuart Hall so beautifully describes as the “overwhelming nostalgia for lost origins”. Chika gifted us with her own personal embrace to her ‘lost origins’.

She is 100% Japanese but never been to Japan because she is a third generation living in the US, however when she came across, what she calls, the ‘Sakura song’ and played it on her violin she experienced a somewhat magical experience that brought a great sense of comfort and security in her body. Clinging to Sakura music was like clinging to her ancestral identity. a. Activity 1 – Early Musical Memory The first exercise and the one I will present in this reflection asked us to recall our earliest musical memory and share it with the person next to us. I didn’t take long to retrieve one of the earliest and most important snippets of musical ecstasy. The memory was the blend of a reoccurring event taking place in the car. My dad’s compulsive, enthusing finger tapping on the steering wheel while going to school and my parents happily singing Italian songs during our holiday trips to Northern Italy. Whereas this memory had a positive feel to it, my partner Kristian, a Danish man much older than me, brought to life a musical soundscape made of positive and negative experiences. But interestingly enough, Kristian explained to me how the negative experience, namely his parents singing loudly with friends while drinking, had been reworked inside him and now he is the first to lift the cup and sing with joy. Undertaking this activity made me realize that we are all musical and that we can communicate much of what we feel through music and musical memories.

b. SongTrees Methodology Song Trees only blossom in an environment buttressed by cultural connections or mutual curiosity and fascination. The preferred Panel Session method by which Dr. Robertson Cultural Diplomacy as: created SongTrees, a tried-andConservation of Heritage tested methodology, is that in Date: Friday which musical memories are used 26th May, 10:30–11:45 to stimulate intergenerational communication. ‘Sound Bites’ is one of Chika’s methods of taking the concept of SongTrees and putting it into practice. Chika explained that she gets involved with hospitals and retirement homes allowing families to spend time together. Older people share their musical memories with the younger generation whilst drinking a cup of tea or coffee. This safe channel helps families and communities to build understanding, knowledge and connections. Storytelling and music are known methods for cultural identity to be passed on to the next generation and music especially, has clearly traceable effects, being the first sense that a human develops in the womb and the last one to go.

The aim of this programme, but also others similar to this one, is to bridge knowledge between generations and different ethnic realities through songs but also dance and healthy eating. On the website Chika wrote ‘Finding out the musical preferences of earlier generations … can create dialogue within families … preserve a musical heritage, particularly within minority ethnic communities’. When children learn these songs and perform it for their parents and grandparents they gain a lot of self-esteem from the experience, literally ‘breathing new life into old classics’.

After the presentation, I had the chance to interview Chika and she said something that struck me. When I asked her how does one create an effective collaborative environment she said, “Trust is Key. You have to trust who you are passing it on to, see the value in freeing and not screening.” Sharing musical memories seem to have an edge in contributing to build that environment.

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Bibliography: Hall, S. (1990). Cultural identity and diaspora.

Web. http://www.musicmindspirit.org/songtreescommunity.html

Speaker: Dr. Chika Robertson, Director of The Music Mind Spirit Trust, Professor of Violin, JRAM, London, UK Reviewer: Filippo Chiarion Casoni, MASSES Student, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, filippo.chiarion.001@student.uni.lu

REcogn IZING DIFferenCE ANd MiNIMIzing OTHernesS - HIGhER EDU catION RESPOnse to DIV ersITY In SouTH AFrica Brigit Schreiber

due to many different internal and external pressures.

Student affairs professionals are working to find ways to assist these students with completing their degrees. Some of these ways include Panel Session facilitating conversation among Cultural Diplomacy as: students or parents about the coSustainable Development habitation of students in residence Date: Friday areas between racial groups, nav26th May, 10:30–11:45 igating conversations about gay Keywords: identities knowing about the difPost-Apartheid, Identity, ferent legal statuses in neighbourInequality, Engagement ing countries of gay peoples and working to correct gender-based injustice within the students and professors. All these components combined are hoped to move the educational landscape forward and aid the diversity liberation movement.

Dr. Schreiber also discussed higher education as a way of achieving social mobility. As the cost of higher education is not always fully covered, and scholarships may not always be enough, students struggle financially to remain in university. Persistence is tied to financial means and treated accordingly among the student body as well as their community.

Knowing this, Schreiber points out that engagement is a powerful indicator of a students’ success. Taking measures from the student’s engagement prior to enrolment and then throughout their experience at university, broad ideas can be gained and used to engage future students through the areas of teaching and learning, out-of-class experiences, peer and academic relationships, and the campus climate and organizational context. Schreiber also noted that using the South African Survey on Student Engagement (SASSE) to encourage students to self-report on their engagement also provides realistic and reliable information that can be used to construct meaningful dialogue with diverse others. This dialogue is significant in improving engagement and the final marks for students if, and only if, it is intentional and the opportunities respond to the range of engagement preferences. Together, Schreiber says, these improved engagement opportunities lead to longterm increased success and better the university experience and post-graduate satisfaction for university students.

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Dr. Schreiber presented a powerful discussion on the current state of the South African universities and their dealings with the cultural climate since the end of Apartheid. Throughout the country, she claims that only 24% of students are moving from their secondary education to secondary/higher education due to factors such as grades and financial assistance. Even against the 90% employment rate accompanying degrees, students are not persisting with their education

Speaker: Dr. Brigit Schreiber, Senior Director of Student Affairs and Students, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa Reviewer: Courtney Taylor, Master of Arts Graduate Student, Bowling Green State University, USA, cjtaylo@bgsu.edu

The RoLE of MexiCAn CuLTURAL DI plomACY And tHE C hALleNGE s We FACE T oWards a NEW WoRLD OR der Jean-Paul Lehners and Gonzalo Miguel Vélez Pérez

Professor Jean-Paul Lehners introduced the topic of human rights in the context of sustainable development. Key parts of sustainable development are economic, environmental and human development, as well as social inclusion. Society should be inclusive and should act in a way that considers every individual’s dignity, taking a holistic approach. He continued with how human rights are not legally binding even though the member states of NATO signed them.

Therefore, he mentioned, the European Court encourages subsidiarity, meaning that problems should first be challenged on the low level (individual) before going through the higher levels (supervisor, national and then international institutions). He elaborated how the Human Rights Act encourages sustainable development by going through and explaining articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ended with a brief talk about social justice. Social justice is a term that is growing in importance and while some argue that it will or should replace human rights, Professor Lehners argues instead that it is part of human rights.

The second part of the session was led by Miguel Vélez. He introduced himself as a man with many diverging past activities but not as an academic.

He explained that he is a journalist (columnist, activist and writer) mostly concerned about politics and freedom of speech. His talk was accompanied by a slide show that supported the focus of his talk. First, he brought up an issue with stereotypes comparing Mexico City with Paris, which looked more similar to each other than one might expect from folklore. Mr. Vélez used this to introduce the main argument of his talk – cultural diplomacy. Nation states that are not engaged in discourse, cultural or otherwise are not visible. So Mr. Vélez argued that Nations more often than not sell their countries as brands instead presenting only their good image instead of dealing with their real issues. This is the case of Mexico.

Continuing in this sense he gave a short introduction to Mexican history, as he introduced two men of Mexico who did the most good for the country; Lázaro Cárdenas del Río, who was a general in the revolution and later on became president of Mexico.

One of his most important contributions was, he gave refuge to Spaniards during the civil war and ensured benefits for Mexican workers along with other equitable policies, and Gilberto Bosques Saldívar who saved more than 30.000 Jews during WWII by granting them emergency passports. He praised both of these

men, but also added that this is no longer current national policy. Mexico regrettably stopped doing foreign exchange and instead militarised the country to open the war on drugs leading to Panel Session many innocents suffering.

Cultural Diplomacy as: He concluded by talking Sustainable Development (and Human Rights) about the deplorable situation of freedom of expression in Mexico; Date: Friday honouring the death of recently 26th May, 10:30–11:45 killed journalist Javier Valdez and Keywords: Human Rights, he ended the talk by insisting on Inequality, Freedom of Speech, Cultural the right to freedom of expression Diplomacy, Social Justice and that journalists should not be treated as criminals or killed over spreading the truth.

Due to the structure of the panel and the two different talks, time was short for further questions.

Nevertheless, a few very important aspects were added. The first question was about which articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were threatened. The discussion revolved around how dignity is most important and how certain rights may stand in conflict in certain situations (no hate speech v freedom of expression; rights of children v bullying). Mr. Vélez added that no journalist should be killed for telling the truth. The next question was about how he as a Mexican viewed the social justice situation in America. He said he would always try to shock Americans to grab their attention and so when they talk about the inequalities in Mexico he turns the tables and says that he is horrified by the situation in America – with no free education, transport and a substandard welfare system. He added that borders aren’t important so it’s not about what he as Mexican has to say about the American situation but about what we as a whole can do about any sort of inequality. Lastly, Professor Lehners closed the discussion by arguing that we should go for some cultural diplomacy in gastronomy and invited the seminar to continue the talk during lunch.

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Speaker: Prof. Emeritus Dr. Jean-Paul Lehners, UNESCO Human Rights Chair, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg and First Vice President of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance – ‘Human Rights and Integral Human Development’; Gonzalo Miguel Vélez Pérez, Member of the Municipal Council for Culture in Puebla, Mexico Reviewer: Raphael Kauffmann, Student in the MASSES Programme at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, kauffmannraphael@live.com

StudEN t ConDUC t as aN AVenUE fOR SUST ainABLe CHAracTE r DEVeloPMent Emalie Chandras

tablishment of permanent vigilance or even the lack a formal procedure were discussed.

The contrast between the nature of sanctions was also an interesting point of the Roundtable Discussion discussion, highlighting the amDate: Friday biguous yet questionable effec26th May, 13:00–14:00 tiveness of assigning fines or fees Keywords: Student to misconduct and whether the Conduct, Academic and financial approach could ever add Disciplinary Sanctions, Monetary vs value at an educational level. After Educative Measures allowing the discussion to flourish, the mediator added that this is a common polemic around the monetary topic and indeed a valid one, if we talk about values and building of character. Although not conclusive, research has shown that the measure does seem to prevent recurrence of infringements by students, she added.

Academic conduct (for instance, plagiarism), sexual harassment, vandalism, drug violations, alcohol consumption (leading to death and hospitalization) were also discussed, with a note on flexibility or tolerance when intercultural practice is considered.

The table comprised five participants, besides the mediator and the journalist. The mediator proposed each participant make their own presentation followed by a brief word on their interest in the session.

With a note on the different levels of philosophies – whether from campuses, programs or individuals – as well as their different characters, the mediator stimulated a reflection on the perspectives on student conduct, inviting the participants to contribute their own views.

Examples of misconduct such as alcohol consumption and vandalism opened the discussion and led to the questioning amongst students. A comparison between the American and European perspectives were aroused. While student conduct issues seemed to be more explicitly approached in the US, participants mentioned that it didn’t seem to be a significant topic amongst the student community or people they had spoken to in Luxembourg. On that basis, an interesting point added by the mediator was that students don’t really become aware of their rights and obligations until they are already heavily involved in it – often times regardless of culture, size or age of institutions.

How the institution gets noticed and therefore gets to act upon misconduct was also one of the observations aroused. Differences on whether professors report students, students report students, es-

Concluding comments and summary by reviewer Ultimately, the discussion lead to a reflection on the design of sanctions that could be effective in actually building civil values, rather than being accomplished for the sake of avoiding trouble or following a ‘to do’ list. Suggestions such as community service as an example of alternative compensation measures to other forms of punishment were considered.

Reflecting on the line between making sure that the student learns or ensuring safety of the entire community (in other words, maintaining the educative role of the institution, just as in schools) was therefore a great highlight of the discussion in practical terms.

The flow of the discussion was rather organized and inspiring, with pertinent questions being suggested but also following the arousal of spontaneous contributions. Moreover, the considerations were well supported by research evidence and the daily expertise of participants, being an enriching learning opportunity for all.

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Speaker: Emalie Chandras, Master of Arts Candidate, College Student Personnel, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA, Associate Professor in Educational Science Reviewer: Raquel Ferreira, Student at the Masters in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts, Luxembourg, rferreira.int@gmail.com

SUPporTINg CulTURAl DIplomacY THRouGH Co-CurRICUL ar PRO gR ams Edward G. Whipple

more emphasis on cultural appreciation. When cultural diplomacy is acknowledged it will create spaces for essential dialogue and action for students to come together as a community.

Roundtable Discussion Cultural Diplomacy as:

Summary of questions: Education Dr. Whipple (Willamette Date: Friday University) posed questions on 26th May, 13:00–14:00 what characteristics are implied Keywords: Cultural when creating a cultural diplomacy Diplomacy, Diversity, program and what does that mean?

Co-Curricular Programs, Institutions Who is responsible for ensuring cultural diplomacy principles (diversity, social justice) are included? Does it make a difference? What if students are not responsive to these initiatives? What are examples where cultural diplomacy principles can be seen in action?

Erica Mott (School of the Arts Institute in Chicago) asked how universities can create space to have conversations in efficacy, for all the different dialogue that need to happen. An efficient strategy is to apply peer to peer learning. Student teaching creates an appropriate dialogue since students are on the same playing field.

The roundtable discussion focused on how universities initiate, implement, and incorporate the role of co-curricular programs for student development. To begin the discussion, Dr. Whipple asked participants if co-curricular programs (outside of the classroom) are important or not? The audience concurred that co-curricular programs are important for students.

Co-curricular programs that incorporate cultural diplomacy not only encourage students to think differently and recognize differences but it helps them develop a sense of respect, awareness and dialogue from specific perspectives.

Universities ought to have cultural awareness or diversity as one of their values. This way students and faculty members will acknowledge the importance and the learning involved, inside and outside of the classroom. Students will be able to gain leadership skills, new interests, and empathy if universities put

Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: The conversation was very engaging with multiple perspectives contributing to questions and responses shared amongst the group. The best response by one of the participants was that universities only focus on the curricular part of an education. Institutions focus on making professionals not citizens. This phrase stuck with me because this is a common issue U.S. universities have with their education system. The system has students going through the motions unless the student takes the initiative to break out of the mold. Taking the risk for a student’s passion and getting involved in a particular interest will allow a student to develop into a productive citizen.

All in all, Dr. Whipple concluded the roundtable by stating that every student should participate in a study abroad experience. Appreciating cultures is truly transformative when immersed into a different culture and experiencing for oneself. This resonates with everyone and cultural diplomacy because in order to grow holistically we must get out of our comfort zone and view our world in whole new lens.

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Speaker: Dr. Edward G. Whipple, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon, USA Reviewer: Cory Kirby, Graduate Student, Bowling Green State University, USA, ckirby@bgsu.edu

ModELS FOr ApPLYINg ScHOlarsHIP to PRActiCE Maureen E. Wilson

Roundtable Discussion Cultural Diplomacy as: Education Date: Friday 26th May, 13:00–14:00 Keywords: Scholarship, Professional Practice, Theory

Participants in the roundtable discussion examined goals of the scholarship of practice, including the use empirical research to shape policy and practice (Wilson & Hirschy, 2017). Effective utilization of research provides valuable information to comprehend practitioners’ challenges. Some discussion centered on a model for translating theory to practice (Reason & Kimball, 2012). The model incorporates formal theory, institutional context, informal theory, and practice as well as three feedback loops: reflective practice, programmatic assessment, and scholarship of practice. Implications for administrative practice include (1) clearly identifying and defining the problem, (2) gathering good data, using theory and scholarship to guide solutions, (3) listening to skeptics and critics, (4) learning from others, (5) prioritizing professional development, and (6) contributing to scholarship (Wilson & Hirschy). Both scholarship and practice are enhanced when there are synergies and applications from one to the other.

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Speaker and Author: Dr. Maureen E. Wilson, Professor and Chair, Department of Higher Education and Student Affairs, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA R. D. Reason and E. W. Kimball (2012). A new theory-to-practice model for student affairs: Integrating scholarship, context, and reflection. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 49, 359–376.

M. E. Wilson and A. S. Hirschy (2017.). In J. M. Braxton (Ed.), New Directions for Higher Education: No. 178. Toward a scholarship of practice (pp. 35-46). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

UTILI zing CoUNTEr StoRYTELling aND HisTORy EdUCAtioN As An TI-RAciST PR aXIs Sarah Lambert

every February the history and achievements of people of colour are celebrated but the group was wondering why these topics are only discussed in February and not all year long. This Roundtable Discussion suggests that education has to be Cultural Diplomacy as: improved and a stronger emphasis Education is needed on having people that Date: Friday understand the meaning of racism 26th May, 13:00–14:00 and talk about it.

Keywords: Racism, A question arose as to Education, Awareness whether teaching students in primary school would be a good idea or whether the children would be too young to understand. Or in the worst case, would this be counterproductive? While it would be challenging, if children already received education about the meaning of racism this would help make people aware of the history and consequences.

Workshops together with parents in the afternoon was one example of teaching history.

A group member from the U.S. asked the two Germans that were sitting at the roundtable how they learned about the Holocaust and if they learned about it only in school. Immediately it was clear that the confrontation with history is completely different in Germany than in the U.S. Already young children get confronted, for example by stories of their grand-parents and other family members, seeing many different kinds of memorials, and later in school they learn about the exact details before and during the Holocaust.

Someone said that especially now, after the election of the U.S. president, people are waking up, starting to educate themselves, and making their own space for storytelling.

On the last day of the Transatlantic Dialogue a small group of eight people with at least five different nationalities discussed the topic of “Utilizing Counter storytelling and History Education as Anti-Racist Praxis”. After each group member introduced themselves, the discussion leader introduced herself and why this topic was important to her.

To the group members that were not native English speakers the term “counter storytelling” was explained. It is a tool used to counteract negative stereotypes. It was mentioned that the history is taught from the perspective of the privileged Whites in the U.S. and counter storytelling is a way of Afro-Americans telling their stories and getting heard. This is important especially in a country with many different minorities and a history of slavery. Sometimes people do not get directly confronted with history until they start studying at university but getting educated earlier would be helpful for a better understanding and as an anti-racist praxis. During Black History Month

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Concluding comments and summary by reviewer: To conclude, Anti-racist praxis is very important no matter in which country. Talking about history does not mean that is was our fault what happened in the past but it is our responsibility to stay aware and learn from it. I am glad that I was part of the roundtable discussion where everyone was open-minded and interested in participating by asking questions, giving input, and listening carefully.

Speaker: Sarah Lambert, Master of Science Student, Student Affairs in Higher Education, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA

Reviewer: Eva-Marie Nowotny, Bachelor of Arts Student, International Tourism Management, htw saar – University of Applied Sciences, Saarbrücken, Germany, eva-marie.nowotny@nyxyn.de

Cultural Cocktail and Closing Dinner

Imprint

TAD ’17 Chair: François Carbon Administrative assistant: Véronique Graas Conference Preparation Team: Anna Bulanda-Pantalacci, Bill Chambers, Harvey Charles, Wim Coudenys, Petra Garnjost, Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, Achim Meyer Auf der Heyde, Thierry Leterre, KarlErik Norrman, Lyudmila Nurse, Judy Rogers, Maureen Wilson, Stephanie Shaheen and Dany Weyer Conference Student Assistants: Agusmia Haerani, Annemarie Menger, Arline Tchagnang, Gabriella Vásárhelyi, Mathieu Wittmann and Sisi Yin Editorial Team: Ashley Brown, Bill Chambers, Dany Weyer and Fernando Gómez Luna

Co-organizers: Aktionsbündnis ‘Faire Saar’; Amis de l’Université du Luxembourg (AUL); Bowling Green State University (BGSU); City of Esch-sur-Alzette; City of Luxembourg; Council of Europe; Cross Border Network of History and Arts (CBNHA); European Commission DG Education and Culture (EC); European Council for Student Affairs (ECStA); European Parliament (EP); European Cultural Parliament (ECP); Embassy of Japan, Luxembourg; Embassy United States, Luxembourg; European University Association (EUA); Fulbright Commission Brussels; Georgia State University Atlanta (GSU); GrAFiTi – Student Theater Association of the Greater Region; htw saar – University of Applied Sciences (htw); International Association of Student Affairs and Service (IASAS); Le Fonds Belval; Miami University, Ohio (MU); Miami University John E. Dolibois Center, Luxembourg (MUDEC); Ministry of Culture, Luxembourg; Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA); Oxford XXI think tank; Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan; National United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education (NASPA); University at Albany State New York (UAlbany); University College Leuven-Limburg (UCLL); University College Virginia at Wise (UVAWise); University of Luxembourg (UL); University Network of European Capitals of Culture (UNeECC) Sponsors: Amis de l’Université du Luxembourg City of Esch-sur-Alzette City of Luxembourg Embassy of the United States, Luxembourg Embassy of Japan, Luxembourg Le Fonds Belval Luxembourg City Tourist Office Ministry of Culture, Luxembourg

Photographers: Michel Brumat, Fernando Gómez Luna and Michał Przyszlak Designers: Astrid Hesse and Johannes Ben Jurca Printer: Zakład Poligraficzny Sindruk, Opole, (www.sindruk.pl) Paper: Antalis Print Speed 100 g/sqm und 400 g/sqm Typography: HK Grotesk (Hanken), Rex (Fontfabric), Kankin (Alexey Frolov)

Transatlantic Dialogue 2017: Creating Bonds Through Cultural Diplomacy

Université du Luxembourg Espace cultures 2, avenue de l'Université L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette www.uni.lu © 2017 Luxembourg

Transatlantic Dialogue 2017 Creating Human Bonds Through Cultural Diplomacy

4th Edition 23.–27. May 2017