Monday, December 26, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Japanese festivals & Celebrations...
Seijin No Hi is the first holiday of the year after New Year's is all over. It is for all the women who have just become legal adults (age 20), and most families buy a kimono for their daughter. The typical kimono is 300-400 thousand yen, but much more extravagant kimono can be even as high as a million yen each. On the day the young lady will typically go to a nearby Shinto Shrine and pray for health, success, money, etc. It's one of the few times you will see anyone wear a kimono -- except for the grannies running around going to study or teach tea ceremony. The other occasions are graduation from a college, and once in a while at a wedding.
New book review:'Multicultural Japan: Palaeolithic to Postmodern (Contemporary Japanese Society)
by
Donald Denoon (Editor),
Mark Hudson (Editor), Gavan McCormack (Editor),
Tessa Morris-Suzuki
This book challenges the conventional view of Japanese society as being monocultural and homogenous. Unique for its historical breadth and interdisciplinary orientation, Multicultural Japan extends from the prehistoric phase to the present. It challenges the notion that Japan's monoculture is being challenged only because of internationalism, arguing that cultural diversity has always existed in Japan. It is a provocative discussion of identity politics around the question of 'Japaneseness'.This paperback edition has a new epilogue.
Tessa Morris-Suzuki was born in England and lived and worked in Japan before emigrating to Australia in 1981. She is professor of Japanese history in the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University, where her research focuses on Japan's frontiers and minority communities and on questions of historical memory in East Asia.
Interesting research:'THE ISSUE OF DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURALISM IN JAPAN."
THE ISSUE OF DIVERSITY
AND MULTICULTURALISM IN JAPAN
Jie Qi
Utsunomiya University, Japan
Sheng Ping Zhang
Meijo University, Japan
The purpose of this paper is to problematize that which has been taken for granted
about the notion of multiculturalism in Japan. Multiculturalism is a novel issue in Japan. As
the Japanese government started to promote “internationalization” since 1980’s, slogans
such as “international exchange,” “cultural exchange,” “understanding of other cultures,”
etc, have become the most popular hackneyed expressions among policy maker and
educators. This paper demonstrates that the notion of multiculturalism in Japan is
intricately and deeply embedded in Japanese society, Japanese culture and the Japanese
educational system and that this type of multiculturalism excludes ethnic groups which
have lived in Japan since old times.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Interesting Information about Argentina:The Gauchos Festival
The Gauchos Festival in Argentina
Once a year in the historical town of San Antonio de Areco in Argentina, gauchos from all over the country gather to show off their skills in a week-long Festival. This year the Festival was from November 1 to 9 and marked its 75th year. The gaucho experience is one of the best reservoirs for the culture and history of Argentina. Gauchos were nomad Argentine cowboys who led lonely lives on estancias in the 1800s. These large cattle ranches also acted as forts in the Pampas, the grasslands of the country, and the gauchos were their caretakers and fighters.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Interesting facts: "Multiculturalism in Argentina.."
Argentina is regarded as a multicultural and multiethnic country where more than 40 countries´ different cultures, traditions and cults harmoniously coexist.
Such a diversity has been enshrined in the National Constitution in its section 20 setting forth that foreigners living in the Argentine territory are entitled to the same civil rights that are exercised by an Argentine citizen, being able, among other acts, to practise their religion at their own discretion without being forced to become citizens. Neither can they be compelled to pay extraordinary compulsory rates.
Such a diversity has been enshrined in the National Constitution in its section 20 setting forth that foreigners living in the Argentine territory are entitled to the same civil rights that are exercised by an Argentine citizen, being able, among other acts, to practise their religion at their own discretion without being forced to become citizens. Neither can they be compelled to pay extraordinary compulsory rates.
New Book Review: Rethinking Race in Modern Argentina.....
Rethinking Race in Modern Argentina
Paulina Alberto, Eduardo Elena
This
book reconsiders the relationship between race and nation in Argentina during
the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and places Argentina firmly in dialog
with the literature on race and nation in Latin America, from where it has long
been excluded or marginalized for being a white, European exception in a
mixed-race region. The contributors, based both in North America and Argentina,
hail from the fields of history, anthropology, and literary and cultural
studies. Their essays collectively destabilize widespread certainties about
Argentina, showing that whiteness in that country has more in common with
practices and ideologies of Mestizaje and 'racial democracy' elsewhere in the region
than has typically been acknowledged. The essays also situate Argentina within
the well-established literature on race, nation, and whiteness in world regions
beyond Latin America (particularly, other European 'settler societies'). The
collection thus contributes to rethinking race for other global contexts as well.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Let's congratulate Our newest IMN Country Representative in Bangladesh!
IMN Country Representative for Bangladesh, Professor Munir Hossain Talukder !
We wish to congratulate you on your new appointment as
IMN Country Representative in Bangladesh and we take this opportunity to look forward in working
closely and strenghten the cooperation with our network.We are sure our
cooperation will continue to be fruitful in the future.
Professor Munir Hossain Talukder
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
2017 National Multicultural Festival
The National Multicultural Festival began in 1996 and has since evolved into the biggest occasion on Canberra’s event landscape. In the very beginnings of the Festival, it was a one-day event, eventually moving to a 2-week Festival.
Over the course of the last 21 years it has developed into the 3-day Festival it is now, which allows Canberrans, national and international visitors alike to congregate in Canberra over one weekend for what is one of the biggest celebrations of cultural diversity across Australia.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
New Interesting research from IMN Country Representative in Pakistan:' The aesthetics of multiculturalism in Pakistan"
The aesthetics of
multiculturalism in Pakistan
Ph.D, Mirza Muhammad Zubair Baig,
Assistant Professor
COMSATS Institute of Information
Technology, Lahore, Pakistan
Pakistan is situated at the cross-roads in Asia and is home
to more than 180 million people. The land where Pakistan was carved on the map
of world on 14th of August 1947 has been equally attractive for the
invaders in the past and now for the tourists because of its unique landscape,
cultural diversity, multiethnic multilingual
speakers and variegated geographical terrain. Mohiuddin notes that
Pakistani civilization dates back to prehistoric times as the relics of tools
excavated in Siwalik Hills in northern Punjab, paintings on rocks
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Head of International Multicultural Network ,Khayala Mammadova 's article was published in Multicultural Newspaper ' THE PRISMA'...
Azerbaijan’s multiculturalism: Setting an example for the world.
In a peculiar way it is possible to see multiculturalism as a strategic tool of foreign policy which defends itself from religious and political extremism. Azerbaijan represents a country’s success story that could be viewed as a model, especially within a regional framework where radicalism has spread rapidly over the last 20 years....
Sunday, November 6, 2016
IMN Representative for Italy,Dr. Alessio Stilo has published a paper in e-newspaper " Modern Diplomacy' entitled: "Multiculturalism is dead? Not quite yet"
Multiculturalism is dead? Not quite yet....
Multicultural approaches and policies vary widely all over the world, ranging from the advocacy of equal respect to the various cultures in a society, to a policy of promoting the maintenance of cultural diversity, to policies in which people of various ethnic and religious groups are addressed by the authorities as defined by the group to which they belong.
A sort of “third way” between the two above-mentioned strategies has been traditioned and further enhanced by core Asian counties, e.g. Azerbaijan, where state policy has been accompanied, in a complementary way, to a certain activism of intermediate bodies (civil society, universities, think tanks)...
Friday, November 4, 2016
Let's congratulate Our Newest IMN Country Representative in China!
IMN COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHINA ,
DR.MUDDASSAR SARFRAZ !
We wish to congratulate you on your new appointment as IMN Country Representative in China and we take this opportunity to look forward in working closely and strenghten the cooperation with our network. We are sure our cooperation will continue to be fruitful in the future.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
IMN officials had a successful international event in Dubai.
Three annual United Nations Global Compact events took placed in Dubai ,
UAE on 24-27 October, 2016. These events were attended by 84 networks from the
United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) drawn from 84 countries. While Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
are universal, they are very much be addressed at the national level – where
each country will apply its unique history, culture and capabilities. Global Compact
Local Networks are well positioned to roll out global goals to business
communities in all regions of the world, to ensure that the SDGs result in
tangible and impactful action on the ground.
Monday, October 17, 2016
New Interesting research from IMN Country Representative in Pakistan:'Pakistan relation with Multiculturalism: a brief note.."
'Pakistan relation with Multiculturalism: a brief note.."
This
brief note aims to map out the relation of Pakistan with multiculturalism. The
scope for developing research into Pakistan relation(s) with multiculturalism
is one of the possibilities this note highlights, thus hoping to bring to the
fore the relevance of engaging Pakistan into the multicultural dialogue
internationally, and at home.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Let's congratulate Our Newest IMN Country Representative in Italy!
IMN COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE FOR ITALY , DR.ALESSIO STILO!
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Presentation of the website and digital library project “Multiculturalism of Azerbaijan”
On October 14, 2016, presentation of
the website and digital library project “Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan ” was held at the Presidential Library
of the Administrative Department of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Director of the Presidential Library Mayil
Ahmadov gave information about the new electronic resource. Representatives of cultural centers of the ethnic
minorities in Azerbaijan ,
governmental officials and researches shared their views on the new electronic
resource during the discussions.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Let's congratulate Our Newest IMN Country Representative in Nigeria!
IMN COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE FOR NIGERIA, DR.GABRIEL KAYODE BABABWALE!
We wish to congratulate you on your new appointment as IMN Country Representative in Nigeria and we take this opportunity to look forward in working closely and strenghten the cooperation with our network. We are sure our cooperation will continue to be fruitful in the future.
Dr. Gabriel Kayode BABAWALE
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Martha Lawry:"I love the concept of sharing in Azerbaijan, and I think it is a good example that Americans can learn from."
Martha Lawry
When I moved to Azerbaijan, one of the
first cultural differences I had to adapt to was sharing things. As an
American, I grew up with a strong concept of possessions. (This is mine; that
is yours.)Some American families even train their children not to touch their
siblings’ toys or go into their bedrooms without permission. Each child has
his/her own toys, clothes, books, and other things. As I child, I even had my
own scissors with my name on them.
But in Azerbaijan, I was quickly introduced
to the idea that everything gets shared. If the family has one pair of
scissors, it belongs to everyone, and everyone will use it. Books, cell phone
adaptors, nail polish-- these are not
“mine” or “yours;” they are just “ours” in the family.
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Let’s Congratulate Our Newest IMN Country Representative in Iraq!
IMN Country Representative for Iraq, Mr.Karwan Salih Waisy!
We wish to congratulate you on your new appointment as IMN Country Representative in Iraq and we take this opportunity to look forward in working closely and strenghten the cooperation with our network. We are sure our cooperation will continue to be fruitful in the future.
Book Review: Understanding Confusion in Africa:The Politics of Multiculturalism and Nation-building in Cameroon
Understanding Confusion in Africa ,
The Politics of Multiculturalism and Nation-building in Cameroon
by
Peter Ateh-Afac Fossungu
This book argues essentially that Cameroon cannot competently champion African unity and progress until it can correctly pursue its own multicultural nation-building. Cameroon 's success continental-wise would depend on its theory and practice of multiculturalism, as particularly reflected in the rejoicing in its historical diversity and the harmonious co-existence of its Systems of Education which must, of necessity, be linked to effective federalization or decentralization of uniquely cultural matters.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Ilham Aliyev:" Pope’s visit crucial for dialogue among civilizations."
"Pope Francis regards and values Azerbaijan as a
tolerant country. Azerbaijan and the Vatican enjoy good relations. Azerbaijan's role in the reconstruction works
in the Vatican contributed to the improvement of these relations. The Pope`s
visit to Azerbaijan in the year of multiculturalism proves that he considers
and values Azerbaijan as a tolerant country." Ordinary Fekete said.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Thursday, September 29, 2016
5th Baku International Humanitarian Forum...
Baku International Humanitarian Forum
is an annual platform for famous representatives of political, scientific and
cultural elite of the world community including famous statesmen, Nobel Prize
winners in various fields of science and leaders of influential international
organizations for holding dialogues, discussions and exchange of views on a
wide range of global issues in the interest of all humanity.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Interesting Paper:Multiculturalism in South Africa: Dislodging the Binary between Universal Human Rights and Culture/Tradition
"Grappling with the notion of “culture” and multiculturalism in post-colonial societies that
have accepted liberal democratic frameworks very often lead to interpretations that pose
culture and universal rights as a a binary opposition, with culture being related to pre-modern
“ways of life” and practices, and universal human rights to modernity, individualism and
enlightenment.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Let’s Congratulate Our Newest IMN Country Representative in Romania!
IMN Country Representative for Romania, Dr.Mihaela Culea!
We wish to congratulate you on your new appointment as IMN Country Representative in Romania and we take this opportunity to look forward in working closely and strenghten the cooperation with our network. We are sure our cooperation will continue to be fruitful in the future.
Dr. Mihaela Culea
Friday, September 16, 2016
Let’s Congratulate Our Newest IMN Country Representative in Iran!
IMN Country Representative for Iran, Dr. Fatemeh Samadi!
We wish to congratulate you on your new appointment as IMN Country Representative in Iran and we take this opportunity to look forward in working closely and strenghten the cooperation with our network. We are sure our cooperation will continue to be fruitful in the future.
Dr.Fatimeh Samadi
IMN introduces the next interesting book:Philosophies of Multiculturalism, Beyond Liberalism
Philosophies of Multiculturalism
Beyond Liberalism
Edited by Luis Cordeiro-Rodrigues,Marko Simendic
About the Book
This edited collection offers a comparative approach to the topic of multiculturalism, including different authors with contrasting arguments from different philosophical traditions and ideologies.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
New interesting research from IMN Country Representative in Romania...
The
multiculturalism connects people, connects ideas,
connects
the spirits, connects thoughts...
Dr. Eşi Marius-Costel
Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava,
Romania
The multiculturalism
connects people, connects ideas, connects the spirits, connects thoughts. When
we accept the idea of multiculturalism, we implicitly accept the idea of
non-discrimination. Furthermore, the observance of the rights of our time and
those of us to reveal the existence of tolerance and diversity. However, such a
diversity should not, in our opinion, to
cancel the identity of the spirit.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Let’s Congratulate Our Newest IMN Country Representative in United Kingdom!
IMN Country Representative for UK , Mr. Neil Watson!
We wish to congratulate you on your new appointment as IMN Country Representative in UK and we take this opportunity to look forward in working closely and strenghten the cooperation with our network. We are sure our cooperation will continue to be fruitful in the future.
Neil Watson, Editor and Press Officer,
The European Azerbaijan Society
(TEAS)
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
IMN introduces the next popular multicultural book:'Crossing Bok Chitto" by Tim Tingle, Jeanne Rorex Bridges
Crossing
Bok Chitto
by Tim Tingle, Jeanne Rorex Bridges
There is a river called Bok
Chitto that cuts through Mississippi. In the days before the War Between the
States, in the days before the Trail of Tears, Bok Chitto was a boundary. On
one side of the river lived the Choctaws. On the other side lived the plantation
owners and their slaves. If a slave escaped and made his way across Bok Chitto,
the slave was free.Thus begins Crossing
Bok Chitto, told by award-winning Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle and brought to life
with the rich illustrations of Jeanne Rorex Bridges.
Monday, September 5, 2016
Let’s Congratulate Our Newest IMN Country Representative in Chile!
IMN Country Representative for Chile, Dr. Miguel
Lopez -Astorga!
We wish to congratulate
you on your new appointment as IMN Country Representative in Chile and
we take this opportunity to look forward in working closely and strenghten the cooperation with our network. We are sure
our cooperation will continue to be fruitful in the future.
Dr. Miguel López-Astorga
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