From Diversity to Interculturality

3.6% of the global population is international migrant, which means that staying within one’s country of birth overwhelmingly remains the norm. Much larger numbers migrate within countries (over 760 million).
The majority of people migrate, both internally and internationally, for reasons related to work, family and study – involving migration processes that largely occur without fundamentally challenging either migrants or the locals. In contrast, other people leave their homes and /or countries for a range of compelling and sometimes tragic reasons, such as conflict, persecution and disaster. While those who have been displaced, such as refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), comprise a relatively small percentage of all migrants, they are often the most in need of assistance and support, and at the same time, considered a problem and concern the locals.

We should also bear in mind that migration is not a new phenomenon, but a feature of humans. The earliest migrants were ancient humans who originated on the African continent. The earliest fossils of recognizable Homo sapiens were found in Ethiopia and are approximately 200,000 years old. Ever since, humans have been on the move to Eurasia, Australia, Americas. Those migrations were likely driven by climate, food availability, and other environmental factors. As time passed and cultures became less nomadic, war and colonialism began to fuel migrations, too. Then famine, natural disasters, more wars determine further migrations.

A 2018 World Bank report found that more than 143 million people may soon become “climate migrants” driven from their homes by floods, droughts, and water scarcity.
No matter the reasons, migration will likely continue as long as there are humans—and as long as there are places to go. Therefore, we better find how to make the best out of it.

The increasing migration comes with increasing diversity and brings polarised debates on issues related to culture, cohesion and identity, fostering xenophobic political discourse and movements, raising concern about the survival of the values of human rights, respect and inclusion, which have been Europe’s brand in the second half of the past century. In this context, intercultural integration, combating misinformation, stereotypes and rumours become more and more relevant.
Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)10 of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to member States on multilevel policies and governance for intercultural integration states that public authorities at all levels should communicate consistently and transparently to citizens about the rationale, goals, measures and impact of intercultural integration policies, and that unbiased and evidence-based political discourse and narratives should accompany intercultural integration policies, thus encouraging a balanced portrayal of the diversity of the population in the media.

Diversity (in this context) is a range of human features which make individuals differ from one another in various ways, some but not all of which are characteristics protected by human rights law. Aspects of identity – such as age, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, mental and physical abilities, social class, education, economic background, religion, work experience, language, geographic location, political opinion or family status – are among the sources of diversity.

What is Culture?
Culture is the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs, (OHCHR)
'Culture takes diverse forms across time and space. This diversity is embodied in the uniqueness and plurality of the identities of the groups and societies making up humankind. As a source of exchange, innovation and creativity, cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature. In this sense, it is the common heritage of humanity and should be recognized and affirmed for the benefit of present and future generations.' [article 1 from Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, UN, 2001]

When we encounter a new culture, we can see only the tip of the iceberg (10%), the WHAT, the behaviour, the external part of a culture. The core values and beliefs of a culture are below the waterline, invisible, the WHY. These are learned concepts about what is good, right, desirable, acceptable, as well as what is bad, wrong, undesirable, inacceptable. We are (mostly) unaware of these elements and their role.
Culture is learned, shared, and transmitted from generation to generation, based on symbols and a dynamic and integrated system.
Many cultures share the same core values: honesty, family, respect, but they have different understanding and different sets of attitudes describing them.
Regardless which cultural group we belong to, each of us is a cultural iceberg meeting other cultural icebergs. What can we do to avoid a crush between our icebergs?
Since people from different cultures naturally have different values and assumptions, their behaviours are also different, but totally normal in their respective cultures, but it makes no sense in the other culture, or may even be offensive or frustrating.
Social categorisation is a natural cognitive process that occurs spontaneously in everyday life and by which we place individuals into social groups (like-us / different). Labelling people and generalisation about groups of people make life easier, as it simplifies a complex reality, it also distorts perceptions and create biases and stereotypes.
We also tend to exaggerate the differences between groups and we also stress similarities within other groups much more than within our own. This is called “out-group homogenisation”. People are more critical of the performance of out-group members and less likely to talk about out-group members as individuals. Inversely, we tend to respond more positively to people from our own in-group (“in-group favouritism”), associating them with positive traits and considering any negative behaviour as an exception.

The ‘Cultural Iceberg’ model, developed by Gary Weaver (1986)

The Road from Stereotypes to Discrimination

Stereotypes are the beliefs that we hold about the characteristics of a specific group, especially those characteristics that differentiate them from other groups. These cognitive perceptions produce emotional responses, prejudice.

Emotion and cognition represent different components of attitudes, and stereotypes (which are beliefs) are in part rationalisations for our prejudices (affective responses). Together, they generate behaviours (actions), which in this case are based on discrimination.
Stereotypes are problematic because they are (primarily) negative, inaccurate and unfair. Although they sometimes have an empirical basis, stereotypes are generalisations that do not hold true for every person in the group, which makes them unfair and limiting.

Why stereotypes and prejudices matter
Populist, demagogic and simplistic discourses reinforce stereotypes and prejudices about particular groups. Such discourses create barriers between “us” and “them” – usually defined in ethnic, national, cultural, economic or religious terms – and “they” (the “others”), who are often held responsible for economic and social problems, contrary to factual evidence. Other problems with stereotypes and prejudices are that people belonging to stigmatised groups can internalise and accept those beliefs; they may suffer from a lack of self-esteem as a result, which not only limits their own fulfilment but prevents society from benefiting from their potential through the diversity advantage. Furthermore, individuals who see that they are the victims of prejudice and discrimination may avoid or distrust members of the dominant group. It is therefore obvious that prejudices create mental barriers that hinder meaningful intercultural interaction and prevent us from empowering and maximising the talents, skills and capabilities of all.

The Pyramid of Hate, by the Anti-Defamation League

Discrimination occurs either when people are treated less favourably than other people that are in a comparable situation only because they belong, or are perceived to belong, to a certain group or category. When bias goes unchecked, it becomes normalised and contributes to a pattern of accepting discrimination, hate and injustice in society. While every biased attitude or act does not lead to genocide, each genocide has been built on the acceptance of attitudes and actions described at the lower levels of the pyramid. When we challenge those biased attitudes and behaviours in ourselves, in others and in institutions, we can interrupt the escalation of bias and make it more difficult for discrimination and hate to flourish.
Types of discrimination:

Direct discrimination: when a person is treated less favourably than another person is, has been or would be in a similar situation for reasons of ethnicity, religion or personal beliefs, nationality, age, sex, disability, etc. This can include discrimination by attribution or perception (someone thinks you have that characteristic, but you do not) or by association (someone associates you with a person having that characteristic)
Indirect discrimination: when an apparently neutral disposition, criterion, practice, act, covenant or behaviour places people of a particular origin, religious or personal belief at a particular disadvantage in comparison to other people
Systemic discrimination: complex form of discrimination defined by the UN Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights as “legal rules, policies, practices or predominant cultural attitudes in either the public or private sector which create relative disadvantages for some groups, and privileges for other groups”
- Institutional discrimination: practices and policies within public bodies or any other institution that adversely affect a particular category of people.
Multiple discrimination: when there are several discriminatory factors in play at the same time.
- Intersectional discrimination is a sub-category of multiple discrimination where a person is discriminated against on the basis of several factors that interact with one another and are therefore inseparable.

Types of management of cultural diversity

Isolation - the policies focus on return to their countries of origin, without the intention of promoting real inclusion (not recognition of cultural diversity, political rights etc.)
Assimilation is the practice of requiring a foreign national or minority group to adopt the same behaviour, customs, and traditions as the host population, as a condition to achieve integration. In societies which apply the policy framework of assimilation cultural differences and diversity is not encouraged and newcomers are expected to give up their heritage to become part of the dominant culture.
Multiculturalism recognises cultures and ethnicities. It works to remove stigmatisation, exclusion, and domination. Groups are diffentiated by ethnicity, race, or religion, which may encourage segregation due to a lack of interaction and prevent the valorisation of common and shared elements.
Intercultural integration refers to reciprocal and symmetrical recognition of diversity, equality, interaction and active citizenship

Diversity advantage is the idea that diversity can bring benefits for organisations, communities and businesses, making societies more resilient and successful, when managed in the spirit of inclusion. This can happen when diversity is considered an asset to be promoted and included in all activities.
Intercultural society is a community of people with diverse backgrounds that values diversity as a collective advantage and aims to afford equal rights and opportunities for everyone by creating the conditions for full and active participation based on a common set of values, a shared sense of belonging and a pluralist collective identity

Intercultural Competence

How people experience and engage cultural difference is the topic of the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) created by Dr. Milton Bennett (1986, 1993, 2004, 2013), based on observations he made in both academic and corporate settings about how people become more competent intercultural communicators.
Ethnocentrism refers to the experience of one’s own culture as ‘central to reality', unquestioned, ‘just the way things are.’
In Ethnorelativism, the experience of one’s own beliefs and behaviors as just one way of reality among many others.
Ethnocentric orientations can be seen as ways of avoiding cultural difference, by denying its existence, by raising defenses against it, or by minimizing its importance.
The ethnorelative worldviews are ways of seeking cultural difference, either by accepting its importance, by adapting perspective to take it into account, or by integrating the whole concept into a definition of identity.
Source: IDR Institute

The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Milton Bennett. 1986