From disconnected measures to integral policy of intercultural cooperation
Vladimir Putin promised to establish in the government a special structure on problems of inter-ethnic relations in the nearest future at the meeting with representatives of religious and social organizations. He didn’t comment on details of the department and its functions, whether it will have a particular conception in the sphere of inter-ethnic relations or not. Meanwhile, officials at all levels of political power speak about necessity of shifting from disconnected measures to integral policy of intercultural cooperation. One of the concepts was presented by the chairman of the Centre on Ethnopolitical and Religious Studies, Emil Pain.
Experts at the centre define three reasons for disconnected measures on stabilization of the situation in the sphere of inter-ethnic relations are not effective.
First. Taken measures are fragmentary, whereas resistant to them is echelon.
Second. Problems existing in any region, including the North Caucasus, spread beyond the region.
Third. Most measures are based on the concept of what we don’t want to have and against what we are. However, we have no clear idea of what we want and what targets we have in the sphere of intercultural
cooperation.
Nevertheless, the experts believe today there is an opportunity to shift from these disconnected measures to the integral policy. At the moment international scientific society shifts its support from the concept of multiculturalism to interculturalism. Multiculturalism is based on the fact that the power should defend peculiarities. Interculturalism presupposes that various cultures should cooperate.
Mr. Pain thinks that the world history knows only one example of interculturalism: the Soviet Union. However, he doesn’t know what exactly institute should provide the policy of interculturalism today. Ministries are not suitable for this duty. Probably, it should be a social state fund.
Ekaterina Tesemnikova. Exclusively to VK.
