Swedishness as an Obstacle in Cross-Cultural Interaction.

AbstractIn March 1742, British naval officer John Byron witnessed a murder on the western coast of South America. Both Charles Darwin and Robert FitzRoy seized upon Byron's story a century later, and it continues to play an important role in Darwin scholarship today. This essay investigates the veracity of the murder, its appropriation by various authors, and its false association with the Yahgan people encountered during the second voyage of theBeagle(1831–1836). Darwin's use of the story is examined in multiple contexts, focusing on his relationship with the history of European expansion and cross-cultural interaction and related assumptions about slavery and race. The continuing fascination with Byron's story highlights the key role of historical memory in the development and interpretation of evolutionary theory.

Download Full-text

The French in Egypt in 1798—1801: Failed Dialogue of Civilizations

Istoriya ◽

10.18254/s207987840015129-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (7 (105)) ◽

pp. 0

Author(s):

Alexandre Tchoudinov

Keyword(s):

French Literature ◽

Local Population ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Cultural Interaction ◽

French Army ◽

Muslim Population ◽

Napoleon Bonaparte ◽

The Enlightenment ◽

Wide Range ◽

Complete Failure

The article is devoted to the problem of cross-cultural interaction between the French and the Arabs during the Egyptian expedition of Napoleon Bonaparte 1798—1801. Using a comparative analysis of a wide range of French sources and Arab chronicles, the author comes to the conclusion that Bonaparte's attempt at an inter-civilizational dialogue with the Muslim population of Egypt ended in complete failure. Based on the stereotypical ideas about the Orient, common in the French literature of the Enlightenment, Napoleon tried to play in Egypt the same role that, according to the French philosophers, the Prophet Muhammad allegedly played in his time, namely, to take advantage of the “credulity” and “superstition” of the local population to subordinate it to his power. However, the Egyptians were very skeptical concerning Bonaparte's claims about the French army's commitment to Islam and his attempts to present himself as the Mahdi, the prophet of the last times. The daily practices of the occupiers, which openly contradicted the culture of Islam, completely alienated the Muslims from the French, which resulted not only in their mutual misunderstanding, but also in real hatred for each other.

Download Full-text

Formation of Universal Competencies of Undergraduate Students of Pedagogical Directions

Profession-oriented School ◽

10.12737/1998-0744-2021-9-1-50-56 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 50-56

Author(s):

O. Minina

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Soft Skills ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Cultural Interaction ◽

Management Skills ◽

Leadership Communication ◽

Master Degree ◽

Training Materials ◽

Teachers Training

The aim of the research was to develop and implement a teachers training master degree program with active integration of soft skills at all the stages to form students’ system and critical thinking, project management skills, teamwork and leadership, communication and cross-cultural interaction skills. To solve these problems, the program included specialized practice-orientated courses based on the principles of pedagogical ergonomics and the latest technologies (ball-rating system, workshop, case study, “agile” principle, pedagogical situations’ modeling and others). The research resulted is a unique, effective and validated program and a set of training materials to develop universal competencies of master degree students.

Download Full-text

The relationship between supportive campus environment and cultural diversity in enhancing students’ sense of belonging in higher education

Journal for Multicultural Education ◽

10.1108/jme-06-2021-0089 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Yaw Owusu-Agyeman

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Cultural Diversity ◽

Sense Of Belonging ◽

Positive Relationship ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Cultural Interaction ◽

Content Type ◽

Campus Environment ◽

The Relationship

Purpose The current study examines the moderating effect of supportive campus environment on the relationship between cultural diversity and students’ sense of belonging in a university in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was designed and used to gather data from a sample of 2,026 registered undergraduate students. Using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 software, the data gathered were analysed by way of hierarchical regression analysis. Findings Results of the hierarchical regression analysis revealed that supportive campus environment and cross-cultural interaction serve as strong predictors of students’ sense of belonging. Furthermore, a simple slope analysis showed that supportive campus environment enhance: the positive relationship between cross-cultural interaction and students’ sense of belonging; and the positive relationship between students’ interaction with diverse peers and their sense of belonging. Originality/value This study addresses important knowledge and practical gaps in the relationship between supportive campus environment, cultural diversity and students’ sense of belonging in higher education. The results further highlight the significance of institutional structures, policies and practices that aim at enhancing students’ sense of belonging and reducing possible feeling of otherlings that arise due to a lack of supportive campus structures.

Download Full-text