Harmonization in Multicultural Community Life

This study aims to define the interaction and tolerance of Hindus and Muslims in the life of a multicultural society. A socio-cultural approach related to local wisdom is used in this study. The application of qualitative methods with observation and in-depth interviews was used as a means of collecting data and information. Theories about multiculturalism were used to analyze the data. Azra (2007) states that multiculturalism is an understanding of life that puts forward togetherness on the principle of difference, whether religious, political, or ethnic differences. This study found that community life in Serangan Village, South Denpasar District, which consists of six banjars (village community organization) namely Banjar Ponjok, Banjar Tengah, Banjar Kaja, Banjar Peken, Banjar Kawan, and Banjar Dukuh, and an environment called Kampung Bugis Environment goes hand in hand in harmonious situation and condition. This research is expected to strengthen the understanding of multiculturalism for Indonesians who comes from hundreds of ethnicities with multi-variety languages, cultures, customs, traditions, and beliefs. The results of the research are also expected to have contributed to increasing the sense and value of nationalism towards the nation and the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

National Identities and Nation-building

This chapter demonstrates just how preoccupied contemporary liberal democracies are with the impact of immigration on social cohesion, and how they have responded to such concerns with nation-building policies and an emphasis on shared values. More specifically, four country cases are considered, namely Canada, Denmark, France, and the UK. Similarities and differences in how they have responded to concerns about diversity and social cohesion are explained. These responses invoke nation-building, relying to various degrees on nationalist, liberal, republican, and multicultural community conceptions, that is, conceptions of the social basis for intergroup relations and cooperation.

Saussure Theory to Determine the Relationship between Sacred Space and Multicultural Community Node. Case Study: Gereja Ayam, Pasar Baru, Jakarta

Many aspects of the Pasar Baru community were influenced by the mixed ethnicity. Churches, Chinese temples, Sikh temples, and mosques, as well as architectural, gastronomic, and religious institutions, expanded across the Pasar Baru, resulting in a multicultural existence. The goal of this research is to see if there is a link between sacred space and community nodes as a signifier/signified of diversity in a multicultural community in order to enhance sustainable urban life. Also, based on the discovery of similar impacts, see if there is a strong recommendation to use the relationship between religious buildings and multicultural ethnic as a basis to construct a multicultural collaboration space. Pasar Baru and Geraja Ayam served as the case study. The semiotic theory of Ferdinand Saussure is employed as an analytical tool in this work. Gereja Ayam has become an icon of Pasar Baru district. Religious sites and community hubs have a strong association. While liveliness and livability can be improved, the (social) sustainability of tourism must be considered. The collaborative venue, which incorporates multicultural arts and designs, is proposed as a means of bringing those many traits to life and strengthening the concept of “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” to generate income and employment.

Multicultural Community Rationality in Running Religious Activities in Pandemic Times

Indonesian society is a multicultural society that lives side by side with all the differences. In Indonesia, they are presently six official religions-namely Islam, Protestant Christian, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. It is this difference of belief that makes people live in peace and practice their respective religious teachings without any intention of disturbing the beliefs of others. The teaching of tolerance is also applied in one of the villages in Malang Regency, namely Peniwen Village. The majority of the population of this village are Protestant and Catholic Christians. Residents in this village always carry out religious activities in accordance with what has been ordered without any sense of demeaning other religions. The method used in this article is descriptive qualitative using Max Weber's theory of rationality. The purpose of this article is to find out the rationality of the people of Peniwen Village in carrying out religious activities during the pandemic. This happened because during the pandemic almost all activities were limited. The results of this study demonstrate that the Village residents continue to perform religious activities by implementing health protocols and upholding tolerance between different religious communities. The current health protocols regulate the number of congregants who will worship at the church, wear masks, and maintain personal distance.

Three Strategies for Describing Social Interactions of Adolescents in a Multicultural Environment—Indicators for the Quality of Life Research

Background: The analysis has involved social interactions in a multicultural environment. The social context has been defined by the Vilnius region (Lithuania), where national, religious, and cultural differences exist across generations (multicultural community). The space of “social relationships”, as one of the modules of the WHO quality of life assessment, has been studied. An innovation of the research has been related to the analysis of the phenomenon of community of nationalities and cultures as a predictor of quality of life (QoL). The social motive of the research has been the historical continuity (for centuries) of the construction of the Vilnius cultural borderland. Here, the local community evolves from a group of many cultures to an intercultural community. Interpreting the data, therefore, requires a long perspective (a few generations) to understand the quality of relationships. We see social interactions and strategies for building them as a potential for social QoL in multicultural environments. Methods: The research has been conducted on a sample of 374 respondents, including Poles (172), Lithuanians (133), and Russians (69). A diagnostic poll has been used. The respondents were adolescents (15–16 years). The research answers the question: What variables form the interaction strategies of adolescents in a multicultural environment? The findings relate to interpreting the social interactions of adolescents within the boundaries of their living environment. The description of the social relations of adolescents provides an opportunity to implement the findings for further research on QoL. Results: An innovative outcome of the research is the analysis of 3 interaction strategies (attachment to national identification, intercultural dialogue, and multicultural community building) as a background for interpreting QoL in a multicultural environment. Their understanding is a useful knowledge for QoL researchers. The data analysis has taken into account cultural and generational (historical) sensitivities. Therefore, the team studying the data has consisted of researchers and residents of the Vilnius region. We used the interaction strategies of adolescents to describe the category of “social relationships” in nationally and culturally diverse settings.

Israel in Egypt

Weill’s evolving relationship with his Jewish heritage is apparent in several of his works. Although the pageant The Eternal Road (1937) premiered in the United States, it was conceived with European audiences in mind. Thus, Weill’s score draws on both German and Jewish musical styles and forms in order to prove that—despite Nazi declarations—the two identities were not in conflict. He wrote his first Jewish characters for the mainstream Broadway stage in Street Scene (1947), which explores the place of Jews within a multicultural community. Lost in the Stars (1949) represents the culmination of Weill’s lifelong passion for racial equality, and hearkens back to some aspects of The Eternal Road, aligning it with emergent conceptions and agendas a “Judeo-Christian” community.

Building Language Skills and Social Networks in an Advanced Conversation Club: English Practice in Lecce

Opportunities for intermediate and advanced self-access language learners to increase English proficiency are fewer in some Italian regions than others. In Lecce, Puglia, a province in the country’s farthest southern reaches, the informal conversation club “English Practice in Lecce” (EPiL) offers one solution. Established nearly a decade ago, EPiL is a lively social learning space that continues to attract Italians, non-Italian non-native English speakers, and first language English speakers to its weekly gatherings. Membership includes a cross-generational mix of long-term stalwarts and new participants. This article presents preliminary findings from a study of EPiL meetings conducted across four field seasons. It discusses EPiL’s roots, describes typical meetings and practices, and draws from interviews and questionnaire results to suggest reasons for its success. The article proposes that EPiL serves two functions especially well, and that both contribute to its longevity. First, EPiL is a mechanism for high level self-access learners to better their English through discussions of self-chosen wide-ranging topics that sustain their interest. Second, EPiL fosters conditions for multicultural community building to take place while expanding participants’ social networks across linguistic and cultural boundaries.