In this update of his classic book, Craig Storti takes readers through 74 brief dialogues between an American and a person from another culture. Short as these dialougues are, they have buried within them at least one cultural breach which the reader is challenged to figure out. In the course of these conversations, readers come face to face with the fact that many of their most cherished instincts don't travel very well, and what is expected and understood in one culture may be shocking and incomprehensible in another - leading inevitably to all manner of misunderstandings, and these misunderstandings, in turn, often result in a wide variety of unpleasant emotional and practical consequences, from hurt feelings and missed opportunities to failed negotiations and lost profits, to anger and hostility. But, if we could stop assuming that other people are like us-if we could begin to believe that we don't necessarily understand our cultural counterparts in social or business settings, we would be well on our way to avoiding cultural misunderstandings and the problems they give rise to. That, in a nutshell, is the purpose of this book: to alert readers to the misunderstandings lurking in the most common interactions we have with people from other cultures-and help us take the first and most important step down the road to cultural sensitivity.

François Jullien, the leading philosopher and specialist in Chinese thought, has always aimed at building on inter-cultural relations between China and the West. In this new book he focuses on the following questions: Do universal values exist? Is dialogue between cultures possible? To answer these questions, he retraces the history of the concept of the universal from its invention as an aspect of Roman citizenship, through its neutralization in the Christian idea of salvation, to its present day manifestations. This raises the question of whether the search for the universal is a uniquely Western preoccupation: do other cultures, like China, even have a notion of the universal, and if so, how does it differ from ours? Having considered the meaning of the concept in the East and West, Jullien argues that, if communication between cultures is to be meaningful, facile assumptions of universal values and complacent relativism need to be examined. It follows, therefore, that dialogue between cultures should not begin with issues of identity and difference, but rather by considering divergence and profusion. By no longer simply assuming universality, we allow for greater self-reflection. This wide-ranging and engaging study will be of particular interest to students and scholars of philosophy and of Chinese culture and society. It will also appeal to a wider readership interested in contemporary thought and the challenges of communication between East and West.

Managing Europe's increasing cultural diversity - rooted in the history of our continent and enhanced by globalisation - in a democratic manner has become a priority in recent years. The White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue - "Living together as equals in dignity", responds to an increasing demand to clarify how intercultural dialogue can enhance diversity while sustaining social cohesion. The White Paper that our common future depends on our ability to safeguard and develop human rights, as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, democracy and the rule of law, and to promote mutual understanding and respect. It concludes that the intercultural approach offers a forward-looking model for the management of cultural diversity.

This report analyses all aspects of cultural diversity, which has emerged as a key concern of the international community in recent decades, and maps out new approaches to monitoring and shaping the changes that are taking place. It highlights, in particular, the interrelated challenges of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue and the way in which strong homogenizing forces are matched by persistent diversifying trends. The report proposes a series of ten policy-oriented recommendations, to the attention of States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, international and regional bodies, national institutions and the private sector on how to invest in cultural diversity. Emphasizing the importance of cultural diversity in different areas (languages, education, communication and new media development, and creativity and the marketplace) based on data and examples collected from around the world, the report is also intended for the general public. It proposes a coherent vision of cultural diversity and clarifies how, far from being a threat, it can become beneficial to the action of the international community.