São Paulo – Researchers from Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia should be in Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina, in June, for a congress about mixed cultures. Some 20 researchers from three Arab countries have already confirmed their presence at the meeting, whose theme is "Intercultural Dialogue: decolonising knowledge and power" to take place at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (Ufsc) between June 29th and July 3rd.
Most of the Arab scholars to be present should come from Algeria. Among them are the University of Oran, Sétif University, the Centre of Social Anthropology and Culture, Batna University and the University of Algiers. Tchirine Mekideche, of the Algerian Centre for Research on Economics Applied to Development, should coordinate a work group about mixed cultures and globalisation.
This is the 12th edition of the Congress of the Association for Intercultural Research (Aric), headquartered in Switzerland. The organisation promotes this kind of meeting for exchange between researchers. The objective is to make intercultural research more dynamic and to promote the link between theory and practice. Researcher Reinaldo Matias Fleuri, from the Centre for Scientific Education, at the Ufsc, is currently the Aric president.
The forecast of the organisers is for 1,500 people to participate in the event. The meeting has a broad schedule, with plenary sessions and symposiums. Among the research presented by the Arabs are the social utility of scientific knowledge, self-esteem in the construction of adolescent identity in Algeria, immigrants from North Africa in the Parisienne suburbia and women in family planning, among others.
The congress should focus on seven themes – all geared mainly at mixed culture – they are: education, sustainability, globalisation, politics, epistemology, identities and new technologies. The organizer of the event points out the French presence in this event, as there should be researchers from 15 universities in France, as well as the African presence, mainly from the north of the continent. Due to that, there should be translation into French and Portuguese. Each year, Aric brings together 300 partners from 32 countries.
Service
12th Congress of the Association for Intercultural Research
At the Federal University of Santa Catarina
From June 29th to July 3rd
Site: www.aric2009.ufsc.br
E-mail: aric2009@ced.ufsc.br
Further information: (+55 48) 3235 3000
*Translated by Mark Ament