Identity, Culture and Democracy

The paper undertakes to discuss the three notions referred to in the title and constituting basic concepts for the intercultural dialogue in the context of the current situation resulting from the increased multicultural encounters within European borders and beyond as well in the context of intercultural dialogue promoted by EU leaders.

Modern human being is confronted with the overwhelming and multiple phenomena of: increasing information flows, migrations, new technologies, acts of violence and terrorism of an unprecedented scale and many other challenges. While trying to take position towards challenges or dangers people try to find tools – facilitators to accommodate to new and potentially dangerous situations. Historically we can find that a few groups or types of such behaviours: struggle – active action against any change (wars); defence – search for minimisation of potential loses (escape, alienation, fundamentalism); accommodation – search for a new intellectual tools and creation of a new quality (creativity).

In this context the author proposes to approach the current challenges, refers to existing scientific schools and supports as the solution – dialogue as a source of a new, better, quality for people. Dialogue requires securing conditions among which one seems to be crucial: partners of dialogue should respect mutually their identities. It is particularly important in the case of European culture which – within the multiculturalism policy – hides her identity on the grounds of false conviction that showing her identity disturbs the dialogue.