The course “Diasporas and Interculturalism in the Twenty-first Century" provides a panoramic overview of an anthropological phenomenon, that of diasporas, which has permeated the pages of world history, thereby contributing a contemporary viewpoint of this phenomenon and the problems it brings with it. In other words, how is it possible to intertwine cultures within a common social project? 

This is an initiative by the Casas Network of Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in which each of the institutions will be presenting one specific diaspora phenomenon, dealing with factors closely related to the essence of the individual, such as the feeling of identity, uprootedness and the search for a life project. 

Amongst the problems to be discussed are diasporas as an agent for economic and social development, forms of artistic expression, the role of new technologies in diaspora communities, the problems of refugees and the success or failure of hosting States’ integration policies. All of these phenomena will be illustrated by the experience of the Latin America, Jewish, Asian, African and Arab diasporas. 

The course will be organized into five days in the form of expert conferences, round table discussions and film forums. It is intended for all people interested in understanding the origins, changes and current status of the phenomenon of interculturalism and the social impact it has had in the twenty-first century.

On the date of July 5, Casa Árabe has organized a day that will begin with a presentation by Professor Rosa-Isabel Martínez Lillo, a professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, about “Arab Diasporas in Latin America and Their Contribution to Literature,” followed by a session on “The Arab Diaspora in Art and Culture,” given by Nuria Medina, Casa Árabe’s Coordinator of Cultural Programs, Mushin al-Ramli, an Iraqi writer, and Hames Bitar, a Syrian musician. In the afternoon, a round table discussion will be held on “The Role and Potential of Diasporas in Crisis Situations,” moderated by Karim Hauser, who is responsible for the Governance Area at Casa Árabe, with the participation of Amr Hijazi, president of the Association of Support for the Syrian People, Marwan Burini, cultural attaché of the Embassy of Palestine, and Guillermo Guerrero, coordinator of the Area for Self-employed Immigrants of the Spanish National Federation of Self-employed Workers (ATA).

Course schedule