intercultural education [1].
Two
opposing
trends
characterize
contemporary
society:
globalization/mondialisation and regionalization/localization. If the first
one targets the planetary dimension, the second one is a natural response to
globalization, is the move back to tight space: small-scale areas (regions,
districts), small cultures, human groups formed on the basis of identity factors
such as language, religion, ethnic. However, both are the effects of
internationalization of economic, cultural and communication phenomena,
and even they haven’t obviously the same goals, they are completed by
searching for unity in diversity and identity in difference in order to keep an
absolutely necessary balance. The dynamic movements are provided by a
dominant force, represented in principle by a whole geopolitical and cultural
entity, which trends to generalize its values, cultural products, language. The
universalist principle, whose enforcement is sought by institutions and
organizations that currently leads the planet, is that of human rights.
1. The economic context, multilingualism and intercultural communication Homogeneous society, where expectations for action and human
behaviour are fully stabilized, the individual is not confronted with
unexpected situations, is already in many parts of the world subject of change.
Obviously cultural heterogeneity in many countries is not a recent feature,
minority ethnic groups have always existed in geographically delimited areas
of many human groups defined as a nation. However, regardless of ethnicity,
the individuals of a national state are identified and they are still identified
with the national state where they live. One of the effects of globalization is
just changing this image about the nation. Paradigmatic of the two phases of modernization of societies there can
be identified several pairs of characteristics that find their form of expression
both in macro structures, such as the society itself, the economy, the
education, and in micro structures as well as such as foreign language
learning. These pairs of features (Table 1) should not be understood as
antonyms.
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Table 1: The characteristics of First and Second Modernization