The idea of Postmodernity continues to be Eurocentric. Using a world vision, the intercultural project proposes to examine the elements of the great cultures that were not dominated by modernity, but instead were excluded as being of no value. Thus China, India, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, Bantu Africa and Latin America, by developing the potentiality of their own cultures in dialogue with modernity, implement an innovative development towards a pluriverse that surpasses the limits of modernity itself. This process, which also involves a South-to-South intercultural dialogue, is called Transmodernity.

Presented by Manuel Cruz , Professor of Contemporary Philosophy at the University of Barcelona.

1, 2 y 3 de diciembre de 2008.

El Foro de Jóvenes Investigadores en Dinámicas Interculturales de la Fundación CIDOB convoca su II Traning Seminar.

Ante la creciente aceleración de la movilidad y del intercambio nos ha parecido de especial relevancia prestar atención a los espacios del encuentro y a las dinámicas que se establecen en ellos. La presencia simultánea de significados distintos y la incertidumbre que tal diversidad genera dan lugar a la negociación o al conflicto como estrategias para transformar la incertidumbre del contacto en códigos conocidos. El afecto, la identidad y la cohesión social son parte del contacto tanto como el miedo, la desconfianza y la indiferencia.

1 - 2 December 2008

For the seventh time, experts from different origins and disciplines ─ from the civil and military sectors, as well as governmental and non-governmental actors ─will be meeting in Barcelona to assess the progress that has been made in security and defence in the Mediterranean and to analyse the major challenges of the future. This year, the participants will be assessing the cooperation initiatives that have been introduced, and particular attention will be paid to the sub-regional dimension of security, to the role of the EU in the Near East and to the strategic reflection in the area of security and defence.

>> For more information: mediterraneo@cidob.org

European lunch

In August 2008, the southern Caucasus became, once again, a focus for instability and tension between Russia and the European Union. Following the Russia-George crisis, there is a need to reflect upon the importance of this strategic area and, especially, of the role that the European Union can play there. To this end, the CIDOB Foundation has organised a European breakfast that will feature a talk by guest speaker Mr Vytautas Landsbergis .

Presentation and debate of the research study Mexico and the European Union: Eight years of Economic Association, Political Agreement and Cooperation , chaired by Carlos A. Rozo , Lecturer at the Metropolitan Autonomous University of Xochimilco, Mexico, and visiting researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

The work offers reflections on the joint commitment by the European Union and by Latin America and the Caribbean to achieve the ideal of social cohesion by means of a more dynamic, more competitive economic system through the construction of “strategic relations”.

Chair : Anna Ayuso , Latin America Programme of the CIDOB Foundation
Comments : Manuel Cienfuegos , Pompeu Fabra University

11-12 December

It is on the local stage where the global phenomenon of immigration ends up manifesting itself, and it is the administrations with the greatest proximity to citizens who have to find answers to deal with a challenge that is increasing diversity and plurality in local societies. This year, the 6th Seminar on Immigration and Europe (which is organised annually by the Area of Equality and Citizenship and the Migrations Programme of the CIDOB Foundation) pays attention to the different responses that different local administrations around Europe have found in order to manage this global phenomenon.

Presentation of the Comparative Atlas of Defence in Latin America – 2008 Edition
The Comparative Atlas of Defence is a project run by the Red de Seguridad y Defensa de América Latina (Latin America Security and Defence Network, or RESDAL), and which has been developed since 2004. In the volume's 312 pages, information is presented on 16 countries in the region, both in a comparative manner and according to each country. Furthermore, it contains analytical documents drafted by expert members of the Network that tackle the complexity of the subjects approached, as well as reflecting the different national realities.

Speakers:

Narcís Serra , President of the CIDOB Foundation
Juan Rial , RESDAL
Marcela Donadio , RESDAL
Rafael Martínez , Professor at the University of Barcelona

One year on from the assassination of the candidate Benazir Bhutto, and with the holding of elections, the creation of a new government and the appointment of a new president, Pakistan's political scenario seems to have entered into a period of relative stability. At the same time, the recent proliferation of indiscriminate attacks in the country is generating great uncertainty and demands new approaches with respect to the sphere of security, a key factor in such a highly conflictive region.