Nations and Identities: Rethinking Governance and Stewardship
Intro Page     Curriculum

Note: This program will not be offered in the summer of 2009. Please inquire with IHP for further details about the program.

ITINERARY*
Canada    India     Mexico    


Canada (4 weeks)
The group will be hosted by the Intercultural Institute of Montreal, which for more than 40 years has been developing theories and practices about intercultural situations and dialogue. We will use the initial period as an orientation that will set the stage for program-long learning. Students will get to know one-another and begin the process of building a living and learning community. We will also explore issues of cultural sensitivity in intercultural situations and the challenges and methods of the intercultural dialogue. Following the orientation we will launch the Montreal specific program. The program will include interactions and exchanges with people from different cultures and nations settled in Montreal, as well as a week-long stay with a Mohawk community, to reflect on the issues currently faced by North American First Nations. We will also explore the challenges and opportunities of radical pluralism in a modern society.

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India (5 weeks)
Live and work in the crucible of staggering cultural diversity and the home of some of the world’s greatest religions and spiritual traditions. We will begin with an immersion in the evolution, interdependence and contention within India’s plural cultural context. This will include an introduction to the assertions and implications of numerous new identities and travel to the country’s north-east states of Nagaland and Manipur. These communities continue to experience the adverse impacts of industrialization, urbanization, development projects, cultural invasion, territorial and identity conflicts. Over many decades, they have participated in some of the region’s most remarkable social movements and have been at the forefront of efforts to regain control over their lives. Meet tribal activists and leaders and visit their sites of production, celebration and resistance. Observe the impacts of modernity on their lives, share their efforts to establish a political, economic and cultural reality where they can nurture their own ways and come to terms with the world around them at their own pace. Meet activists and scholars from other parts of the country who are involved in the struggle for dignity, self-rule and justice. Also, meet government officials and members of political parties to understand their perspectives. You will be hosted by Intercultural Resources, a centre actively involved in the issues at the intersection of cultural pluralism, modernization and democracy. There will be a one week vacation while in India.

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Mexico (5 weeks)
The group will be hosted by the Centro de Encuentros y Dialogos Interculturales, a coalition of grassroots Indigenous organizations and NGOs, working on many current issues facing the Indigenous peoples of Oaxaca and the society at large in the current political transition.  Interact and have exchanges with Indigenous communities within Oaxaca, including Mixe, Zapotec, and Triqui peoples. In Chiapas, engage with different communities in the Zapatista area to discover how they are reclaiming and reconstructing their world from the bottom up. With them and other communities in Oaxaca, explore alternative definitions of Indigenousness, democracy, and government. During the last week, you will have time to incorporate your reflections and learning into a final comparative study paper on a specific theme across countries and cultures and to share your experiences with community members through creative projects or presentations.


*Important Note: Please be advised that many logistical considerations must be taken into account when plannin gthese itineraries. All IHP itineraries are subject to change. Please check back periodically to review the most up-to-date itinerary.