Re-building dialogue with the Arab World: some questions
Categories: Dialogue with the Arab World
Tags: Adonis, Dialogue with the Arab World, Media, Multiculturalism
The conference “Rebuilding dialogue with the Arab world” offers a chance to reflect upon some relevant issues about the future of a dialogue among different cultures in the Mediterranean area.
In his paper, Adonis lists four main obstacles to a “genuine and creative” dialogue between the Oriental and Western sides of the Mediterranean Sea. The Arab intellectuals refer to the religious vision about the human beings and the world, to the opinion about knowledge and science, to the role of state and politics, and, finally, to the ancient hatred between Judaism and Islam, which finds an expression today in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the light of such a reflection, some key questions, which are deeply linked to the debate about a possible dialogue between the West and the Arab world, emerge. Can religion help the dialogue among civilizations? And, do shared political values matter in building a “genuine and creative” dialogue between the West and the Arab world?
Besides political and cultural features, the issue of the dialogue between the West and the Arab World cannot be fully understood without taking into account their economic considerations, first, and the role of the media as a conditioning factor. With reference to the first problem, how much do economic factors weigh in the dynamics of inclusion/exclusion? How does an harmonious economic development in the Mediterranean region impact and create an influence on the relations among countries? And, finally, does media favour distrust or dialogue?
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Re-building dialogue with the Arab World: alcune domande
La conferenza “Rebuilding dialogue with the Arab world” è un’occasione per riflettere su alcune questioni fondamentali circa il futuro del dialogo tra culture nell’area del mediterraneo.
Nel suo intervento di apertura, Adonis elenca quattro principali ostacoli ad un dialogo “sincero e creativo” tra le due sponde, quella orientale ed occidentale, del Mediterraneo. L’ intellettuale arabo fa riferimento alla visione religiosa dell’uomo e del mondo, al giudizio sulla conoscenza e sulla scienza, al ruolo e al senso dello stato e della politica, e all’antico conflitto tra il sacro Ebraico e quello Islamico, che oggi si manifesta con estrema violenza nel caso del conflitto israelo – palestinese. Alla luce di tale riflessione sembra necessario sollevare alcune questioni cruciali interne al dibattito di un possibile dialogo tra Oriente e Occidente. Può la religione aiutare l’incontro tra le civiltà? O solo il richiamo laico a valori politici condivisi può rappresentare il primo passo verso un “dialogo sincero e creativo” tra il mondo Arabo e quello Occidentale?
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