Structures interculturelles pour l'enseignement supérieur

The working group 3, of the conference, was asked to identify the essential tools for turning diversity into an avantage for European Society, an to formulate them  in terms of competences which can be used as recommendations in higher educations.

Statement of the Chair for Law and Religion

The necessity to specifically tackle with religious dimensions of interculturality is the core idea of the UCL Chair as a member of EureSis Net.

Multiculturalism is not a common standard in Europe. Moreover, religious diversity is particularly controversial in European Higher education. This diversity of legal policies, viewed as a fact, may provide an indirect,but original, and perhaps easier, way to introduce intercultural dialogue with religious dimensions.

Nevertheless it seems impossible to deal with diversity without an open and transparent treatment of religious diversity itself in teaching program or materials.

This open treatment should not lead to any discriminative policies about persons, teachers or students. More precisely, privacy or secrecy about individual beliefs must be guaranteed for all, even within learning process through personal experiences (ECHR, june 29th, 2007, Folgero v. Norway).

Nevertheless, privacy or non discrimination, as rights, should not be equivalent to a prohibition of any learning process through personal experiences in religious matters.

Religious dimensions of intercultural dialogue should not remain a theoretical issue. Field works and concrete debate with different religious actors are necessary. Some regular and transparent dialogue should be organized by Higher Educational Authorities, with religious leaders and representatives, in order to bring the process into an auto-performative efficiency.