Cultural diversity on the Council of Europe documents: The role of education and the intercultural dialogue

Abstract

Democratic governance of cultural diversity is one of the more important worries of the majority of European states. A few years ago, this concern existed mainly in central and northern Europe; today, however, it has become a matter of general interest for the whole continent. This is shown through two relevant facts: the European Union declared 2008 as European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and, in a broader context, the Council of Europe published a white paper based on this topic. The aim of this paper is analyse the different approaches to the question of cultural diversity within the Council of Europe, with particular attention to education. Therefore, I have made a historical review of the main documents of this institution – related to this topic – from its foundation to the present day, in order to find the key to the current approach. I have not reviewed such documents from a legal perspective but, rather, made an analysis based on two ideas. Firstly, in view of different ways of managing cultural diversity, I have observed the stance that these texts have maintained in this regard. Secondly, I have tried to investigate the role that education has played in this process.