Thematic Description
In our globalized world today, the increase of multicultural
spaces and interdependence of civilizations and peoples have
made intercultural dialogue crucial and inevitable in all
aspects of socio-political and cultural life for entire
humanity. The growing global awareness of a shared human destiny
highlights the need for new forms of philosophical diplomacy as
a significant means to prevent and resolve intercultural and
inter-civilizational conflicts.
Dialogue as a way of understanding one another has roots across
diverse cultural traditions. In the Middle East and Asia, the
concept of dialogue can be traced back to the Sumerian debates,
the hymns of the Rig Veda, the Mahabharata, the
teachings of Buddha and Confucius, etc. In the West, the meaning
of dialogue took shape in the dialectical-dialogical methods of
Socrates and Plato in ancient Greece. More recently, Western
philosophical diplomacy has been influenced by such thinkers as
Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, Gabriel
Marcel, Vladimir Bibler, Mikhail Bakhtin, Paul Ricœur, Karl
Jaspers, Martin Heidegger, and Emmanuel Levinas, who explored
the origins and nature of dialogue, its relation to thought,
language, and culture, and its potential to transcend
materialistic boundaries and move beyond dualistic divides like
“subject-object,” “I-thou,” and so on.
In Central Asia, dialogue as a unique form of connection between
human and nature was shaped by the region’s ancient nomadic
culture and epic tales like Kozhozhash, Er-Toshtuk,
and Manas. This dialogical understanding was also
reflected in the diplomatic exchanges of the Saks (7th century
BCE – 4th century CE), ancestors of the Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, Tajiks,
and Uzbeks, with Persian kings and Alexander the Great.
Over centuries, Central Asia’s geographical, historical, and
cultural position enabled it to be an important crossroad for
East-West intercultural dialogue. Since the inception of the
Great Silk Road (2nd century BCE), Central Asia has developed a
syncretic culture and philosophy where religious beliefs and
cultural traditions such as Zoroastrianism, Tengrism, Buddhism,
Manichaeism, and Christianity coexisted. In the Middle Ages,
Sufism and the cosmopolitan views of Muslim thinkers like
Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Al-Biruni, Al-Khwarizmi, Zhusup Balasaguni,
Ahmed Yassawi, Omar Khayyam, and Ulugbek flourished in the
region.
The Silk Road, stretching from Xi’an in China to Rome in Italy,
played a pivotal role in international relations and diplomacy.
Venetian traveler Marco Polo documented his experiences along
this historic route in The Book of the Diversity of the World
(13th-14th centuries) underscoring the role of the Silk Road as
a channel for cultural exchange, diplomatic ties, and
international cooperation. Rulers in many countries utilized the
Silk Road precisely for such purposes.
This rich and long history of intercultural dialogue underpins
the multi-vector diplomacy of contemporary Central Asian nations
and has contributed to the region’s successful approach and
practice to peaceful border resolution. Central Asia’s
experience in fostering intercultural dialogue and “silk”
diplomacy warrants deeper scientific exploration. However, it
has been received
limited scientific research attention.
The upcoming
international conferences, titled “Intercultural Dialogue in
Central Asia and Beyond: Philosophy of Diplomacy,” will be held
across three Central Asian countries. These conferences aim to
clarify the theoretical and practical dimensions of
intercultural dialogue as a foundation for the philosophy of
diplomacy in Central Asia and across the world.
The discussion will
address, but are not limited to, the following issues:
- The history and
philosophy of intercultural dialogue and diplomacy.
- The role of the Great
Silk Road in the development of intercultural dialogue and
diplomacy.
- Central Asia as a
geographical, cultural, socio-economic, and political crossroads
of civilizations.
- Philosophical
frameworks for intercultural dialogue.
-
The philosophies of intercultural dialogue in Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
- Philosophy of diplomacy
as a new field within 21st century philosophy
Abstract
Please send an abstract (300 to 500 words) and a brief CV to
[cua-rvp@cua.edu] by March 30, 2025. Full paper will be due on
June 20, 2025. Well-developed papers will be published by the
Council for Research in Values and Philosophy in its publication
series “Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change.”
Logistics
Conference participants will cover the costs of their own
travel, the local organizer will provide information about
accommodations during the conference. The
conference will be conducted in English.
Contact
Faculty of Philosophy
Kazakh National University
Almaty, Kazakhstan
