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 Dr.
Cholpon Alieva [alievach@yahoo.com] and
[cua-rvp@cua.edu] by April 15, 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
Dr. Cholpon Alieva
Ala-Too International University
Universities of Central Asia
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
alievach@yahoo.com
