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At the 2022 SIETAR Europa Congress, we were invited to Re-think Interculturalism, to challenge what we have known and learned from a Western Educated Industrial Rich and Democratic (WEIRD) perspective. This year’s Virtual Institute invites us to move deeper into those conversations to discuss how intercultural educators, trainers and researchers can move towards a more globally inclusive perspective.

The Virtual Institute will explore this theme through the lens of our core pillars: education, training and research.

Our intercultural work continues to intersect with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion work so can we or should we continue to only rely on WEIRD research tools and resources? Postcolonialism invites us to question a new more inclusive and less WEIRD approach to our work.

Throughout the Virtual Institute, participants will explore new non-WEIRD perspectives and challenge the future and our approach to interculturalism with greater global inclusion.

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The Virtual Institute offers three Master Class Tracks; and each track has three Sessions. The Master Class Tracks are:

Research (MC1): For professionals in or interested in research and research practices
Education (MC2): For professionals in or interested in intercultural education at all levels of learning
Training (MC3): For professionals in or interested in intercultural training in all sectors

Each Master Class Track includes three Sessions, each with a different focus area. They are:

Session 1 – Research: In this session, guest experts will share their research and its implications based upon the track.
Session 2 – Practice: In this session, guest experts will share best practices with the track.
Session 3 – Future Implications: In this session, this Master Class cohort will work with a facilitator to discuss and consider the future implications of their learning within the track.

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For most SIETARians, networking and the opportunity to meet new and old friends, have a 1:1 conversation with interesting and potential collaborators – at a professional or personal level – ranks high as a motivator for attending our in-person congresses. We have partnered with the SIETAR Europa Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and a special cooperation partner, the #virtualspacehero who will host our Opening and Closing networking events for you! They will take place right after the Virtual Institute kick-off and keynote and after the Virtual Institute closure.

During the Virtual Institute, the Africa and Gamification SIGs will host events that feature the work, and engage participants in a variety of games, activities, and dialogues. The SIG networking events will be OPEN TO ALL SIG MEMBERS.

Program

Opening Session
Shifting from WEIRD to Embracing Hybridity
Pascal da Rocha
23 June

Closing Session
Dipo Fayolin
7 July

Pre-Festival Master Classes
8 June – 19 June

SEVIFEST FilmFest for Kids!
MADRID Online
18 June

SEVIFEST FilmFest
VIENNA Online
24 June

SEVIFEST FilmFest
CANNES Online
1 July

SEVIFEST FilmFest
VENEZIA Online
8 July

SaFe: Art Bridging Cultures and Nations
GENOVA Online
23 June

SaFe: Art and Sustainability
LONDON/DUBLIN Online
30 June

SaFe: Award Winners Celebration
BERLIN/WARSAW Online
7 July

Networking with SIG Gamification
Addressing Surging Populism and Promoting Decolonization through Gamification
George Simons
5 July

MC1: Research
For professionals in or interested in research and research practices
Moderated by Annelie Wambeek

Master Class 1.1: Research
Feminist Approaches to Decolonizing Knowledge Production: Unsettling Research, Methods, and Theory
Ghassan Moussawi
26 June

Master Class 1.2: Practice
A postcolonial perspective on epistemic harm and the indigeneity of social scientific theories
Pradeep Chakkarath
27 June

Master Class 1.3: Future Implications
Towards Critical Intercultural Communication
Eila Isotalus
28 June

MC2: Education
For professionals in or interested in intercultural education at all levels of learning
Moderated by Bernd Gibson

Master Class 2.1: Research
“Change at the Root”: Liberating the Colonised Mind
Pritima Chainani-Barta
29 June

Master Class 2.2: Practice
Elevating non-WEIRD voices: Integrating non-Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic perspectives into higher education
Varina Michaels
30 June

Master Class 2.3: Future Implications
Natasha Aruliah
3 July

MC3: Training
For professionals in or interested in intercultural training in all sectors
Moderated by Grant Douglas

Master Class 3.1: Research
Ishita Ray, Emre Seven
4 July

Master Class 3.2: Practice
How women lead in Asia
Aarti Kelshikar
5 July

Master Class 3.3: Future Implications
Dora Mołodyńska-Küntzel
6 July

During the Virtual Institute, we challenge everyone to focus on decluttering and organizing their digital lives to reduce our electricity consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We aim to create awareness of the big environmental footprint of IT.

Moderators

Annelie Wambeek

Master Class 1

Bernd Gibson

Master Class 2

Grant Douglas

Master Class 3

Papa Balla Ndong

Film & Arts Festival

Barbara Covarrubias Venegas

#virtualspacehero

Film and Arts Festival

A bi-annual online FILM FESTIVAL event born to promote interculturality by creating awareness of social, cultural and human rights issues through Intercultural Cinema.

An ARTS FESTIVAL aiming to support the dissemination and promotion of intercultural Education, Training and Research through Intercultural Arts.

VI2023 Team

VI Coordinator: Papa Balla Ndong
VI Committee: Grant Douglas, Annelie Wambeek, Tamara Thorpe
VI Speaker Coordinator: Lidia Wisniewska

Supported by
SIETAR Europa IT Services and Communications Committee

institute2023@sietareu.org

SIETAR Europa

Virtual Institute 2023

23 June – 7 July 2023

Shifting Perspectives from WEIRD towards Greater Global Inclusion