Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

The special focus of the 2019 Diversity Conference will address intercultural learning in the wake of global refugee experience. In times of crisis, the refugee presence challenges senses of nation and the practicalities of service provision. We find the “global other” confronting both our identities and our institutions. Socioeconomic crisis accentuates differences and skepticism towards the “other.” These modern border crossers bring the challenges of globalization and ubiquitous learning into our doorstep. They prompt the social psyche to collective storytelling. What are the refugee stories? And how much do they influence challenge or extend national narratives of citizenship? Does the mix of “natives” and “foreigners” create an everyday global awareness? Or How much does the refugee presence alter the nature and dynamics of territorially-defined governance systems?