The Integration Foundation will bring together renowned researchers and practitioners on 14–15 November 2024 for the integration conference entitled ‘Cultural diversity – An Obstacle or an Opportunity in Shaping a Cohesive Society?’. The conference can be attended free of charge in Tallinn or via live-stream by pre-registering.
The integration conference, organised by the Integration Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, will bring together renowned researchers and practitioners from Estonia and other countries for the eleventh time. This time, the experts will focus on the issues arising from the diversity of cultures within communities and nationalities – cultural diversity.
‘A turbulent world and a changing economy pose more and more challenges to the cohesion of societies. What are the lessons learned that can help to alleviate polarisation and societal tensions? How to maintain cohesion in an increasingly diverse and changing society? How is it possible to stay in a shared information and value space when it is ever easier to live in a digital bubble? These are just some of the issues that we will be discussing at this year’s conference,’ said Dmitri Moskovtsev, Director of the Integration Foundation.
The conference will be opened by Minister of Culture Heidy Purga. Afterwards researchers and practitioners from Estonia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, and other countries will discuss current issues from the perspective of cultural diversity, such as tensions in society, the changing information space, migration trends, countries’ policies, and election campaigns.
‘Recognized experts will share their experiences and answer questions. There will be an opportunity to meet, for example, JJ Green, a correspondent of the WTOP radio station operating in Washington, D.C., who provides daily reviews of US and other countries' policies. You can also listen to the observations of Bridget Kendall, the first female head of the oldest college of the University of Cambridge, who has immediate experiences from the time when the Baltic states regained their independence,’ said one of the conference organizers, Marianna Makarova, Head of Research at the Integration Foundation.
The presentations and discussions will be complemented by a debate between Estonian politicians. The conference will also offer the opportunity to watch the film ‘Turning tables’, which explores cultural diversity and is featured in the programme of the Black Nights Film Festival.
The conference will take place at Hestia Hotel Europa in Tallinn. The first day of the conference can be attended on-site or via live-stream, the second day only on-site. On both days, you can follow the presentations and discussions and ask the speakers questions in Estonian, English, and Russian.
The speakers and the programme of the conference can be found on the website of the integration conference. Registration for the first, second, or both days of the conference is open until 13 November at www.integrationconference.ee
