Tony Bennett, Differing diversities - Council of Europe

Differing diversities– “The implications of international copyright law for cultural diversity policies”by Mira T. Sundara Rajan.– “The role of the media in the cultural practices of diasporic communities” byAnnabelle Sreberny.– “Preserving cultural diversity through the preservation of biological diversity:indigenous peoples, local communities and the role of digital technologies” byRosemary J. Coombe.Final reportThe brief for the final report, as agreed at the second co-ordination meeting, wasthat it should offer an analytic perspective on the role that cultural policies concernedwith the maintenance and promotion of cultural diversity can play as astrategic vehicle for the development of forms of cultural democracy and citizenshipthat are appropriate to the changing relations between peoples and polities atthe start of the twenty-first century. The forms of cultural diversity to be consideredshould concentrate on both those associated with the patterns of migrationthat have characterised the post-war period, and the in situ forms of cultural differencethat have resisted assimilation within dominant national cultures overextended periods.Organisation of the reportThe report is organised into six main sections. The role of each of these is summarisedbelow:IntroductionThis outlines the interpretation of transversal methodology that underlies the studyand offers a preliminary statement of the case for “differentiating diversities” thatthe report advocates. The relationship of this case to the study’s specific focus onthose forms of cultural diversity associated with post-war migration and thelongstanding claims to differences of sub- or multinational, autochthonous, andindigenous cultural minorities is outlined.The challenge of diversityThis identifies the different ways in which sub- or multinationalist, autochthonous,diasporic, and indigenous claims to cultural diversity challenge the strong tendencyof nations to construct themselves as homogenising cultural formationsgoverned by the logic of one people, one culture, one history. The specificallyEuropean parameters relevant to current debates about diversity are reviewed asare debates about globalisation and their relevance to the concerns of the study.Diversity, citizenship, and cultural policy: comparative perspectivesThis summarises the findings of the national reports in relation to three mainissues:14