<strong>the</strong> outside world. Only if people are able to perceive <strong>the</strong>ir own o<strong>the</strong>rness are <strong>the</strong>y capable <strong>of</strong> perceiving <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rness <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r people, <strong>and</strong> to come to grips with it. If we succeed in perceiving <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r in our own culture, an interest in <strong>the</strong> foreign aspects <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r cultures will germinate <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> possibility <strong>of</strong> valuing <strong>the</strong>m can flourish. To do so, we need to foster <strong>the</strong> ability to take <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r as <strong>the</strong> point <strong>of</strong> departure <strong>of</strong> our thought, that is to say to try <strong>and</strong> see ourselves through <strong>the</strong> eyes <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r people, to think heterologically. Inter<strong>cultural</strong> education In order to win people over to an appreciation <strong>of</strong> <strong>cultural</strong> diversity <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> protecting <strong>and</strong> advancing <strong>intangible</strong> <strong>cultural</strong> <strong>heritage</strong>, inter- <strong>and</strong> trans-<strong>cultural</strong> perspectives are required, today more than ever. Today, many people no longer belong to just one culture, but partake <strong>of</strong> various <strong>cultural</strong> traditions. Inter<strong>cultural</strong> or trans-<strong>cultural</strong> education is a means <strong>of</strong> supporting <strong>the</strong>m in dealing with <strong>the</strong> <strong>cultural</strong> differences inherent within <strong>the</strong>mselves, in <strong>the</strong>ir immediate surroundings <strong>and</strong> in encounters with o<strong>the</strong>rs. Identity cannot be conceived <strong>of</strong> without o<strong>the</strong>rness, so that inter<strong>cultural</strong> education implies a relational link mediating between an irreducibly fractal self <strong>and</strong> many forms <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rness. In <strong>the</strong>se processes, hybrid forms <strong>of</strong> culture are becoming increasingly important. If underst<strong>and</strong>ing o<strong>the</strong>rs relates to underst<strong>and</strong>ing oneself <strong>and</strong> vice versa, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> process <strong>of</strong> inter<strong>cultural</strong> education is also a process <strong>of</strong> learning about, <strong>of</strong> educating oneself. If successful, it will establish <strong>the</strong> insight into <strong>the</strong> fundamental impossibility <strong>of</strong> underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r. Given <strong>the</strong> disenchantment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> decrease <strong>of</strong> <strong>cultural</strong> diversity <strong>the</strong> danger arises that <strong>the</strong> world over people may only encounter <strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir own products, <strong>and</strong> that this lack <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rness will dramatically reduce <strong>the</strong> richness <strong>of</strong> experiencing oneself <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> world. If <strong>the</strong> reduction <strong>of</strong> <strong>cultural</strong> diversity threatens <strong>the</strong> richness <strong>of</strong> human life, however, <strong>the</strong>n fostering <strong>cultural</strong> diversity must also be a central concern <strong>of</strong> education. Cultural <strong>and</strong> inter<strong>cultural</strong> learning, respectively, must not be reduced to <strong>the</strong> ability <strong>of</strong> dealing with minorities. Ra<strong>the</strong>r, education today is an inter<strong>cultural</strong> task in all parts <strong>of</strong> world society (Wulf 1995, 1998) in which encountering <strong>and</strong> coming to terms with foreign cultures, with <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rness <strong>of</strong> one's own culture <strong>and</strong> with <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r inherent in oneself are <strong>of</strong> central importance. Translation: Henning Grunwald / V<strong>and</strong>erbilt University Literature Bell, C.: Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice, New York: Oxford University Press 1992. Boetsch, G./Wulf, Ch. (dir.): Rituels, Hermès 43, Paris: CNRS Éditions 2005. Bourdieu, P.: Esquisse d’une théorie de la pratique, précédé des trois études d’ethnologie kabyle, Genève : Droz S. A. 1972. Butler, J.: The Psychic Life <strong>of</strong> Power. Theories in Subjection, Stanford: Stanford University Press 1997. THE PERFORMATIVITY AND DYNAMICS OF INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE 12/14
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