Call for papers

Call for papers

In a contemporary world marked by globalisation, systemic disruptions and multiple transitions, the concept of interculturality is of central importance. Understanding this issue calls for  diverse  theoretical perspectives, combined with practice-oriented approaches. The discourses that emanate testify to the plurality of analytical frameworks, mobilising various disciplines within the Humanities and Social Sciences, such as Language Sciences, Political and Legal Sciences, Anthropology, Philosophy and Cultural Studies.

These reflections shed light on contemporary social dynamics, where global transformations are intensifying contacts between cultures. The rapid increase in the mobility of people – including students – ideas and cultures in (post)modern societies has led to a proliferation of intercultural interactions, often in a tense geopolitical context. This presents communities, institutions and individuals with new challenges, making it necessary to reflect in depth on cultural identities, models of communication and processes of social inclusion with a view to peaceful cohabitation.

Given this growing complexity, a large body of work has analysed the modalities of these interactions and the issues they raise. This research examines the mechanisms of interpretation, representation and negotiation involved in situations of cultural contact, as well as the resulting social and linguistic practices. It highlights the need for a dynamic understanding of identities, posited as transfomational processes, shaped by the logic of mobility, of hybridisation or of transculturality.

A critical approach to interculturality also leads us to reconsider the concepts of culture and diversity, moving beyond essentialist visions in favour of a more relational, contextual and situated reading. From this perspective, interculturality emerges not only as a field of study, but also as an ethical and political issue, calling for forms of reflexivity in interactions and the ability to decode, adapt and co-construct plurality.

This indicates the need to consider intercultural competence not only as an individual learning objective, but also as a societal issue in its own right, inviting us to question its place in education systems, public policies, professional circles and contemporary social practices. The aim is to examine the models, representations and prescriptions that structure approaches to interculturality, as well as the concrete forms it takes in multicultural spaces, narratives, mediations, professional exchanges and cultural productions. 

The relevance of this reflection can be seen in a wide range of contexts: migration issues, educational practices, associative or entrepreneurial environments, international cooperation projects, mediation mechanisms and artistic experiences. Intercultural sensitivity is thus becoming a key skill of increasing importance, while at the same time encompassing multiple meanings that need to be distinguished and analysed rigorously.

In the face of this dynamic, it has become essential to create spaces for dialogue and reflection in which theoretical approaches and field practices can be articulated in order to gain a better understanding of the complexity of contemporary intercultural issues. This is the background to the international conference ‘Theories and Practices of Interculturality’, created as a forum for interdisciplinary exchange between researchers, experts, practitioners and students, with a view to discussing the most recent theoretical developments, practical experiences and the many forms of intercultural interaction at work in contemporary societies.

In view of the wealth of theoretical, methodological and research work being carried out on this question, this Call for Papers invites interested parties to submit proposals for abstracts on the following themes. Each presentation will last approximately 20 minutes and will be followed by a 20-minute discussion period.

Thematic areas

1. Theoretical perspectives on interculturality : reflections from Philosophy, Anthropology, Ethnology, Language Sciences and theories of Culture and Diversity; conceptualisations of Intercultural Relations; links between otherness, inclusion, linguistic plurality and identity dynamics..
2.  Methodological approaches in intercultural research: qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods; case studies; analyses of practices and representations; field surveys, narratives of experience, participatory approaches in a multicultural context; interdisciplinarity in the approach to intercultural phenomena.
3. Intercultural practices and mediations in contemporary societies : migratory issues, experiences of cultural cohabitation, social or educational mediation, diversity and inclusion policies; professional practices in educational institutions, companies, associations or transnational contexts; training and professionalisation of intercultural competences. 
4. Language(s), identity(ies) and representations of interculturality: plurilingualism, language policies and cultural transmission; construction of identities in a context of cultural contact; place of interactions, narratives, cultural, artistic or literary productions in the understanding of interculturality; social and imaginary representations associated with otherness.
5. Technologies, digital technologies and interculturality: roles and effects of digital technologies in intercultural dynamics; digital mediations, social networks, Automatic Translation and Artificial Intelligence; virtual spaces of expression, interaction or cultural conflict; issues of representation, accessibility and inclusion in digital environments. 

Submission

Proposals for papers must meet the following criteria:

Submission: Abstracts must be submitted in pdf format on the conference page of the ICARET website via the following link: https://hub.imt-atlantique.fr/icaret/international-conference/

Length: 500 words maximum, including bibliography;

Language: abstracts may be written in English, German, French, Italian, Arabic, Croatian or Spanish;

Presentation: indicate the name(s) of the author(s), the institution to which the paper is affiliated, the e-mail address and the title of the paper;

Deadline for submission: 1st July 2025 ; 

Scientific Committee
Fabrice Barthélemy (Sorbonne Nouvelle University)
Michele De Gioia (University of Padua)
Klaus Feldmann (University of Wuppertal)
Alison Gourvès-Hayward (IMT Atlantique)
Gerald Hartung (University of Wuppertal)
Isabelle Lallemand (Telecom Paris)
Khalil Moussafir (Hassan 1er University)
Mohammed Raj (Hassan 1er University)
Martine Rey (UniLaSalle)
Cathy Sablé (IMT Atlantique)

Evaluation and publication

The contributions submitted will be evaluated by the conference’s Scientific Committee.
Notification of acceptance will be given before 1st November 2025.

The papers resulting from the conference will be published. The deadline for submission of full manuscripts is 1st October 2026.

Contact
For any further information, please contact
Klaus Feldmann, Senior Lecturer
University of Wuppertal (Bergische Universität Wuppertal)
klaus.feldmann@uni-wuppertal.de