Shall we connect? Cultural networks, intercultural dialogue and Jewish museums in a changing Europe

Employing the viewpoint of cultural networks, this talk will focus on shifts and continuities, tensions and crises that characterise the European project and its cultural dimension today. Implications for Jewish museums will be explored. Culture allows us to stick together as a democratic society through the conflicts and blows. However, from racism to xenophobia, from religious intolerance to gender and sexual discrimination, we are also surrounded by evidence that cultural beliefs are sometimes in conflict with principles of equality and human rights. Processes of preservation and transmission of cultural identities require a necessary selection and appraisal: this is the true challenge and hard work of intercultural dialogue and cultural citizenship. Furthermore, Information and Communication Technologies have been bringing new possibilities and challenges to the world of cultural institutions, shifting the dynamics and scope of cultural networking, memory construction, display, and understanding in a networked world. Can cultural institutions contribute to strengthening the social fabric towards open and inclusive societies? Examples will be discussed on how cultural networks may help memory institutions and their host societies manage the tensions and realise the opportunities arising from a changing Europe.