Bridging Differences: Understanding Cultural Interaction in Our Globalized World

This volume was first published by Inter-Disciplinary Press in 2016. Cultural interaction in our worlds today is essential to building 21st century bridges between communities. The experiences and lessons learned from the authors of the articles herein are shared with empathy and humility across many disciplines. The creation and re-creation of individual identities and group identities due to migrations throughout history is an ongoing story. Never does one cultural profile remain constant. On the contrary, as boundaries change, so do people and therefore cultures. Interculturalism is the one valid approach to understanding these changes but should be used with great sensitivity. And sensitivity is the over-riding emotion emanating from the different studies in this volume: the search for one’s identity when the latter has been lost or has become difficult to recognize, the attempts to erase identities so as to conform to national unity, the will to create new identities to fit in with new environments, the need to re-evaluate oneself so as to remain true to oneself…These endeavors are subtly described in this vibrant compendium of intercultural monographies.

About the Author :
Newtona (Tina) Johnson is Professor of English and Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Middle Tennessee State University, USA. Her research activities focus primarily on issues related to women and gender, particularly in the fields of postcolonial and African diaspora literature and critical theory. She has authored scholarly essays that have been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Research in African Literatures, Obsidian III: Literature of the African Diaspora, MaComère: Journal of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars, and The CEA Critic. She has also contributed scholarly essays to edited volumes. In addition, Johnson has made numerous presentations in her areas of research, particularly at international scholarly conferences.


Shawn Simpson is the Training Project Manager for the Agence Iter France. She runs the Intercultural & Language Program dedicated to the 35 nationalities of the ITER Organization, located in the South of France. She trains internationally and has created award-winning adult education programs. Her role as a European Union expert with a strong focus on intercultural dimensions in mobility has provided her with experience in the management of multicultural projects. She now focuses on promoting and creating intercultural learning in organizations as well as raising awareness on the sharing of knowledge.