Contemporary Challenges of Multiculturalism and Language Policy

“Our university is a good example for flexible use of language and the concept of coexistence of different cultures. Even though we have experience, we still face challenges, especially in terms of quality of teaching. Hopefully these challenges will be answered in this conference," said the Rector of SEEU, Prof. Dr. Zamir Dika, in his welcoming speech.

“The theme of this conference is important not only to our University, but to Max van der Stoel himself. He well understood the importance of linguistic tolerance, and of cultural understanding. Accordingly, this University maintains our ‘flexible use of language policy,’ in which communication is official in any of the three University languages—Albanian, Macedonian, and English,” said the Provost, Prof. Dr. Andrew Goodspeed.

“The concept of multiculturalism today mainly shows simultaneous coexistence in a given space. However, multiculturalism in the broadest sense means peaceful coexistence of different ethnic, cultural and religious groups at the same place/in the same space" said Demush Bajrami, communication researcher.

“Researching and discussing on the scientific level the topics of this conference, is fitting with the growing interests of the contemporary scientific research today in general. It is fitting as well with one of the major aims of our scientific Institute, to overcome boundaries. To this pursuit the former OSCE Commissioner Stoel was committed; he was committed not only to the use of language, but also for concepts like globalization and multiculturalism,” said Prof. Dr. Veton Latifi, the Director of the SEEU’ Scientific Institute “Max van der Stoel”.