Seela Benhabib on Cultural Interaction in the Modern Era: Dialogue, Narration, and the Transnational Public Sphere Introduction: From "Clash of Civilizations" to "Narrative Interaction" In the era of globalization and increasing migration flows, the question of cultural interaction is often reduced to simplistic dichotomies: assimilation versus multiculturalism, integration versus isolation. Seela Benhabib, professor of political philosophy and ethics at Yale University, proposes to overcome this deadlock by rethinking the very concept of culture and the mechanisms of intercultural dialogue. She rejects the essentialist view that considers cultures as closed, static, and homogeneous entities (following the model of Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations"). Instead, she suggests viewing cultures as narratively constructed, dynamic, and internally contradictory fields of meaning that are constantly redefined in the process of interpretation and dialogue by their bearers. Critique of Static Multiculturalism and the Concept of "Cultural Narratives" Benhabib criticizes the policy of multiculturalism from the 1970-90s, which, in her view, often entrenched an essentialist approach. The state, in its attempt to recognize minorities, granted them group rights, but at the same time conducted negotiations with "official representatives" of communities, which: Conserved intragroup hierarchies (often patriarchal). Ignored internal diversity and the voices of dissenters within cultural groups. Prevented intercultural dialogue, creating "parallel societies". In contrast, Benhabib introduces the concept of "cultural narratives." Culture does not exist as a set of frozen dogmas, but as a collection of stories, interpretations, and practices that its members constantly retell, dispute, and reformulate. For example, what it means to be a "Muslim" or a "European" today is not a given, but a subject of constant public and private discussion, in which both "traditionalists" and "reformers" ... Read more