Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku International Multiculturalism Centre Azerbaijani Multiculturalism Textbook for Higher Education

Multiculturalism is our state policy and our way of life.’


Ilham Aliyev President of the Republic of Azerbaijan


PREFACE

distinguishing

feature of the

remarkable pro-

cess of globali-zation in the world today is the increase of ethnic, racial, religious and cultural diversity in society. The process of glo-balization has drawn almost all states into its orbit, helping to create ethnic, racial, religious and cultural diversity in the majority of countries.

Objective and subjective factors shape the formation of this diversity in society. Objec-tive factors include historical, geographical, political, social, economic and cultural rea-sons. The main subjective fac-tor, however, is connected with

policies pursued by the state
despite the increase in ethno-
cultural diversity in society.
One aspect is extremely im-
portant when considering the
role of the state in the increase
of ethnocultural		diversity: this
is whether the diversity is in-
troduced to society obligato-
rily or voluntarily. In the first
case,	ethnocultural diversity is
exported to the territory of a
state without heed for the will
of that country, that is, obliga-
torily. For instance, after occu-
pying the territory of Azerbai-
jan the Sassanid Empire, the
Arab	Caliphate,	the Seljuks,
tsarist Russia and the Soviet
Union all pursued a policy of
moving people into Azerbaijan			9

in order to resolve population differences in their own terri-tories. Another example is the German government, which after World War II allowed la-bour migrants into the country in order to ensure economic development. France, Belgium and other Western countries admitted large numbers of la-bour migrants.

It is true that both in the past and today there have been states that try to limit ethno­ cultural diversity, as they con-sider it a threat to their na-tional security. This shows that these states have an ambiva-lent attitude towards the eth-nic, racial, religious and cul-tural diversity within their own societies. However, the shap-ing of ethnocultural diversity in society­ is a result of objec-tive historical developments. This diversity,­ moreover, shapes ethnocultural­ values and cul-tures of the nations and forms their world view and the basis of their activities. Therefore, this diversity plays a positive

10. 
    role in the lives of nations. The
    

prominent Indian politician and leader, Mahatma Gandhi, highly appreciated the role of diversity in the development of society. He said that a culture that aspired to be exclusive was doomed to extinction.

Ethnocultural diversity, which includes the ethnocultural val-ues and cultures of peoples and guides their actions and world view, is essentially a pos-itive phenomenon and plays a positive role in the lives of na-tions. In a democratic law-gov-erned society, it is important for the state to protect this diversity, just as it does social justice, tolerance and equali-ty of opportunity. The protec-tion of ethnocultural diversi-ty is an integral part of active state policy. The management of ethnocultural diversity must take into account the interests of all parties concerned; that is, the state and the ethnic and religious minorities them-selves. If ethnocultural diversity­ is not managed correctly, se-rious problems and even con-flicts may arise in different ar-

eas. Therefore, the appropriate management of ethnocultural diversity acquires great practi-cal importance for every multi-cultural state.

National Leader of Azerbaijan­ Heydar Aliyev attached great importance to the protection of ethnocultural diversity in society. He said: ‘The more eth-nicities a country has, the rich-er it becomes, as each of them contributes to world culture and civilization.’

UNESCO adopted a Univer­ sal Declaration on Cultural Di-versity on 2 November 2001. Article One of the declaration, entitled ‘Cultural diversity: the common heritage of human-ity’, says, ‘As a source of ex-change, innovation and cre-ativity, cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature. In this sense, it is the common herit-age of humanity and should be recognized and affirmed for the benefit of present and future generations.’

Just as it is not easy for the state to substantiate theoret-

ically the importance of man-
aging ethnocultural diversity in
society, it is also difficult to do
in practice. Many states, even
a number of leading Western
states, are unable to manage
ethnocultural diversity in soci-
ety appropriately. Disturbanc-
es on ethnic, racial, religious
and cultural grounds in those
countries are evidence of this.
One of the mistakes in man-
aging cultural diversity is en-
forced cultural	assimilation.
Or, as mentioned above, some
states think that an increase in
ethnocultural diversity threat-
ens their security and try to
prevent an increase in diversity
through a policy of isolation.
At present the number of such
states is growing as a result of
the refugee and migrant crisis.
The present-day Republic
of Azerbaijan is one of the ex-
emplary states in the sphere of
the appropriate	management
of ethnocultural diversity in so-
ciety. Azerbaijan	has achieved
great success in this sphere, as
can be seen in the absence of
any ethnic, religious and racial		11

	confrontation or conflict in the
	country. It is the result of the
	multiculturalism policy found-
	ed by the National Leader of
	Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, and
	successfully pursued by the cur­
	rent President of the Republic
	of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
	Another important indicator
	of the appropriate manage-
	ment of ethnocultural diversity
	in Azerbaijan is the use of the
	terms ‘the Azerbaijani model of