Abstract:

Launching a new value framework and the assessment of a new cultural pattern are challenges for intercultural education, as the profound mutations of the last decades of the previous century have led to a reconfiguration of conflict situations, which strongly imply, identity differences of ethnical, religious, cultural or ideological natures. The ethnic group continues to form the natural, legitimate unity of a nation-state and represents, despite over-state or even global projections, a milestone for the new European configuration. Generally speaking, differences between nation-state and ethnical group still persist, and this aspect draws a warning with regard to possible territorial claims, and a possible transformation of latent risks into emergent risks. In the context of the incapacity of self managing the identity risks, Europe has to moderately maintain ethnicity as an interest point, to be able to transform it into an active factor for communities shaping (local, regional and national communities), but not excessively and to involve the risk of dismantling or destroying communities. At the national level, the real challenge for intercultural education is the constitution of a legitimate educational framework, implying the educative ideal, the objectives, the contents and the educators/teachers, where the assertion of cultural identity needs to be a solid base.

Keywords:

Ethnic groups, Europe of nations, Europe of regions, cultural identity.