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Cultural Diversity and the City

Discover how cities can develop a distinct heritage through embracing cultural diversity.

11,697 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Understand the importance of cultural diversity to the thriving city

Cities all over the world have embraced cultural and religious diversity, creating unique heritages. On this course you will investigate both ‘old’ and ‘new’ diversities in city heritage in four different continents.

You will look at cities with a divisive heritage (Bristol as a slave port) and a post-migration heritage (such as Cologne in Germany). You will will also look at major post-colonial urban centres and how they used cultural diversity to revitalise inner city areas. You will also consider those cities that turn diversity into a branding tool, like Singapore or Doha.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 13 seconds How do cities manage the cultural heritage of their diverse communities? How can cultural heritage labels and city networks help promote cultural diversity? Are museums, libraries, and art galleries only spaces for conservation, or can they be spaces for conversation among different cultures? In this course, we will look at the challenges that diverse cultural heritage poses to city governance as well as the strategies developed to turn it into an asset.

Skip to 0 minutes and 44 seconds Together with a team of international researchers and experts and through a number of interesting case studies, we will walk you through cities– for example, Bristol and Johannesburg– that have come to terms with cultural diversity and their difficult past, or cities like New York and London, but also Cologne and George Town in Malaysia, where immigration has played a key role in designing their profile. We will also look at cities such as Singapore and Doha that have turned diversity into an outlook for branding themselves as global cultural hubs. Are you studying archaeology or tourism? Are you working on cultural or heritage projects? Are you simply interested in learning more about this topic? Then don’t miss this opportunity.

Skip to 1 minute and 33 seconds Join our learning community for inspirational ideas, stimulating discussions, and some food for thought.

What topics will you cover?

  • Contested heritage in cities
  • Protecting, preserving and transforming a diverse cultural heritage
  • Turning urban cultural diversity into an asset
  • Labelling / Branding cities and their heritage
  • Cultural city networks
  • Cities as hubs for the creative economy

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify the challenges and opportunities of cultural diversity in cities
  • Design creative solutions to deal with contested heritage
  • Assess labels aimed at promoting inclusive heritage in diverse cities
  • Explore the rise of transnational city networks for culture
  • Discuss the rise of regional and global cultural hubs in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa

Who is the course for?

This course is for anyone interested in the cultures of cities, but will be of particular interest to those working in the arts, culture and heritage.

Who will you learn with?

Anna Triandafyllidou is Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada.

Jeremie Molho is Research Fellow at the European University Institute

Who developed the course?

European University Institute (EUI)

We are the European University Institute (EUI), the leading institute in Europe dedicated to social sciences and humanities. Founded in 1972 by the six original members of the then European Communities, the EUI has earned a reputation as a transnational hub of research and higher learning.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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