Identity and violence: the illusion of destiny

Group identity; Modern higher education increasingly follows trends of internationalization. With increasing academic mobility of students, researchers and professors, new forms of learning, teaching and group collaboration have emerged. Institutions of higher education around the globe are beginning to adapt to this changed environment. Cross-cultural issues, new techniques and technologies, as well as an increased diversification of stakeholders are only some of the key influencing factors in this change process. These developments have sparked intense debates and lead to various research efforts in universities worldwide on the impact of globalization on contemporary learning and teaching in higher education. This pioneering field of research impacts educational policy, students, professors, as well as management and administration of higher education. The series "Learn International" aims at collecting and presenting state of the art research outcomes in this area. Initiated by FH JOANNEUM (University of Applied Sciences) in Graz, Austria, through European Union funded R&D projects in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, as well as a corresponding series of international conferences on Intercultural Communication Competence, "Learn International" provides theoretical insights, empirical evidence, as well as practical recommendations on how to tackle this global challenge.; ; ; ; ;

The 1998 Nobel Laureate in economics, Sen (Harvard U.) responds to what he calls the appalling effects of the miniaturization of people. This happens, he explains, when in order to stop violence, people are reduced to a single identity--for example a mode