Does Intercultural Dialogue matter?

Yesterday I have continued to work on chapter 2. It comes to my mind to uses the main points of the history of the German-Iranian relationship more effectively for the final analysis. The book actually departs from the hypothesis that intercultural dialogue has to have a relevant function in the foreign cultural policy of Iran and Germany. That is why cultural activities under discourses of “European-Islamic cultural dialogue” (by the German government), “interfaith dialogue” and “dialogue among civilizations” (by the Iranian government) received support. If it was not useful, it would not have been undertaken.  Though these cultural activities in their modern form are not implemented suddenly and out of the blue. They have origin in the past. Both countries got to know each other under different circumstances since middle Ages, since time when even they did not have the current political boarders. And then in different political systems and social conditions they contin...

Today i worked on the second chapter which is on the history of the German-Iranian relationship. I remember I was crying when I was writing this chapter in 2016. My supervisor suggested me to add this topic to my dissertation: “I think it makes sense if you write why exactly Iran and Germany are your case studies? What is historically important in their relationship?”  Yes it is nice and important; but adding a sub-topic after finishing the analysis of the dissertation is hard for almost any writer. I remember how I terribly felt when I was reading history books. Where should I start? How should I form this chapter? I was keeping telling J that I never can finish this chapter: “… I am not an expert of history”! But at the end when I sent off three chapters of the dissertation, including this chapter, to my supervisor, he replied that he specifically liked my discussion on the German-Iranian historic relationship. I really was relieved after hearing that. Ok in my curre...