The Intercultural Development Research Institute supports unceasing attention to inequity associated with race, gender, or any other form of human diversity. But we do not think that the default condition of humankind is social justice, nor do we believe that simply removing the impediment of prejudice will let justice prevail. On the contrary, humans have mostly exalted their own familiar groups and derogated others in endless real or imagined struggles for survival. Building social justice therefore demands much more than restructuring racist institutions, although recognizing personal and systemic prejudice is a necessary beginning. The larger imperative is to restructure consciousness itself – to extend our perception of self beyond our particular group and into larger constellations of diverse peoples.

We know that:

• The world is inevitably becoming more multicultural, as increasingly mobile people reaffirm their unique cultural identities.
• Cross-cultural contact frequently leads to increased ethnocentric tension and violence.
• Intercultural sensitivity and communication competence are necessary to counteract ethnocentrism and to foster respectful and productive multicultural teams/organizations/communities/nations/regions.

We see that:

• The pace of cross-cultural contact is increasing due to refugees from climate change and war, along with traditional forms of migration.
• Political/economic/social tension and ethnocentrism is predictably increasing worldwide.
• Intercultural communication training/education as practiced (in a relativist paradigm) is often inadequate to the task of counteracting the movement towards intergroup hatred and violence

We therefore need to:

• Affirm the constructivist roots of intercultural theory and develop new forms of post-relativist intercultural communication practice.
• Recognize a constructivist form of intercultural communication as the key element in the social evolution of global organizations
• Establish constructivist intercultural consciousness as the key to creating a climate of respect for cultural diversity in multicultural organizations and communities

The Intercultural Development Research Institute was formed in 2006 to support the development of a coherent, practical, and relevant research-based perspective on domestic and international intercultural relations.

In the USA, IDRInstitute is a public benefit 501(c)(3) corporation registered in Oregon State, USA. Internationally, IDRInstitute Europa is a non-profit association registered in Milano, Italy.

The IDRInstitute is not affiliated with any religious or political organization.