ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the need to teach cultural understanding in the modern age, highlighting that such an educational goal has been a consistent feature of human history, regardless of time and sociocultural context. It analyses how globalisation is not a purely contemporary phenomenon, and that the increasing cultural diversity of human society has been a long-term historical trend. In conclusion, the chapter discusses why the contemporary phase of globalisation makes the teaching of cultural understanding in respect of ‘the Other’ to be now a necessity rather than an optional extra. It also presents the argument why the teaching of cultural understanding is an obligation of any teacher in the modern world.
