ABSTRACT
This book started from the concept of bon voisinage (good neighbourliness) by Alan Henrikson, who outlined three conditions for good-neighbourly relations at the inter-state level. His first condition, mutuality or reciprocity, is an integral part of my concept of good neighbourhood as well given that aspects such as proficiency in an additional local language or cross-cultural (historical) knowledge rely on mutual compliance. If “neighbours are to be accepted as being equal” (Henrikson 2000: 124), aspects such as historical reconciliation and the granting of minority rights are crucial components of that neighbourhood. These are also essential when considering Henrikson’s second condition, the “acceptance of difference,” although my concept goes beyond his by including the awareness and appreciation of and compassion for cultural richness (or the promotion of diversity) as a necessity.
