"We return to the basic problem: how to think globally without imposing ourselves on others. The problems posed in trying to find a consensus on human values to undergird a global civil society can seem hopelessly complex and discouraging. At one point or another, perhaps every participant in our workshops gave a sigh of resignation over this issue. But the discussions also led to some guidelines for moving ahead.
"Perhaps the most basic advice was to listen. Several participants underscored how much their own understanding changed when they tried to put themselves empathetically in the place of those from a different cultural background. They tried to listen in a way that illuminated the social and cultural context.
"An example of this kind of empathetic understanding was provided at our South and Southeast Asia workshop by Caroline Meyer-White, who works in Pakistan as the project manager for Danish Muslim aid as well as with Engineers without Borders. She shared the importance of appreciating cultural notions in their particular context, including specific connotations of certain words. Take the madrasah, for example, which is often regarded in the West as an Islamic school providing rote religious learning and training in anti-American attitudes. In the area of Pakistan where Meyer-White worked, however, the term madrasah also carries an economic charge and refers especially to schools for poor children. The curriculum is not limited to religion, nor does it necessarily promote political views. The term Taliban in the Pakistani context can also be misunderstood. To the Westerner, the term conjures up images of bearded men in mountainous villages who impose strict shari'ah law on their communities. But in the areas of Pakistan where Meyer-White's projects were grounded, the term referred simply to students of Islamic theology, not a particular kind of Muslim. 'Caroline,' she was told by her Pakistani colleague, 'you and me are both Taliban. We both believe that we can create a better world, to have such idealistic beliefs and to study how to reach it is to be a Taliban.'
"Another guideline for cultural understanding is to gain a local perspective on what kind of aid and development support is needed rather than assume that the outsider already knows what is best. An example of this was given by one of the participants in our Africa and Middle East workshop. Mac Cannon, the senior director of advocacy and outreach for World Vision U.S., a Christian NGO engaged in humanitarian activity around the world. Cannon said that the model should be one of 'partnership,' a model that can change the conversation from 'working on a problem to working with people to solve the problem.' "
