Transculturalismul și interculturalismul, itinerare social-economice (ne)viabile pentru egocentrism?

Transculturalism and interculturalism, (un)viable social-economic itineraries for egocentrism?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v9i1.28046

Keywords:

globalization, transculturalism, interculturalism, egocentrism, social-economic acceptance

Abstract

We live in a world where economic and social change often becomes routine, and restoring social order is increasingly difficult. It is a world that is constantly changing – and yet, as humanity, we seem to have limits about always evolving in the right and / or correct direction. Why? Such a question (only seemingly simple) requires nuanced answers: (i) As time passes (as strange as it may seem), we become more selfish, and we want much more than we need. It is not just about the relationship between resources and current consumerism, but also about the fact that we consider ourselves more entitled than others. In other words, we forget (or refuse to acknowledge) that, although a dose of selfishness is necessary for everyone, its dosage must be reasonable. (ii) We are not satisfied with that. To achieve our goal, we sometimes act for ourselves, but to the detriment of the communities we belong to. (iii) The general interest becomes secondary. (iv) In such conditions, the individual risks becoming a puppet actor, who particularises an ‘era’ of personal interest: he becomes more curious and courageous, but not necessarily wiser and assertive. The ‘door’ through which he identifies the values of others seems to be an increasingly visible sign of the individual’s adaptation not only to the schematization and simplification of everything, but also to mystification and / or isolation. Detailing the previous contents, this paper insists on positive economic and social change (we refer here to transculturalism and interculturalism), which social groups can generate in the current global context, so turbulent and harsh. The motivation behind our theme is relatively simple: if the obstruction implied by egocentrism marks the gesture of an authority to punish people for their own mistakes, the acceptance signifies the attention with which we treat the correction of errors. Our text views the world with spirit of introspection (more brutal or more subtle, as the case may be), with varying degrees of risk, depending on the selective ‘pattern’ of society and its limits. We refer here to the everyday importance of education, of community spirit, and of utilitarianism, which – in the end – can constitute multiple ‘doors’ to social acceptance (but to overcome inner fear, the three previous landmarks require a suitable key for each ‘door’). Under these circumstances, the main landmark of our work is formulated as a question: Could transculturalism and interculturalism formulate (in their combined complexity) a compass for the modern world? Hard to imagine such a commitment, though perhaps not impossible. To reach this social-economic and cultural level, individuals and communities would have to overcome human selfishness, i.e. to stop being self-centered. In essence, we are talking about the management of social-economic acceptance policies and those on diversity. From this perspective, modern societies are oscillating: they either seem to be spinning on the Ferris wheel, on the Tilt-A-Whirl or on the Roller-Coaster, or either seem to make Scrambling. But seem to do whatever it takes to win – and that doesn't mean promoting egalitarianism. No doubt their purpose is to evolve, but their dynamic architecture supports their national identity in different ways. Finally, for all social-economic entities, the most important test of sustainability is called dialog (universally valid deadline for acceptance).

Author Biography

Gabriela Bodea, Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Romania

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/AAZ-7093-2020

https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57284261900

Gabriela Bodea, PhD, is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca. She holds a PhD in Economics (1997) and teaches Economics and Communication Deontology. She coordinates a Reading Circle in Economics with students of the faculty. Research interests: Economics (social and cultural asymmetries; social and economic imbalances; crises: economic crisis, cultural crisis, crisis of elites, crisis of democracy); Culture; Communication; Anthropology. Significant published books: Microeconomia: principiile și mecanismele jocului / Microeconomics: Game’s Principles and Mechanisms (2002); Comunicarea: expresie şi deontologie / Communication: expression and deontology (2007); Dezvoltarea durabilă, 37oC / Sustainable development, 37 degrees Celsius (2014); Clash-ul crizelor sau viclenia lumii asimetrice / The Clash of Crises or the Guile of the Asymmetric World (2023). She has papers published in peer-reviewed journals and scientific conference proceedings.

References

Ariely, D. (2012). Adevărul (cinstit) despre necinste. Cum îi mințim pe toți – dar mai ales pe noi înșine. [The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone – Especially Ourselves]. Publica.

Bartolomeu, V.A. (2001). Biblia sau Sfânta Scriptură [Bible]. Institutul Biblic și de Misiune al Bisericii Ortodoxe Române.

Becker, G. (1974). Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach. In Becker, G., & Landes, W.M. (eds), Essays in the Economics of Crime and Punishment (pp.1-54). NBER. https://www.nber.org/books-and-chapters/essays-economics-crime-and-punishment (accesat 02.10.2023).

Benedict, R. (1947). The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. Patterns of Japanese Culture. Secker & Warburg. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.77454/mode/2up (accesat 11.12.2024).

Becker, G. & Posner, R.A. (2015). Simțul ieșit din comun. Perspective economice, de la căsătorie la terorism. [Uncommon Sense. Economic Insights, from Marriage to Terrorism.] Publica.

Bertrand, C.-J. (2000). Deontologia mijloacelor de comunicare [Media Ethics]. Institutul European.

Blaga, L. (1921). Revolta fondului nostru nelatin [Revolt of Our Non-Latin Fund.] Gândirea, 1(10), 181-182. https://dspace.bcucluj.ro/bitstream/123456789/6899/1/BCUCLUJ_FP_279479_1921_1922_001_010.pdf (accesat 13.08.2023).

Blaga, L. (2011). Trilogia culturii [The Trilogy of Culture]. Humanitas.

Bodea, G. (2023). Clash-ul crizelor sau viclenia lumii asimetrice [The Clash of Crises or the Guile of the Asymmetric World]. Presa Universitara Clujeană.

Bodea, G. (2024). Economia și societatea sub lentila multiculturalismului. Contraste: heterocromie și heterocronie economico-socială. [Economy and Society under the Lens of Multiculturalism. Contrasts: Heterochromy and Economic-Social Heterochrony]. Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies 7(2). 141-155. https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v7i2.26137.

Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/meatspace (accesat 03.11.2021).

Camus, A. (2002). Carnete [Carnets]. RAO International Publishing Company.

CCES (2019). Ecumenismul și provocările lui [Ecumenism and its challenges]. CCES. http://ecum.ro/interviu-ecumenismul-si-provocarile-lui/ (accesat 10.01.2021).

Churchill, W.S. (1998). Al Doilea Război Mondial [The Second World War]. I. Saeculum I.O.

Clay, H. (1843). Defence of the American System (In the Senate of the United States, 1832). In The Life and Speeches of Henry Clay, vol.II. Greeley & M’Elrath. https://archive.org/details/lifespeechesofhe6130clay/mode/2up (accesat 12.01.2025).

DePaulo, B.M., Kashy, D.A., Kirkendol S.E., Wyer M.M., & Epstein J.A. (1996). Lying in Everyday Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(5), 979-995. DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.70.5.979.

European Commission (2022). Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2022. Thematic Chapters. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/desi (accesat 20.10.2024).

European Commission (2020), Special Eurobarometer 498. Report: Undeclared Work in the European Union. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2250 (accesat 18.12.2020).

Foucault, M. (2005). Lumea e un mare azil. Studii despre putere. [The World is One Big Asylum. Studies about Power]. Idea Design & Print.

Ghibu, O. (1939). Un vechiu focar de educație națională: Asociațiunea Astra [An Old Center of National Education: the Astra Association]. Satul și școala, VIII(5-6), 129-144. https://public-view.bcucluj.ro (accesat 03.02.2025).

Harvey, C.R. & Liu, Y. (2020). False (and Missed) Discoveries in Financial Economics.

The Journal of Finance, LXXV(5), 2503-2553. DOI: 10.1111/jofi.12951.

Hitler, A. (1993). Mein Kampf [My Struggle]. Pacifica, București.

Hostiuc, C. (2021, 5 Noiembrie). Piaţa bonusurilor la angajare şi viitorul pieţei de recrutare pentru un anumit tip de angajaţi [The Hiring Bonus Market and the Future of the Recruitment Market for a Specific Type of Employees]. Ziarul Financiar. https://www.zf.ro/opinii/piata-bonusurilor-angajare-viitorul-pietei-recrutare-anumit-tip-20328628 (accesat 16.11.2021).

Huff, D. (1993). How to Lie with Statistics. W.W. Norton & Company Inc.

Insider (2014, March 31). Churches in England are being Converted to Bars. https://www.businessinsider.com/churches-in-england-are-being-converted-to-bars-photos-2014-3 (accesat 22.05.2021).

Leamer, E.E. (1983). Let’s Take the Con Out of Econometrics. The American Economic Review, 73(1), 31-43. https://www.uh.edu/hobby/eitm/_docs/past-lectures/2015-Lectures/Harold-Clarke/lets-take-the-con-out-of-econometrics.pdf (accesat 10.02.2019).

Lincicome, S. (2021, July 28). Lies, Damned Lies, and Inequality Statistics. Cato Institute. https://www.cato.org/commentary/lies-damned-lies-inequality-statistics (accesat 10.11.2021).

Machiavelli, N. (2014). Principele [The Prince]. Humanitas.

Marion, J.-L. (2007). Idolul și distanța. Cinci studii. [The Idol and Distance. Five Studies]. Humanitas.

Mihai, A. (2021, 25 Octombrie). Un nou tip de beneficiu face furori în rândul IT-ştilor: bonusul de „bun-venit” în companie [A New Kind of Benefit in IT industry: the ‘Welcome to Company’ Bonus]. Ziarul Financiar. https://www.zf.ro/eveniment/tip-beneficiu-face-furori-randul-it-stilor-bonusul-bun-venit-20311502 (accesat 28.10.2021).

Montesquieu. (1899). Pensées et fragments inédits [Thoughts and Unpublished Fragments]. I. Bordeaux: G. Gounouilhou. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6213190n (accesat 10.01.2025).

Montesquieu. (1901). Pensées et fragments inédits [Thoughts and Unpublished Fragments]. II. G. Gounouilhou. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65154634 (accesat 12.01.2025).

Nemeczek, R.G. (2003). Fun Economy Made by Inspired People. BusinessVillage.

Reynolds, A. (2007, January 8). Has US Income Inequality Really Increased? Policy Analysis 586, 1-24. https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa586.pdf (accesat 13.01.2025).

Syrios, A.W. (2011). Economic Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics: A Top Ten List. Swift Economics ebook.

The Economist. (2014, November 8). How to Lie with Indices, https://www.economist.com/leaders/2014/11/08/how-to-lie-with-indices (accesat 12.11.2021).

Downloads

Published

2026-05-15

How to Cite

Bodea, G. (2026). Transculturalismul și interculturalismul, itinerare social-economice (ne)viabile pentru egocentrism? Transculturalism and interculturalism, (un)viable social-economic itineraries for egocentrism? . Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies, 9(1), 237–250. https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v9i1.28046