The multicultural era is an old global phenomenon which cannot be denied by countries on different continents. The exchange of ideas and cultures, as well as travel of people from one place to another, is not a new experience for people in the world. It can be traced to the historical experiences of people travelling from France to Nusantara in the 16th century, or those from Java travelling to Suriname 100 years ago. In term of ideas and cultures, the word “original” may be difficult to prove, because it is not easy to show that originality. Europe is a continent that has witnessed this phenomenon. The European people have travelled to many different continents since the middle ages, initially through colonialism but later for other purposes. They brought their different cultural products and symbolic capitals to all parts of the world. People from outside of Europe, such as Asia, Africa and Latin America, have also been travelling to Europe, to marry, seek refuge or employment, and other such reasons. The movement of people from other countries to Europe has introduced new discourses, because these people come from different cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. They have their own languages, fashion systems, foods and traditions, but they must speak European languages, deal with new climates, new rules, and new values; this meeting of the old and new may sometimes create conflict. How these immigrants have to negotiate in this different environment, and how the European peoples who have long inhabited the continent also have to deal with these different, outside cultures, is an interesting subject to be explored. It leads to questions such as: How is the process of negotiation done? Which actors are involved in the negotiation? What instruments do they use in the negotiation? What challenges do different groups face during the negotiation?
This international conference, titled Negotiation of Discourses in Europe, is organised by French Department of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. This conference invites scholars from many different disciplines in the social sciences and humanities to participate as presenters or in the audience
