A new centre was recently established at LINCS to complement and work alongside the well-established Centre for Translation and Interpreting Studies in Scotland (CTISS).  The Intercultural Research Centre (IRC) addresses key intercultural issues arising from the changing global context.  It makes original contributions to the study of interculturality with particular reference to dimensions of living culture in European societies.

The Centre’s particular focus is on comparative work emphasising the applied dimensions of culture, with “culture” defined broadly in anthropological terms.  Prof Máiréad Nic Craith is Director the of the new IRC. She explains that the Centre aims to foster high impact, inter- and trans-disciplinary research on cultural issues. Members of the Centre have a broad range of expertise, particularly in the fields of European Culture & Heritage, Intercultural Communication, and Culture & Economy. The work of the Centre will focus on two key areas: developing and expanding our expertise, and engaging in effective knowledge exchange. The IRC will focus on these research themes in particular:

Cultural Heritages
This cluster builds on links with research users in the fields of media, representation, music and memory in the public, private and voluntary sectors

Migration and Cultural Policy
This cluster focuses on issues raised by culture contact in the context of migration

Culture, Tourism and Hospitality
This cluster currently focuses on origins, history and cultural practices of hospitality with a particular focus on the creation of the global hotels industry

Culture, Politics and the Arts
This cluster examines how the arts seek to document, interpret, influence and reflect upon society

Economy as Culture and Human Ecology
This cluster focuses on the endogenous development of communities, localities and regions, the relationship between culture and place, and utilisation of heritage as a resource.

At the IRC, we welcome enquires from academics and research students interested in collaborating with us on any of these research themes.

Author: Máiréad Nic Craith