Separating Genuine Dialogue from Simulacra ‒ The “International Society for Universal Dialogue” as a Parody of Itself

Christopher Black

Abstract

The essay addresses the recent rise of violence, hegemonism, and right-wing extremism assaulting the foundations of democracy and intercultural dialogue. This deterioration of democratic and dialogical relationships has affected even learned associations. Within this context, the article examines the case of the crisis of the “International Society for Universal Dialogue” (ISUD), as described in Jovino Pizzi’s article in Topologik. The ISUD was seized by an authoritarian parochial group interested in power and money, including the money provided by the Jacobsen Trust, disgracing the idea of dialogue. The disappointed members subjected to this attack demanded the dissolution of hijacked organization and broke their ties with it. This hijacking and its detrimental consequences created a dangerous precedent. The analysis of this concrete case helps us to better understand the more general tendencies of anti-democratic and hegemonic monologic deterioration. It also helps us in the search for remedies to counter this regression and to strive for genuine democracy and dialogue.

Keywords:

democracy, dialogue, rigged election, hegemony, ISUD.

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