Intercultural competence development and cultural integration: a case of regional leadership

摘要

This paper focuses on the intercultural competences and cultural integration as a case of building a leading position of a region. The paper uses Saint Petersburg region as a specific case study. In Saint Petersburg, the proportion of citizens who positively assess the state of inter-ethnic relations is growing every year. Positive trends in the process of achieving cultural integration are promoted by the support of programs for the development of tolerance and intercultural competence. One of these programs was devoted to the elaboration of training on the technique of cultural assimilator. The purpose of the applied research was to study cultural differences for the further construction of cultural assimilators. The following target groups of foreign citizens were studied: personnel of foreign, joint and Russian companies and organizations; undergraduate and graduate students; foreign citizens married to the residents of Saint Petersburg; and international tourists. Study participants were divided by region: Western cultures; Eastern cultures and representatives of the CIS countries. The training on the technique of cultural assimilator, compiled as a result of the research, allows to expand the cultural outlook of the intercultural contacts participants, eliminates excessive ethnocentrism and contributes to the successful implementation of professional and everyday tasks.