The role of culture and media as key-instruments for the evolution of mentalities

This document is the result of a specific request made by the European Commission to the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, which objectives are to fight against stereotypes, to promote dialogue and to contribute to the change of mentalities in favour of gender equality.

From the several contributions requested by the European Commission the subject of gender is no doubt the most transversal between the North and the South of the Mediterranean, and though the legal and participative aspects still show serious differences, the process of changing mentalities is still slower and demands continuous attention so that it can be carried out in several scopes, both in the North and South.

The fact of talking of culture in such a wide and diverse geographic area as it is the Euromed Region makes conceptualization still harder. Women in the several Mediterranean cultures have been, on one hand, the recipients of important heritage goods which they have transmitted from generation to generation as the vernacular language, oral literature, as well as knowledge on ecology and art; on the other hand, and thanks to literacy teaching, education and training, women have been able to boost the world of business, politics, science, education and culture during the last decades.

• Read the article : The role of culture and media as key-instruments for the evolution of mentalities