ABSTRACT
Makingdiversitythecentralorganizingprincipleofactionandthought isnotanoptimist'sillusionofapossibledistantfuture.Rather.itisverymuch groundedinthesocial,technical,andeconomicdevelopmentsinanincreasingly globalworld.Intenseinterculturalcontactinbothrealandvirtualtimeisrapidly becomingalargepartofeverydaylifeinAmericansociety.Newcommunication technologies,globalization,andmassivemigrationsbringpeopletogetherat suchrapidpacethatdistances,time.andthe"unknown''disappearinablinkof aneye.Withthetumofaknoborthetapofakey,individualscomeincontact, directlyandimmediately,withthesocialandpoliticalconditionsofothersin farawayplaces.Localconditionsandexperienceslosetheirpeculiarityand becomeintimatelyrelatedtobroaderunderstandingsofhowtheworldwotks.To understandthecomplexitiesandablytransactthesemultiplicitieswillrequirea multidimensionalcitizenwhoisabletotranscendpersonal,social,spatial,and temporaldimensionstoidentifywithandhaveallegiancesandresponsibilitiesto bothlocalandglobalcommunities(Cogan&Derricot,1998).
