IAIR Membership Invitation
26 July 2021
Greetings!
If you are like us, you are not only concerned, but equally intrigued, by the multiple challenges and opportunities those of us working in the intercultural field confront on a daily basis. From the discrepancies exposed in various communities by the Covid-19 pandemic, to the global outcry and support for the Black Lives Matter movement, to the ongoing challenges faced by immigrants and refugees worldwide, our work as interculturalists has never been more needed.
With this in mind, we would like to encourage you to consider joining (or rejoining) the International Academy for Intercultural Research (IAIR), the premier professional association for interculturalists. The Academy is an explicitly interdisciplinary forum which promotes and facilitates intercultural research in the areas of psychology, sociology, communication, education, anthropology, applied linguistics, management, political science, and other areas of specialization in the social sciences and application. It is our mission to encourage the highest quality empirical research and practice aimed at understanding how cultures interact and can forge more positive interpersonal and intergroup relations.
Membership in IAIR comes with many benefits. Besides connecting you in meaningful ways with many of the leaders on the field of intercultural research and education, membership includes free access to the International Journal for Intercultural Relations (IJIR), the field’s premier interdisciplinary journal, discounts on registration fees for IAIR international conferences (the upcoming 13th biennial conference will be held in Rapperswil, Switzerland, July 22–28, 2022), and access to the membership directory, our podcast series, as well as various online publications.
Access to these sources of scholarship provides invaluable information, networking opportunities, and chances for professional development. Please, consider applying for membership in our community. We hope you’ll soon be among us.
Membership categories include student, member and fellow. Kindly peruse our website to learn more about IAIR, to consider which category is most applicable to you, and to access the membership application portal.
Sincerely,
The IAIR Executive Committee
Adam Komisarof, PhD, President (2021-2023)
Saba Safdar, PhD, President-Elect (for 2023-2025)
Kenneth Cushner, PhD, Executive Director/Treasurer
Justine Dandy, PhD, Executive Secretary
Steve J. Kulich, PhD, Past-President (2019-2021)
Nan Sussman, PhD, Past-President (2015-2017)
IAIR Statement of Empathy and Engagement:Supporting “Black Lives Matter” and Working Together to Overcome Racism (15 June 2020)
June 15, 2020
Beyond global concerns about Covid-19, recent events remind us that too many people worldwide are still threatened by persisting pandemics of racism, ethnic profiling, and excessive violence. George Floyd’s murder is one more tragic reminder of the destructive impacts of racial discrimination.
We affirm that “Black Lives Matter” everywhere and stand against all expressions and symbols of racism, discrimination toward any social-cultural group, and systemic, targeted, or acts of injustice or brutality toward the vulnerable anywhere.
As members and fellows of an academy drawn from diverse interdisciplinary backgrounds, we stand for responsible, engaged scholarship and informed, nonviolent agency that facilitate greater intercultural awareness toward social and psychological changes in intergroup attitudes and actions based on our collective work.
We acknowledge that beyond the cognitive or behavioral, culture is deeply affective. Each day’s news elicits a range of responses, from disbelief, to anger, to frustration, to empathy, and beyond. As an academy, we affirm emotions and cultural initiatives that help us to stand with the vulnerable and victimized.
We seek to understand your standpoint, share your pain, and conduct research that informs educators, policy makers, justice systems, and any institutions or individuals who can promote equality and fair treatment of people.
We urge you to join us to stand together in the urgent tasks of addressing this painful gulf, resisting the “isms” that tear us apart, bringing people of diverse cultures together, and bridging those gaps with shared human care and concern as interculturalists.
The IAIR Executive Committee
Steve J. Kulich, PhD, President (2019-2021)
Adam Komisarof, PhD, President-Elect (for 2021-2023)
Kenneth Cushner, PhD, Executive Director/Treasurer
L. Ripley Smith, PhD, Executive Secretary
David Sam, PhD, Past-President (2017-2019)
Nan Sussman, PhD, Past-President (2015-2017)