Rumi and Intercultural Dialogue: The Role of Rumi's Teachings in Resolving Cultural Conflicts

Authors

  • Zahra Ahmadi

    Department of Law, Theology and Political Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 1477893855, Iran
  • Mohammadreza Dehshiri *

    School of International Relations, Tehran 1936783114, Iran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55121/cci.v2i2.836

Keywords:

Rumi, Intercultural Dialogue, Cultural Conflict Resolution, Intercultural Empathy, Inner Peace

Abstract

Cultural conflicts constitute a major challenge in contemporary multicultural societies, intensified by globalization, migration, and digital connectivity. Yet, scholarship has not systematically examined how Rumi’s mystical concepts may inform modern frameworks of intercultural dialogue and conflict transformation. This study employs a qualitative comparative textual analysis of the Mathnawi-ye Maʿnawi and Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi, using thematic coding and conceptual synthesis in dialogue with theories of intercultural dialogue, intercultural empathy, ethical cosmopolitanism, and intercultural conflict. The findings show that motifs such as empathic listening, ego-decentring, inner transformation—including fana fi’l-ʿishq—and ethical recognition of the Other offer affective and normative resources that resonate with, and can modestly extend, contemporary approaches to managing cultural diversity. Moreover,
the analysis demonstrates that Rumi’s spiritual anthropology provides a deeper ethical grounding for empathy-based engagement, enriching current discourses on coexistence and peace. Integrating these insights fosters interdisciplinary exchanges between mysticism and the social sciences and opens new possibilities for developing holistic models of intercultural understanding, education, cultural diplomacy, and mediation. These conceptual affinities also point to context-sensitive pathways for applying mystical-ethical resources in real-world settings, while underscoring the need for empirical assessment and careful attention to historical and cultural specificity, thereby encouraging more nuanced, inclusive, and human-centred strategies for addressing today’s complex intercultural challenges.

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