Pluralism Education Day affirms the value of understanding and valuing difference

Aga Khan IV, who founded the Global Centre for Pluralism with the Government of Canada, once said, “Connection does not necessarily mean agreement. It does not mean that we want to eliminate our differences or erase our distinctions, far from it. Pluralism results from the daily decisions taken by state institutions, civil society associations, and individuals to recognize and value human differences.” 

Pluralism and transdisciplinarity are inseparable concepts, which is why the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship (ITS) and UCalgary Pluralism Initiative collaborated to plan a national event in partnership with the Global Centre for Pluralism (GCP). 

Dr. Aleem Bharwani, MD, founding director of the UCalgary Pluralism Initiative, calls transdisciplinarity, pluralism and social innovation a powerful trifecta that drives constructive, productive, and creative dialogue and innovation at all levels of society. 

In a time of growing division, the University of Calgary is investing in teaching students and leaders how to live well and create together across lines of difference with care, purpose and creativity.

Pluralism Education Day

On May 7, more than 100 participants gathered at the second annual Pluralism Education Day, hosted by the UCalgary Pluralism Initiative in partnership with GCP and sponsored by ITS.

“Pluralism is not about erasing differences,” says Bharwani. “It’s about learning how to hold our differences with integrity, how to disagree without becoming enemies, how to collaborate without needing to be the same.”

The event featured a keynote from GCP Secretary General Meredith Preston McGhie, who framed pluralism as a national asset. 

“When we work constructively across differences, when we see those differences as our strength, we’re better at solving problems," she said. "We’re particularly better at solving complex problems. We’re better at building societies, we’re better at building economies, we’re better at innovating, we’re better at resolving conflict.”

In breakout sessions, designed by Alya Jinah, BComm'10, MEd'22, of ITS; Nathalie Sirois of GCP; and Bharwani, educators and leaders discussed practical ways to teach the habits of dialogue, trust-building and mutual understanding — skills essential for democracy itself.

According to Bharwani, pluralism, as practised at UCalgary, is not a call for uniformity, but for a deeper capacity to steward difference in service of common good. It's an investment in the civic fabric of our classrooms, institutions and country. 

It is not a call for sameness, but an invitation to build the capacity to hold complexity with clarity. It’s about developing the civic habits that allow institutions to thrive —  not in spite of disagreement, but because of it.

Bharwani adds that pluralism doesn’t just protect civility, it drives progress. 

Innovation rarely emerges from echo chambers. It arises when diverse world views, disciplines and lived experiences are brought into honest conversation. That’s the kind of learning UCalgary is nurturing: rigorous, open and grounded in a shared commitment to the common good.

Preston McGhie emphasized that we can embrace our diversity with confidence. 

“The distinction between difference and division is a matter of approach, and we have the agency to make a choice about whether or not this goes from difference to division, or from difference towards belonging, towards building this shared society," she said. "And pluralism is the action, that is the set of approaches we need to take.”

Pluralism in our classrooms

Launched in 2021, UCalgary’s Embedded Certificate in Pluralism and Global Citizenship challenges students to recognize and appreciate values and assumptions, actively engage in openness with others of diverse backgrounds, practice civil discourse and deepen intercultural capacity. 

Currently in action in nine faculties on campus, there are many courses to choose from within the field of pluralism and global citizenship.