At a time when the notion of 'culture' has become the site of so much polarising debate and contestation, which stokes so much harmful division, how to we keep communicating about, through and across cultures?

Whether as lines on the map, or hostile attitudes to racial, sexual, national, and other forms of difference, cultural boundaries can form ramparts that divide ‘us’ from ‘them’.

To address these better, we need critically to understand their origin and development. The Institute exists to promote this understanding through research, education, and public and community engagement. It exists, in short, to talk beyond boundaries.

• Find out more about the Global Cultures Institute