Homo Viator

Abstract

This research starts from the premise that in the 21st century shifting personal identities can be better understood in relation to other identity markers (such as traditional heritage, ethnicity, the historical past etc.). My overall objective in this paper is to place the concept of migration (Homo Viator, the man on a journey) in its broader cultural context and to address issues of diversity and permissiveness. Since we live in a globalised world with very different beliefs, societal ideals, moral values and community structures, our investigation on the topic is conducted within a pluralistic framework and from an interdisciplinary perspective. Given that we must face the difficulties in establishing a universal peace-building process through a comparative analysis of the man on a journey in the so called “Eastern” and „Western” civilisation area, such an approach will provide a well-grounded evaluation of the abovementioned trends, according to global standards, criteria and principles.