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The call for dialogue became a core part of our sociality in the later part of the twentieth century, and it clearly continues as a social hope as we confront the problems of a new era. Our contemporary situation is defined by complex tensions that frame the need for dialogue. International conflicts bear on local interests; increased interdependency is met by renewed calls for isolation; recognition and appreciation of pluralism and diversity are coupled with new forms of symbolic and physical violence. Although many still tout the promise of the information age, with the mass reproduction of meaning that new information technologies make possible, …