"Cultural diversity" at UNESCO : a trajectory

This itinerary has been based principally on an understanding of "cultural diversity" as denoting cultural differences among nations rather than within them. It began with a rather simple and straightforward celebration of human diversity in the early years. Later, during the period of decolonization, the idea was gradually inflected to become a normative metanarrative linked to the idea of "development". Its most recent avatar is the term "diversity of cultural expressions", as defined by the eponymous 2005 Convention. This is a far narrower reading, yet it is also one that accords the term "cultural diversity" a significant new status in international law.