Ethnic and cultural diversity is a fact which can and should enrich social life in all parts of the world. One focus of research under MOST is on the nature of change in multi-cultural and multi-ethnic societies in which issues of education, culture and religion, identity and human needs, democratic governance, conflict and cohesion interact in complex patterns. These issues require interdisciplinary, comparative, and culturally sensitive research which may furnish information useful for the peaceful and democratic management of multi-cultural and multi-ethnic societies.
This research should help design policies that contribute to the goals of achieving equality of citizenship rights between ethnic groups and the avoidance and solution of ethnic conflict