The Engagement of Contact Intercultural Understanding and Identity Building

Background ‘ I don ’ t think we really know what we are looking for. How can I understand your culture? Really? I mean, no one is going to say it shouldn ’ t happen, but that ’ s not the same thing. ’ - a teacher of English Literature

What is in a name? Conceptually related areas –International mindedness (Hill) –Cosmopolitanism (Gunesch, Weenink) –Global citizenship (Marshall)

Hill (2006, 2007) - intercultural understanding KNOWLEDGE –One’s own culture –Other cultures –World issues –Social justice –Equity SKILLS –Critical reflection –Problem solving –Inquiry

Hill (2006, 2007) ATTITUDES –Empathy –Respect –Open-mindedness –Commitment to: Peace Social Justice Equity

Heyward (2002) - intercultural literacy Understandings –How culture(s) feel and operate from the insider’s standpoint Competencies –Mindfulness –Empathy –Tolerance –Perspective-taking

Heyward (2002) - intercultural literacy Attitudes –Differentiated –Dynamic –Realistic –Respect for integrity of culture(s) Language proficiencies Identities –Bicultural, Transcultural –Conscious shift ‘between multiple cultural identities’

Hammer & Bennett (2001, 2003) - Intercultural Development Inventory Adaptation stage –Engagement with own and other cultures with a critical and appreciative approach –Patterns of cultural difference recognized and may influence decision-making Integration stage –Multiple perspectives into one’s own identity

Process Gradual development of attitudes (Hammer & Bennett) An additive process (Heyward) Active

To what extent is the development of intercultural understanding an act of identity (re)construction?

Questions of identity (Pearce, 2001) Convergent –Transcultural identity Divergent –Multiple identities –Conscious shift ‘between multiple cultural identities’ –‘Multiple perspectives into one’s own identity’

Cultural liberty (Van Oord & Corn) An individual’s freedom to embrace or defy his/her own tradition

View of culture Appadurai - individually driven notion of culture ‘an arena for conscious choice, justification and representation’

‘ I don ’ t think we really know what we are looking for. How can I understand your culture? Really? I mean, no one is going to say it shouldn ’ t happen, but that ’ s not the same thing. ’ How can I understand my culture?

Questions Does an emphasis on identity formation change the way we define intercultural understanding? What role does the institution (school) have in structuring any of the processes mentioned here? Do we agree that intercultural understanding wil necessarily lead to identity changes, or is it more accurate to talk about behavioural adaptations? Is all education identity re-construction?

View of culture Inherits from anthropology a view that ‘experience is interpreted by each individual in terms of his/[her] own enculturation’ Herskovits (1948) Geertz (1973) pattern of meaning ‘historically transmitted pattern of meanings […] by means of which men communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge about attitudes towards life.’