Book reviews

Abstract

2007, 282 pp., A$55.00 (hardback), As the influences of globalisation continue to force internationalisation of higher education into a market framework, it is gratifying to read a collection of chapters from the academy fighting what sometimes seems like a rearguard action to internationalise the curriculum through intercultural engagement and cultural inclusivity. Promoting transcultural awareness of teaching and learning and developing approaches for teaching and learning across cultures are the laudable aims of this collection of writings, and by bringing together research-based explorations, critical theoretical perspectives, and case studies of intercultural initiatives, the book essentially succeeds in its aims. The editors have managed a broad sweep across continents, including Europe, Australasia, Africa and North America, and touching upon Asia. The book is divided into two sections. The first section includes some thought-provoking theoretical explorations of concepts, models and practices, such as social boundaries (Ituarte & Davies), intercultural postgraduate supervision (Manathunga), dialogic/monologic constructions of culture (Collings), cross-cultural engagement (Jones & Jenkins) and Asian identities (Doherty & Singh). The second section explores some interesting program/course initiatives; in particular, virtual internships (Kristensen, Kallstrom, & Svenkerud), blended learning (Cronje), and professional development (Smith).Several of the authors draw on the work of Hofstede as a theoretical model for the exploration of cross-cultural issues. Importantly, Palfreyman's introductory chapter draws attention to reservations regarding the application of Hofstede's model, and although chapters by Cronje and by Doherty and Singh utilise the model they also note its limitations. As Cronje explains, Hofstede's work focuses on cultural differences and a static model of culture, and Doherty and Singh also deny the 'fixed, static interpretation of cultural identity' suggested by Hofstede's model (p. 126).The need for a 'more nuanced understanding of who internationally mobile students are and, more importantly, who they are in the process of becoming' is argued by Doherty and Singh (p. 131), and it is the exploration of ways to recognise the many identities of those students often labelled 'international students' or situated as the cultural 'other' -and the ways they interact with the identities of academics -that I found of interest in this book. A key to this interaction is expressed by Doherty and Singh in reference to 'international students' in that '[there] may not necessarily be any intrinsic truth about their identities that will impact on pedagogic design; rather it will more likely be a matter of who they are habitually constructed as and believed to be by those managing the internationalised Australian University' (p. 116). Cronje's insights into negotiated, self and peer, portfolio-based assessment in a course offered by South African educators in the Sudan, provide a fascinating glimpse into ...