Colonial Differences in Intercultural Education: On Interculturality in the Andes and the Decolonization of Intercultural Dialogue

Abstract

This article pushes for the possibility of alternative ways of thinking about the concept of interculturality depending on where and by whom it is being articulated (the geopolitics and body politic of knowledge). To illustrate this, the focus is shifted away from the policies of the European Union and UNESCO to the Andean region of Latin America where the notion of interculturalidad is not only a subject on the educational agenda but has also become a core component of indigenous social movements' demands for decolonization. Part of the argument of this article is that interculturalidad, with its roots in the historical experience of colonialism and in the particular, rather than in assertions of universality, offers a perspective on interculturality that relies on other epistemologies. It concludes by arguing that interculturality should be seen as interepistemic rather than simply intercultural.

Rethinking and Reinventing Intercultural Education in Post-Secondary Institutions: A Critical, Anti-Colonial Approach

“…The IP draws on critical and anti-colonial approaches to intercultural education (see Aikman, 1997;Aman, 2013Aman, , 2017Gorski, 2008;Martin et al, 2017;Mikander et al, 2018;Palaiologou & Gorski, 2017;Phipps, 2014;Shim, 2012;Zembylas, 2008) and global citizenship education (see Abdi, 2012;Andreotti, 2016;Andreotti et al, 2015;Jorgenson & Shultz, 2012;Shultz, 2009;Stein et al, 2016), which extend beyond celebratory visions of diversity to address the power imbalances between individuals, cultures, and epistemologies, providing grounds for a deeply relational and structural approach. Such approaches to education seek to address current structural injustices, including "fierce waves of neoliberal school corporatization in many parts of the world, growing global wealth inequality, climate change, new patterns of migration and new hostile expressions of xenophobia, or upticks in violent heterosexism in some regions" (Palaiologou & Gorski, 2017, p. 354).…”

Multicultural Brazil in the BRICS Countries: Potentials for the Social Sciences and Humanities

“…Critical post-colonial approaches, on the other hand, provide opportunities to develop an ecology of knowledge wherein different types of knowledge would be valued for the interventions that they enable within a particular context, rather than for their ability to represent reality in a universal perspective. In a similar vein, Aman (2017) contends that although the literature on interculturality strongly emphasises on engagement with the Other, it should take into account that difference is cultural but above all else, colonial. Therefore, in Latin America, the referred author contends that the indigenous population have been made more and more aware of the colonial difference since its construction.…”

“…Bolivia, having made the furthest advancement in being the first state in the continent to recognise itself as plurinational in its constitution. In that sense, postcolonial multiculturalism or interculturalidad (Aman, 2017) has allowed an enhanced understanding of the importance to bridge cultural difference through intercultural dialogue, representing a move away from the monocultural, monoepistemic and pseudo-universal perspective based on colonial, European epistemologies.…”

Educación intercultural bilingüe en Chile: el desafío de una educadora tradicional

“…Consecuentemente, la práctica de una educación intercultural bilingüe -término oficial dentro del sistema educativo-hace recaer en los y las educadoras tradicionales la responsabilidad de revitalizar las lenguas originarias en "las comunidades escolares donde trabajan, sin considerar la situación de vitalidad lingüística, en los contextos más amplios que circundan la escuela" (Castillo et al, 2016, p. 411). Todo ello, remite a señalar que la interculturalidad surge como un lugar común en la retórica educativa o como una herramienta para salvar las diferencias culturales y romper las tendencias nihilistas del encierro de sujetos dentro de culturas divididas (Aman, 2017).…”