Interculturality Between East and West Unthink, Dialogue and Rethink

This book urges readers to develop a radical capacity to unthink and rethink interculturality, through multiple, pluri-perspectival and honest dialogues between the authors, and their students. This book does not give interculturality a normative scaffolding but envisages it differently by identifying some of its polyphonic textures. China’s rich engagement with interculturality serves to support the importance of being curious about other ways of thinking about the notion beyond the ‘West’ only. As such, the issues of culture, identity, language, translation, intercultural competence and silent transformations (amongst others) are re-evaluated in a different light. This is a highly informative and carefully presented book, providing scientific insights for readers with an interest in interculturality.

Fred Dervin is Professor of Multicultural Education at the University of Helsinki (Finland) and Distinguished and Visiting Professor at different universities around the world. Dervin has written extensively about interculturality in (teacher) education, proposing to systematise the use of critical and reflexive perspectives. His book Interculturality in Education (2016) has contributed to opening up new vistas on intercultural encounters.

Sude is Professor at the School of Education, Minzu University of China. His research interests include multicultural education, diversity in teacher education and intercultural competence in superdiverse institutions.  Considered as one of the most influential scholars in the field of Chinese Minzu education, Sude is co-author of An Introduction to Ethnic Minority Education in China: Policies and Practices (2020).

Mei Yuan is Associate Professor at the School of Education, Minzu University of China. Yuan has led many researchprojects on Minzu and intercultural education and is recipient of many awards for her contributions to ‘minority’ education. She has also published many articles on, e.g. Minzu education and internationalisation in top international journals.

Ning Chen is Lecturer at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts (China) and Visiting Scholar at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Helsinki (Finland). Chen specialises in diversity in higher education. His publications focus on intercultural teacher training and education, well-being in Chinese higher education and the interplay between internationalisation of universities and interculturality.