Building Empathy and Intercultural Citizenship through a Virtual Exchange Project

Abstract

The article explores possibilities of creating a space to develop empathy in teaching foreign languages and cultures. It draws upon studies on empathy (Deardoff 2006; Bloom 2016; Guntersdsorfer & Goulbeva 2018), the ideas of intercultural competence and citizenship (Byram 1997, 2008; Byram et al. 2017) and “thirdspace” as theorised by Edward Soja (1996), highlighting the importance of emotions in intercultural education. If we consider the phenomenon of the “spatial turn” in its pedagogical dimension, Soja’s conceptualisation of a “thirdspace” can be connected to the development of an alternative learning space for interlinguistic and intercultural interactions, enhanced and shaped by social relationships, designed through cross-institutional collaborations, and achieved through virtual exchanges. A space that is built in terms of the lived experiences of those who inhabit it can foster empathy. 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