Interculturalidad crítica, teoría sociolingüística e igualdad de oportunidades. La extraordinaria historia de un menor infractor.

Abstract

This article discusses how people raised in disadvantaged contexts are socialized by specific cultural codes that limit their development. To illustrate it, a fragment of Samir Almasi's life history is presented. He was a minor offender who became an educator after a process of juvenile justice reform. One of the fundamental key related to this extraordinary change was the fact that during his childhood he had acquired a culture that allowed him to function adequately in any social environment, not only in his context of origin. Most of his colleagues in the centre of internment of juvenile offenders could not react and develop alike because they were socialized in specific languages of interaction, and behaviour not accepted by the majoritarian society. We make an analogy of that situation using the “restricted codes” notion from Bernstein's socio-linguistic theory. The results show that people who has experienced a culturally limited socialization makes emancipation unreachable outside of their primary environment. From a critical intercultural perspective, we argue that it is necessary to analyse the determinant factors of this unequal situation. Likewise, we argue for the acquisition of a minimum culture for all people, fundamentally, those from culturally depressed environments, in pursuit of a true equal opportunities and an inclusive society. The public education must be a guarantee of this cultural right.