Intercultural Practice Research Articles

ON COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF PARTS OF SPEECH IN HUNGARIAN AND RUSSIAN

The issue of parts of speech in different languages remained contentious through many centuries. And it is still an unsolved problem in modern linguistics because of the weak theoretical framework which has to do with the very nature of parts of speech and lexicographical factor (for example, the choice of the dictionaries which were the basis for words selection). This factor influences parts of speech categorization, its composition and its volume. Distinguishing different parts of speech principles, their nomenclature, hierarchy is a very important question of any language’s grammar, which forms the basis of the language’s grammatical structure and it is still not resolved in modern hungarology. The present article shows the results of comparative studies of parts of speech in Hungarian and Russian. This approach reveals not only specific features of grammatical structures of these languages to show morphological distinctions of two languages of different structure but also to discover the common features, criteria and unified approach to clustering parts of speech and to grammatical categories’ description. The author’s goal was to trace the development of the linguists’ view on the part of speech, to distinguish different approaches to study them, to describe and interpret word classes in both languages by consistent comparison of linguistic facts. Meanwhile, the emphasis was on identifying inconsistencies, contrasting features and grammatical discrepancy. Special attention was paid to the review of parts of speech theory and their classification in Hungarian linguistics. The results of comparative analysis of parts of speech in Hungarian and Russian are presented in the article. Through the contentious comparing of grammatical facts of Hungarian and Russian the author established how systems of parts of speech in Russian and Hungarian can be related, what common features and differences they have. The joint use of methods of comparative linguistics is demonstrated in the article. Data of the modern explanatory dictionaries of the Hungarian language was used for analysis of the chosen lexicon. The analysis of the language facts made by tools of contrastive linguistics along with the results of comparing data of these languages let one learn Hungarian grammar easier and deeper and also let one develop the theory and practice of translation, lexicography and interculturalism.

Intercultural Policies and Practices and Their Perspectives in Russia

Intercultural Policies and Practices and Their Perspectives in Russia

La atención a la diversidad cultural y lingüística en contextos migratorios. Un análisis desde la educación intercultural

Se presenta un análisis de las prácticas interculturales que lleva a cabo el profesorado en un contexto de migración interna. Los resultados demuestran que la formación y el compromiso en ambientes multiculturales, el reconocimiento de la diversidad de códigos, la aceptación de las diferencias mediante la colaboración, así como las expectativas en el logro de los aprendizajes son aspectos clave en la atención educativa dentro de entornos cultural y lingüísticamente diversos.

Representaciones sociales sobre interculturalidad en académicos universitarios: el caso de la Universidad Veracruzana

Se exponen resultados de un estudio realizado con académicos de la Universidad Veracruzana (UV) y documentos oficiales de la misma, con el fin de conocer las representaciones sociales que se tienen sobre interculturalidad y si estas convergen en una visión en conjunto. Se trabajó con un enfoque mixto, se aplicó una encuesta conformada por tres preguntas; dos de ellas con respuestas de opción múltiple y una abierta. Para obtener el discurso institucional se utilizó la técnica de análisis de discurso a los documentos oficiales. La encuesta fue aplicada a 121 académicos de seis Áreas Ácadémicas de la UV, finalmente la información fue almacenada en Excel y analizada por el software IraMuTeQ. Al comparar las representaciones sobre interculturalidad de la institución y de sus académicos, encontramos una baja convergencia, que refleja un escaso grado de adhesión al discurso institucional, aunque los profesores sostengan prácticas interculturales.

Intercultural Communication Competency Practices in the Hotel Industry

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to develop an in-depth understanding of cultural diversity in China’s hotels by examining hotel employees’ Intercultural Communication Competency (ICC) practices. Following qualitative data collection and content analysis of 403 valid questionnaires collected from 16 multinational hotel companies in China, the study uses Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis for scale development. Furthermore, Importance-Performance Analysis is conducted to identify employees’ perceptions and performance with regard to ICC practices. The proposed measurement scale for ICC is shown to be both reliable and valid for hotel employees, and the results suggest that the identification of competency gaps can help hotels to improve service quality through enhanced resource allocation. Overall, the findings may help increase the competitiveness of China’s hotel industry by informing the development of effective training programmes.

PAULO FREIRE: ETNOCONHECIMENTO, INTERCULTURALIDADE E EMANCIPAÇÃO NA TEORIA E NA PRÁTICA EDUCATIVAS.

O ensaio visa mostrar que o pensamento freiriano é pioneiro na adoção da perspectiva decolonizante e intercultural na abordagem filosófica da educação, constituindo-se como prática de etnoconhecimento e de intercultualidade. Como tal, posiciona-se como precursor do movimento de decolonização do pensamento latino-americano, numa nova perspectiva epistemológica, que busca dar voz aos povos colonizados oprimidos, convergindo particularmente com a filosofia da libertação, conceituada por Enrique Dussel. Paulo Freire pensa e pratica a educação como prática e diálogo interculturais, compromissando-se com a proposta de libertação, entendida como emancipação humana.
 Palavras-chave: Paulo Freire. Enrique Dussel. Filosofia da Libertação. Interculturalidade. Emancipação.

Writing in the Third Space: Pearl S. Buck’s intercultural translation in Pavilion of Women

ABSTRACT Pearl S. Buck’s 1946 novel Pavilion of Women portrays a diverse range of Chinese women’s personalities and lives. This article examines Buck’s intercultural translation practice in terms of what Homi Bhabha calls “the Third Space”. A comparison of the text with contemporaneous works reveals that Buck’s representation of Chinese women constitutes a departure from the conventional “harem” and “Madame Butterfly” tropes then prevalent in western representations of Asian women. Situating the text in a sociopolitical context, the article also argues that Buck’s intercultural translation blurs the dichotomy between self and other. This is achieved through her keen observation of Chinese women’s lives and changes, accurate presentation of the manners of the Chinese characters, appreciative understanding of Chinese culture and, most importantly, through the prominence she gives to Sino-western cultural interactions. Nevertheless, Pavilion of Women disempowers China by representing the west as the omnipotent saviour of Chinese society from its backwardness.

Intercultural literacy dialogue: international assessment moderation in early childhood teacher education

ABSTRACTThis research reports intercultural dialogue of meaning making in literacy by lecturers, engaged with an assessment moderation process of early childhood education (ECE) preservice teacher education across Australia, New Zealand and Sweden. The purpose of the dialogue was to inform pedagogical and conceptual knowledge in their courses. The research question is: How does intercultural dialogue inform teacher education literacy practices? Methods include (1) a blind assessment review process using 30 examples from ‘high’ to ‘low’ exemplars of ECE students’ literacy assessment annotations, some from each country, and (2) textual analysis of intercultural student feedback and reflection from student forum comments and, semi-structured reflexive interviews with students about the assessment moderation process. Rich academic reflections on the data have led to our recommendations that the conceptual framework of intercultural praxis could be applied in early childhood preservice teacher education practice. Further, we suggest there are increased possibilities for the use of intercultural literacy with ECE preservice student teachers using virtual and explicit collaborations and texts as explained in this research.

Letter writing, an alternative approach in teacher education

Instead of telling prospective teachers who they should be, we asked them: “Who are you?” We used a narrative approach to explore their own perspectives. The students were invited to share their thoughts and experiences in letter format. This letter-writing assignment was part of a course on intercultural school practices. We viewed the students’ narratives in light of J. P. Gee’s distinction between discourse with lowercase “d” and Discourse with a capital “D.” The students cited their families as being their most important formative factor, facilitating a safe and active childhood. Emphasis was also placed on where they grew up, with nature a mere “all-weather boot” step away, and where bicycle locks were unnecessary.

Educación bilingüe (español-inglés) en tres instituciones educativas públicas del Quindío, Colombia: estudio de caso

Esta investigación cualitativa describe la educación bilingüe en tres instituciones educativas públicas (IE) del Quindío, Colombia. Las fuentes de recolección de datos fueron: (1) Entrevista semiestructurada, (2) Análisis documental y (3) Observación. Los resultados indicaron lo siguiente: Las categorías Políticas institucionales de educación bilingüe, Prácticas de educación bilingüe, Prácticas interculturales y Modelo pedagógico convencional mostraron la necesidad de replantear el modelo pedagógico. La categoría Formación docente indicó que las actividades de formación docente tenían como sustento el modelo de entrenamiento del docente. La categoría Desarrollo de competencias en inglés mostró una relación directa con las categorías Políticas institucionales de educación bilingüe y Prácticas de educación bilingüe, dado que los conceptos de bilingüismo y competencia comunicativa bilingüe fueron reducidos al concepto de competencia alcanzada en inglés. La categoría Enseñanza mediada por las TIC indicó la integración de las TIC en la formación bilingüe en las tres IE. La categoría Recursos para el desarrollo bilingüe reveló que los docentes de las tres IE estaban formados en aspectos generales del ejercicio de la docencia. Se concluyó recomendar, a las tres IE, el tránsito de la educación bilingüe y bicultural hacia la educación bilingüe intercultural crítica e, igualmente, promocionar el desarrollo docente en pedagogía de la educación bilingüe e intercultural.

Social Justice in Action

Teachers of all students, particularly English Learners (ELs), need to integrate social justice pedagogy into their lessons so that all learners are included in the learning process, thinking critically about curriculum and taking action in the face of injustice. There has been some research into teacher preparation programs focusing on how they integrate culturally responsive and social justice pedagogy into their curricula and whether there has been a positive impact on teachers’ self-awareness, social justice knowledge and classroom practices as a result (Ruffin, 2016; Thieman, 2016). However, these studies do not address lesson content. This document analysis study, framed theoretically with critical intercultural communication (Halualani & Nakayama, 2010), explored the integration of social justice principles into lesson plans developed by pre-service and in-service English as a second language (ESL) teachers who were pursuing a TESOL graduate degree (Initial License) at a university in the Northeast of the United States. The lesson plans were analyzed using a rubric aligned with the Social Justice Standards: The Teaching Tolerance Anti-Biases Framework. The exploration unveiled the need for more connections to students’ backgrounds, structured in-class dialogues, support for linguistic needs and modeling of intercultural practices.

TOLERANCE, MULTICULTURALISM AND INTERCULTURALISM IN THE BALKANS

A multicultural society should possess the characteristics of a society in which different ethnic groups live together but with no interaction. The minority groups living therein are passively tolerated without being accepted by the majority group. An intercultural society should be defined as a society in which different groups live together and exchange their life experiences with mutual respect for their different styles of life and values. That is why a correct starting definition of interculturalism would be that interculturalism is a critique and an alternative to multiculturalism. It is possible for the members of different cultures to live close to each other and that is the most crucial characteristic of multicultural societies. An intercultural society represents a society in which we live and create not close to each other but with each other and for each other.Accordingly, the contemporary Balkan society is facing the process of its transition from the multicultural into the intercultural one, that is, the process of spreading and adopting the idea and practice of interculturalism in a multicultural community. More precisely, this implies the development of the concept of a cultural and educational policy that would foster appreciation of cultural diversity and lead to the creation of a society in which different cultures interpenetrate.At the end of the paper the measures of the public cultural politics of the Balkan countries aiming at improvement and advancement of the existing intercultural dialogue are summed up.

Dynamic conceptions of plurilingual and intercultural competence in the multilingual environment of Luxembourg

ABSTRACTContemporary education systems, particularly in European societies, are characterized by different forms of plurality: plurality of cultural references, in terms of values and principles, languages and visions of multilingualism. In this article, we argue that these different forms of plurality are important in many respects for teachers and students in the multilingual environment of the University of Luxembourg, as both social actors have a complex experience of language forms and uses. Even if this experience naturally differs from one social actor to another, we try to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the perceptions of plurilingual and intercultural competence, professional identity and teaching practices of a group of students and teachers. The plurilingual speaker is comprehended as a social actor, whose resources constitute linguistic, symbolic and cultural capital, and take different values in different contexts. Influential concepts are discussed in terms of their significance for a reorientation of multilingual education.

The right to learn our (m)other tongues: indigenous languages and neoliberal citizenship in El Salvador and Mexico

This article critically examines bilingual, intercultural education policies and practices in El Salvador and Mexico. In the context of legacies of assimilation and neoliberal homogenization, certain kinds of citizenship become prioritized over others. This is visible where performances of local identity clash with state mandates about educational content and the language of school instruction. I address the effects of state agendas in schools on the politics of multiculturalism and argue that the absence of state commitment to bilingual, intercultural education undermines democratization efforts by marginalizing certain types of citizens more than others. By considering ethnic minority education in both El Salvador and Mexico, I analyze in a comparative perspective the ways that indigenous people have been rendered invisible as citizens unless they are willing to assimilate in the arena of formal education.

Plurilingual speech as legitimate and efficient communication strategy

ABSTRACTThis paper is grounded in the evolution of our reflection on the relationship between plurilingualism, plurilingual speech and language learning. That is, it refers to research on the construction of plurilingual repertoires, over a period of more than thirty years, as documented in Lüdi and Py (1986 [2009]. “To Be or Not to Be … a Plurilingual Speaker.” International Journal of Multilingualism 6 (2): 154–167; [2013]. Etre bilingue. 4e édition ajoutée d’une postface. New York: Lang) and Lüdi et al. ([2016]. Managing Plurilingual and Intercultural Practices in the Workplace. The Case of Multilingual Switzerland. Amsterdam: John Benjamins), among others. The emphasis is placed on language use (languaging) instead of on language systems (language), based on the premise that plurilingual competences emerge from interaction where the status of translinguistic markers is mutually negotiated. In this context, the question of the adequacy of ‘additive’ or ‘integrated’ conceptions of plurilingualism constitutes an important theoretical challenge.

“Being different together” in public space: young people, everyday cosmopolitanism and parochial atmospheres

ABSTRACT This paper studies the phenomenon of ‘everyday cosmopolitanism’ based on fieldwork and interviews with young people in the public space of Brussels, conducted between 2013 and 2016. Although the open and positive inter-cultural practices observed in public space are echoed in the tolerant attitudes expressed by these youngsters, my research also revealed the existence of racist and ethnic stereotype. This begs the question about the contingencies and the limits of this type of ‘everyday cosmopolitanism’. This paper argues that that an investigation of the emergences and disappearances of tolerant attitudes can be better understood and localised by engaging in an atmospheric translation of Lyn Lofland’s notion of the ‘parochial realm’.

The intercultural deterritorialization of knowledge: Al-Ghazali and the enunciation of the educator’s Rihla

ABSTRACTThis study appropriates the notion of deterritorialization, a process that determines the nature of an assemblage introduced by Deleuze and Guattari, to refer to Al-Ghazali's conceptualization of scholarship and methodology as the antithesis of the pursuit of a fixed area of research. His response to the deterritorialization of knowledge identifies an interdisciplinary approach, always in flight, which ultimately enunciates ‘rihlah’, a sojourn. It negates the notion of research as stasis and recovers its semantic origin of movement and process. The article examines intercultural practices that challenge the institutionalization of knowledge. How can Al-Ghazali's response to scepticism, knowledge, and authority inform practices in higher education today? Not only does this study aim to connect intercultural philosophical discourses to modern debates about academic expertise and the dissemination of knowledge, it equally seeks cultural and intellectual reconciliation, which is crucial today in a world that is becoming largely xenophobic, and entrapped in ethnocentric academic practices.

ПЕРСПЕКТИВНЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ ИНТЕГРАЦИИ МИГРАНТОВ

Multiple changes in the development of migration processes, in their socio-economic and political context in the receiving societies require in return revising the concept of integration and reforming practices of integration policy. The latter is being transformed in three main areas. First, the decentralization of integration management is taking place, primarily by strengthening of authority, activity and responsibility of local governments. Secondly, multiactor mainstreaming is being formed. There is a shift away from targeted measures directed to migrants and their descendants towards generic social policies aimed at whole of society. Nevertheless, inclusive long-term needs-based and area-based practices are implicitly centered on migrants and ethnic minorities and combined with direct temporary initiatives affecting them. The pool of stakeholders of integration policy is expanding to involve whole of government, as well as private sector and civil society in the development and implementation of this policy. Thirdly, the urban management system is being restructured on the basis of intercultural principles. At the local level, intercultural practices are spreading in different areas of society. These changes have already led to some positive results. However, progress is not yet solid and has not been achieved in all areas. There are risks of negative effects of reforms. The complexities of multi-level interactive governance of integration and the limitation of intercultural policies by the local framework do not allow to assert the change of state-centric models of assimilationism and multiculturalism to a new paradigm of cultural differences organization on a national scale. At the moment, it is rather a set of social experiments in the field of mainstreaming and interculturalism dispersed in cities. However, in the long term, the changes that are taking place may lead to a formation of a new – more efficient, inclusive and cohesive – version of state-level diversity management.

Pansori Hamlet Project: Taroo's New Pansori Shakespeare for the Local Audience

This essay focuses on the South Korean performance group Taroo's locally-oriented aesthetics in Pansori Hamlet Project (2014) as an alternative model to the notion of "Global Shakespeare" which presupposes intercultural spectatorship as well as intercultural practice. A natural corollary of this "global" discourse is overlooking smallscale productions and verbal genres such as pansori despite their artistic merit and cultural significance for the local audience. Taroo's pansori Shakespeare features four Hamlets who tell the story of the Danish prince with reference to Korean popular culture in local dialects. The pluralization and localization of the Shakespeare's melancholic hero transform Hamlet into a play of contemporary Korean young adults going through a difficult time together while recreating the traditional form of pansori as a popular genre they call "gugak musical." Taroo's pansori adaptation showcases a local Shakespeare that is not motivated by "bardolatry" or universalism underlying many intercultural Shakespeares but relies on indigenous language and music as a powerful vehicle of sympathy and renewal of tradition for the local audience.

Mobile Teachers at Border Schools – Multilingualism and Interculturalism as New Challenges for Professional Development

This article discusses the implementation of cross-border learning mobility, which has taken place in some schools and kindergartens at the tri-border area of Slovenia, Austria and Italy. The findings suggest that the implementation of multilingual and intercultural practices, which involve weekly exchanges of ‘mobile teachers’ from neighbouring countries, created a unique educational experience that has encouraged teachers to greater professional growth. In addition to another language, mobile teachers have brought with them various new educational approaches. Border mobility has contributed to the simultaneous strengthening and enriching of educational practices in various border kindergartens and schools. For teachers, the implementation of cross-border learning mobility strengthens the awareness of the importance of competence in multilingualism and interculturalism as an important factor for their further professional development. This article will analyse the knowledge and experience of professionals involved in such mobility programs in terms of a new dimension of professionalism, and the need to develop multilingualism and interculturalism competences.