Perspectives on Interculturality (The Construction of Meaning in Relationships of Difference)

The intercultural occurs in the space between two or more distinct cultures that encounter each other, an area where meaning is translated and difference is negotiated. A better, more systemic understanding of these processes is a major challenge of our time. Intercultural themes have thus far been mostly pursued within bounded academic disciplines, but the fact that people often have multiple, overlapping cultural affinities, and that cultures are inherently dynamic because they are man-made, not fixed and ahistorical systems, begs for interdisciplinary approaches. However, scholars are rarely trained to do so. They are routinely constrained by conventionalized conceptual languages of their disciplines, by their own apperceptions and assumptions, and by the incommensurability of frameworks of knowledge in an increasingly interconnected world. Intercultural studies are due for reflection and refinement. This volume brings together international scholars from diverse disciplines to reflect on the phenomenon of interculturality, and to share the theoretical and methodological frameworks of interpreting it.