Interculturality in Education as an Epistemic Stance and Power

Abstract

Objective: This paper critically reflects on the discourse of functional interculturality in education, proposing a challenge to Eurocentrism and its influence on teaching practices. The aim is to question the monocultural discourse and open possibilities for an intercultural approach that positions educators within alternative epistemic frameworks.

Originality/Contribution: The significance of this reflection lies in revealing the colonial/modern implications in education and proposing an epistemic shift that reconfigures the educational practice in the face of the current civilizational crisis.

Method and Data Collection Strategies: The method appropriates elements from the hermeneutics of historical consciousness, which understands reality as dynamic and imbued with multiple meanings, demanding constant reconfiguration of knowledge. The methodology critically examines three dimensions of the mentioned hermeneutics: historical evolution from a decolonial perspective, state responses to cultural problems, and the tensions between monoculturalism and interculturality in education. These dimensions show naturalized separations within educational processes, such as between humans and nature, body and reason, and the tangible and intangible. A key strategy for empowering educators is to unveil what is hidden within monocultural discourse through historicization, allowing them to adopt interculturality as both an epistemic stance and power, fostering dialogue between diverse groups and reaching ethical agreements.

Conclusions: The reflection concludes with the need to acknowledge coloniality as a historical context to empower other frameworks of meaning rooted in the cultural diversity of schools, ultimately aiming to protect and sustain life.