Intercultural Education as Dialogue between Knowledge Systems: Elements of a Theoretical Framework

Overview & Synopsis

In this paper, we discuss elements of a theoretical framework for intercultural education as dialogue between knowledge systems, both in general terms and in the specific domain of science education. This framework synthesizes outcomes of theoretical and philosophical studies with contributions from practical experiences in artisanal fishing communities, also involving collaborative work with primary education teachers for developing and investigating educational innovations within a community of practice. Three central ideas from this framework constitute the core of the paper: an interpretation of the intercultural attitude in pluralist pragmatist terms; an understanding of intercultural education as a dialogue that involves translation as a creative, meaning-making act; and the partial overlaps approach, as a way of considering both approximations and differences between knowledge systems in three domains: epistemological, ontological, and axiological.