Intercultural Self-Defence

Based on the author’s 25 years of experience in researching and teaching interculturality, Intercultural Self-Defence: A Resource Book for Students, Teachers and Researchers is a compelling exploration of the subtle forces that shape Intercultural Communication Education and Research (ICER).

The Resource Book delves into the adversaries lurking within ICER - indoctrination, intellectual inertia and linguistic indifference - and unveils how they can stifle genuine understanding and growth. Each chapter acts as a critical lens, scrutinising the boundaries between education and indoctrination, the stagnation of thought and the perils of linguistic complacency. The author illustrates the impact of these forces on interculturality and the ethical implications they carry. The book contains a series of activities designed to encourage creative self-reflection and fosters a deeper understanding of the interplay between language, power and interculturality. But it is more than a resource: It is a manifesto for continuous learning, active engagement and the pursuit of a more inclusive and dynamic field of intercultural communication education and scholarship.

Advocating a vigilant and self-reflexive approach, the book will serve as a critical guide for students, teachers and researchers specialising in intercultural research and education to navigate the complexities of interculturality.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Fred Dervin is a renowned scholar in the field of Intercultural Communication Education and Research, serving as a Professor of Multicultural Education at the University of Helsinki (Finland). Over his illustrious career, Dervin has contributed significantly to analyse, interrogate and disrupt discourses of interculturality with over 200 articles and 80 books. His latest books published with Routledge include The Paradoxes of Interculturality and The Routledge Handbook of Critical Interculturality in Communication and Education. Dervin is included in the Stanford Elsevier List of the world’s best scientists (Top 2%).