Impossible Interculturality? Education and the Colonial Difference in a Multicultural World

119 Pages·2014·0.59 MB·English

by  Robert Aman

Impossible  Interculturality?  

Education  and  the  Colonial  Difference  
in  a  Multicultural  World  
Robert  Aman  

Linköping  Studies  in  Behavioural  Science  No.  182  
Linköping  University  
Department  of  Behavioural  Sciences  and  Learning  
Linköping  2014  

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Linköping  Studies  in  Behavioural  Science  –  No.  182  

Distributed  by:    
Department  of  Behavioural  Sciences  and  Learning  
Linköping  University  
SE  -­‐‑  581  83  Linköping  

Robert  Aman  
Impossible  Interculturality?  
Education  and  the  Colonial  Difference  in  a  Multicultural  World  

Edition  1:1  
ISBN  978-­‐‑91-­‐‑7519-­‐‑348-­‐‑9  
ISSN  1654-­‐‑2029  

©  Robert  Aman  
Department  of  Behavioural  Sciences  and  Learning,  2014  

Printed  by:  LiU-­‐‑tryck,  Linköping  2014  
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Words of Appreciation

At a poetry reading in Chapel Hill a couple of years ago I listened
to a poem whose every second verse comprised the sentence: I’m
grateful for you. Long ago both the author and the explicit
content of the poem vanished from my remembrance, yet now as
I am putting final words in place, that humid night in a North
Carolina awaiting fall returns to my memory. Powerful, yet
simple and nakedly obvious; they embody the message I want to
convey in acknowledging a few of the many who, in one way or
another, have impacted the making of this dissertation.
Above all, it is a pleasure to recall the intellectual support of
my supervisors: Andreas Fejes has untiringly read, and critically
commented on, an endless sequence of drafts over the years. I
wish to thank him for unwavering enthusiasm, kindness and
mentoring. Stefan Jonsson has not only been an astute reader of
my manuscripts but his work on, and knowledge of, postcolonial
theory have been essential for my own thinking and I feel
extremely privileged to have had him at my disposal for all this
time. Unfailing in her support during the first years as this project
started to take shape, Lisbeth Eriksson’s encouragement and good
advice have always come to my aid when I needed them most.
A considerable amount of time writing this dissertation has
been spent at homes away from home, primarily Duke University
and the University of Oxford. The course work, seminars and
discussions of the interconnection between modernity and
coloniality during my time with the Program in Literature at
Duke University helped set the tone for the theoretical backdrop
to this dissertation. An invitation to the Faculty of English
Language and Literature at the University of Oxford gave me an
excellent situation for the final phases of this thesis. During my
time at Oxford, I also benefited from the weekly meetings of the
Postcolonial Writing and Theory Seminar hosted at Wadham
College. For these reasons, I am very grateful to Walter Mignolo
and Peter McDonald, respectively, who not only gave me the
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opportunity to partake in two intellectually vibrant environments
but whose personal generosity and helpful feedback have, in their
distinct ways, contributed to my own analytical growth. A
heartfelt thanks to you both.
Carl Anders Säfström provided constructive criticism based
on meticulous readings of a late draft of the manuscript. Henrik
Nordvall kindly read and helpfully commented on the whole
manuscript which gave me the opportunity to refine some points
before publication. I owe you both my sincere gratitude.
A significant part of this dissertation could not have been
written without the help of Leonel Cerruto. As well as for
facilitating access to, and conversations with, other members of
indigenous movements in the Andes, I owe thanks to Leonel for
his views on Bolivian history and society which were some of the
many things discussed during our time travelling together around
Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. In connection to these trips, I am also
grateful to the pan-Andean organization Kawsay, the Bolivian
Ministry of Cultures, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana in Quito,
Universidad Mayor de San Simón in Cochabamba, Universidad
Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, and other institutions
for their invitations to present parts of this dissertation. My
gratitude goes out to all of those who participated in these events,
commented on and discussed the subjects of my talks.
Erik Nylander and Fredrik Sandberg have provided
intellectual stimulation as well as being unstinting in their
friendship from our first days together at Linköping University. I
am appreciative of all colleagues at the Unit of Education and
Adult Learning (Pedvux) that has been my academic home over
the last five years, and to the Institute of Research on Migration,
Ethnicity and Society (REMESO) to which I have also been
affiliated. For valuable contributions of different kinds, I wish to
acknowledge José Edwards, Martin Lundberg, Jan-Erik
Perneman, Darwin Reyes, Asha Rogers, Hanna Sjögren, John
Stadler, Michael Tholander, Paul-Arthur Tortosa, and Karim
Wissa. A thank you is due to my undergraduate instructors, Pilar
Álvarez and Roberto Sancho Larrañaga, who once upon a time
encouraged me to pursue graduate studies. During my time as a
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doctoral student, I have had the privilege of co-founding the
journal Confero: Essays on Education, Philosophy & Politics. A
warm thanks to all other members – past and present – of the
journal’s editorial committee. In addition to their friendship and
support, Honor Rieley, Daniel Vásquez and my uncle, Ulf
Nilsson, have been excellent interlocutors regarding my mastery
of written English, Spanish, and Swedish.
Finally, I owe a special debt of appreciation to my mother
and my father.

I’m grateful for you (all).

R.A.
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Contents

Words of Appreciation….………………….………………………..v
Introduction ................................................................................ 1
In Other Languages, or the Language of the Other .................. 8
Interculturality as Interculturalidad ........................................ 14
Aims and Scope of the Study .................................................. 18
Survey of the Field ..................................................................... 25
Research on Interculturality ................................................... 27
Research on Interculturality and Adult Education in Sweden . 30
Research on Interculturalidad ................................................ 33
Theoretical Considerations ........................................................ 37
Modernity/Coloniality ........................................................... 39
The Colonial Difference ......................................................... 44
Delinking ............................................................................... 47
Methodological Considerations ................................................. 51
Summaries ................................................................................. 69
Essay I: The EU and the Recycling of Colonialism: Formation
of Europeans Through Intercultural Dialogue ........................ 69
Essay II: In the Name of Interculturality: On Colonial Legacies
in Intercultural Education ...................................................... 70
Essay III: Three Texts on Intercultural Education and a
Critique of Border Drawing ................................................... 71
Essay IV: Why Interculturalidad is not Interculturality:
Colonial Remains and Paradoxes in Translation between
Indigenous Social Movements and Supranational Bodies ....... 72
Coda .......................................................................................... 75
Language, Knowledges, and (National) Border Drawing ........ 76
Interculturalidad Speaks Back ................................................ 83
Local Histories With(out) Global Designs .............................. 87
Inter-epistemic Dialogue, or Learning from the Other ............ 92
References ................................................................................. 95

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