Teachers as intercultural bridge-builders: Rethinking the metaphor of bridge-building

Abstract

The idea that intercultural understanding should be based on in-depth knowledge about the other continues to capture the imagination of policy makers, practitioners, and researchers. According to this line of thinking, intercultural understanding is about creating a secure way of reducing cultural complexity, aiming to overcome what is perceived as the strangeness of the other. While this approach to intercultural understanding has been highly influential, a growing body of work has raised fundamental questions about its adequacy. This article contributes to this discussion by exploring the metaphorical expression, bridge-building, as a way to describe teachers' work with intercultural understanding. The article relates the bridge-building metaphor to the ability to develop and integrate targeted knowledge, skills, and attitudes. It also explores how the bridge-building metaphor allows us to use our cultural and social experiences to facilitate an understanding of others.