This book argues that the field of Intercultural Communication Education and Research (ICER) has often been compromised by uncritical, market-driven approaches that create an illusion of progress. The author demonstrates how hollow buzzwords, superficial models and a focus on harmony often mask power imbalances and prevent meaningful change. To counter this, the book proposes a practice of intercultural acrobatics the creation and strategic use of new, provisional terms. These concepts act as deliberate disruptions to challenge stagnant thinking, expose contradictions and reclaim interculturality as a site for critical, justice-oriented work. The book provides a practical toolkit for scholars, educators and students to move beyond comfortable consensus and engage more honestly with the complex realities of difference.
Writing as a deliberate state of resistance.- Interality as a polysemic
ideological and economic political construct and strategy.- Embracing the
contradictions of interality.- Reclaiming tension for interality.- Exposing
the façade uncritical adoption of interality in research and education.-
Language as a battleground.- Beyond answers and bridges.- New gambits.
Fred Dervin, Professor and PhD supervisor at the University of Helsinki (Finland), is a leading interculturalist. His work challenges conventions to reshape understanding of global interactions, inspiring educators and researchers worldwide.
