Intercultural Mirrors: Dynamic Reconstruction of Identity contains (auto)ethnographic chapters and research-based explorations that uncover the ways our intercultural experiences influence our process of self-discovery and self-construction. The idea of intercultural mirrors is applied throughout all chapters as an instrument of analysis, an heuristic tool, drawn from philosophy, to provide a focus for the analysis of real life experiences. Plato noted that one could see one’s own reflection in the pupil of another’s eye, and suggested that the mirror image provided in the eye of the other person was an essential contributor to self-knowledge. Taking this as a cue, the contributors of this book have structured their writings around the idea that the view of us held by other people provides an essential key to one’s own self-understanding.
Contributors are: James Arvanitakis, Damian Cox, Mark Dinnen, James Ferguson, Tom Frengos, Dennis Harmon, Donna Henson, Alexandra Hoyt, William Kelly, Lucyann Kerry, Julia Kraven, Taryn Mathis, Tony McHugh, Raoul Mortley, Kristin Newton, Marie-Claire Patron, Darren Swanson, and Peter Mbago Wakholi.
Chapter 15 Intercultural Mirrors and Cultural Humility
Chapter 16 Cultural Observations and a Conversation about Drawing by a Wandering Artist
Marie-Claire Patron, Ph.D. (2006), University of South Australia, is Assistant Professor of Intercultural Communication, French and Spanish at Bond University. She has published monographs, ethnographies and co-edited books on cultural identity issues, internationalisation of students and interpersonal relationship issues, including emotional and psychological abuse.
Julia Kraven, Ph.D. (2009), Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, has a background in English and Japanese Applied Linguistics. She is currently teaching ESL whilst doing her second Ph.D. in the field of Intercultural and Global Citizenship Education at Bond University, Australia.
"This book is an excellent synthesis of cultural influences, and the effects of moving from one culture to another, told by those who experienced it firsthand. It is unique and original contribution to the field. Highly recommended."
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Ami Rokach, Ph.D., York University (Canada) and the Centre for Academic Studies (Israel)
Foreword Raoul Mortley Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors
1
Expansion of Self through Intercultural Experiences Julia Kraven 2
Hansel and Gretel Revisited: Quixotic Reflections of Online Dating Marie-Claire Patron 3
Doni Doni Kononi Danala – Little by Little the Little Bird Builds Its Nest: Intercultural Reflections: Western Travel in Non-Western Culture Alexandra Hoyt 4
Migration and Making Sense of Place: Against a Backdrop of Negative Media Discourse About Africa Peter Mbago Wakholi 5
Mirror Mirror: What Culture Am I?: Using Philosophy to Reconstruct Our Images and Cultural Identities Tom Frengos 6
Spreading Roots Globally, Losing Roots Locally: Coming to Terms with Being an Expat as an Intercultural Identity Lucyann Kerry 7
Barceloneta as Heterotopic Mirror: A Place of Different Spaces Tony McHugh 8
Reflection and Aspiration: Mirrors and Models in Traditional European and Chinese Thought R. James Ferguson 9
Becoming a Person through Intercultural Communication: A White American’s Experiences in Asia and Africa William Kelly 10
Affect Mirrors Damian Cox 11
List Yourself: An Autoethnography of Intercultural Identity Donna Henson 12
I’m So Normal, I Must Be Different Taryn J. Mathis 13
The Decentred Delegate: Adapting Identity within a Model United Nations Learning Environment Dennis Harmon II and Mark Dinnen 14
Scotland the Brave? An Exile’s Perspective on Scottish Identity from Abroad Darren Swanson 15
Intercultural Mirrors and Cultural Humility: My Journey as an Educator James Arvanitakis 16
Cultural Observations and a Conversation about Drawing by a Wandering Artist Kristin Newton
The book is intended for a general audience, travel lovers, global nomads, people of mixed cultural backgrounds, an intelligent and thoughtful reader. It might be particularly interesting for educators, counselors, career development consultants, care providers, practitioners, libraries and specialists.