Global debates, local challenges: the South talks back

ABSTRACT

This article reviews issues of substance and perspective on global debates that have evolved from those evident at foundational, pre-IALIC foundational conferences in Leeds to those at the online IALIC 2021 Conference, organised by the Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá. Focusing mainly on the latter event, the article proceeds by analysing some of the perceptions of interculturality in South America while spotlighting the contributions of native communities in their evolving contexts. The author concludes by acknowledging that the ‘South’ is talking back and that the inter-epistemic exchange between plurilingual academics, including community researchers, stimulates global debates and addresses local challenges.

RESUMO

Este artigo pretende identificar o modo como alguns conteúdos e perspectivas evoluiram desde as conferências pré-fundação da IALIC em Leeds (1998) para as apresentadas na conferência IALIC 2021, emitida online, organizada pela Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá. Focando-se principalmente neste último evento, o artigo analisa então algumas percepções de interculturalidade na América do Sul, salientando os contributos das comunidades nativas, sem ignorar os seus contextos em evolução. Por fim, a autora reconhece que o Sul está a tomar posição e que as trocas inter-epistémicas entre os académicos plurilíngues, envolvendo investigadores comunitários, estimula debates globais e responde a desafios locais.

KEYWORDS:

• Interculturality
• south/north epistemologies
• glocal languages

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by European Commission: [Grant Number Project No: 625396].

Notes on contributors

Maria Manuela D. Guilherme

Maria Manuela D. Guilherme has been a senior researcher at the Centro de Estudos Sociais, Universidade de Coimbra since 2002. She was awarded a PhD degree in Education by the University of Durham, UK (2000), the Birkmaier Award for doctoral research by the ACTFL and The Modern Language Journal (2001) and a biographical chapter in C. A. Chapelle (ed.) The Encyclopaedia of Applied Linguistics, Blackwell Publ (Phipps 2012). She completed a 2-year postdoctoral programme at the Universidade de S. Paulo (2016) and coordinated international projects funded by the European Commission as well as a Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship for her Glocademics project (2014–2017).