Embodying Intercultural Capacities: The Pedagogic Impact of Study Abroad

This book examines the extent to which in-country education contributes to the development of intercultural capacities among students and investigates how this occurs. It examines the experiences of Australian university students participating in educational programs in Indonesia and critiques and extends notions of interculturality. 

The potential development of intercultural capacities is explored in relation to four key themes: pedagogy, temporality, home, and culture. The book demonstrates that interculturalisation is not an automatic or guaranteed result of simply being ‘immersed’ in-country, but rather involves an array of pedagogic processes (involving both human and non-human actors). It outlines the temporal dimensions of in-country education, examining the experience as part of a broader trajectory, involving significant moments, and a range of engagements with diverse temporal rhythms. The book concludes by exploring how students’ understandings of ‘culture’ and ‘cultural difference’ impact the way in which the study-abroad experience is navigated. 

Readers will gain a deepened understanding of how intercultural capacities develop, which can be applied to other educational contexts including schools, as well as corporate and not-for-profit settings. Those interested in sociology, particularly Bourdieusian analysis, will also benefit from this empirical application (and extension) of the notion of habitus in the context of student mobility. 

“This is a well conceptualized and beautifully written book that explores how study abroad programs can play an important role in equipping young people to navigate the super-diversity that has now become a critical feature of societies around the world. It shows how such programs have the potential to enhance intercultural capacities, especially when crafted in ways that are thoughtfully fashioned and carefully enacted.” 

— Fazal Rizvi, University of Melbourne Australia