Reciprocity among teachers from different language and cultural backgrounds A pivotal strategy to develop an interculturally sensitive attitude in education professionals

Abstract

One of the most crucial competences required to face our modern multicultural society is the capacity to establish a fruitful relationship with otherness, especially when the other is from a different cultural background and when intercultural
dialogue seems to be difficult. This implies that education has to provide the young generation with the right instruments to interact with diversity, understand the motivation behind differences in behaviour, thoughts and feelings and learn to govern the emotional dimensions of fear and anxiety towards otherness.
In this paper, reciprocity is illustrated in its theoretical frame. In addition to this, its role between education professionals from different cultural backgrounds is investigated through the analysis of data collected after an international seminar. On the basis of this analysis and the scientific literature developed on the construct of reciprocity, it seems reasonable to conceive of it as a strategy to
generate teachers’ intercultural sensitivity and, consequently, their intercultural approach to education.