The Return of the Subaltern: International Education and Politics of Voice

Abstract

In a rapidly globalizing world, it is becoming a major task of international education to study a variety of sociopolitical, economic, developmental, and intercultural relations, at the heart of which lie issues around subalternity, diversity, language, and dialogue. In its current state, how well prepared is the field of international education to deal with these complex issues? Through an exploration of narratives from various intellectual, cultural, and linguistic traditions, this article maintains that (a) concerns around critical dialogue and freedom of expression are universal concerns applicable in/to different environments and cultures; (b) such concerns need to be situated within the wider issues around diversity, multiculturalism, multilingualism, human rights, peace, and social justice; and (c) international and global education can take on this challenge by critically engaging various issues emerging from conditions of subalternity, politics of voice, and multiple identities, as well as a variety of diasporic, multicultural, postcolonial, and global contexts.