Interculturalism, Sustainable Development and Higher Education Institutions

This paper establishes links between the fields of sustainable development and intercultural education. It is written on the premise that diverse forms of knowledge exist within different societal and national contexts, and curricula therefore need to draw on these in order to be 'non-centric'. That is, curricula should not draw more heavily from one source of knowledge while excluding or marginalising others. For instance, as this paper examines, higher education institutions in socially diverse or multicultural societies have a great deal of intellectual knowledge and expertise in education. However, the knowledge – including languages, histories, and cultures – of subordinated groups such as international students in European institutions is often entirely left out of the curriculum. In conclusion, the paper poses a number of challenges for research and teaching in higher education, especially including the need for intercultural professional education of academics so that they develop deeper intellectual understandings and competences in this area.