The current turbulent global political climate has led to unprecedented numbers of economic migrants and refugees seeking asylum, many of whom are school-aged children in need of linguistic, cultural, and emotional support. The title of this volume, Redirecting the Flow of Knowledge Across Languages and Cultures, reflects an intentional effort to challenge Western hegemonic traditions and promote an inclusive, pluralistic vision of language, culture, and identity—one that foregrounds the transformative potential of multilingualism and intercultural awareness.
This collection reimagines literacy learning through diverse cultural frameworks and linguistic systems, offering alternative pathways for education that are responsive to global realities. The contributing chapters showcase innovative autobiographical methodologies and research designs grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogies. The contributors—experienced educators and scholars with rich linguistic and cultural backgrounds—offer insights of particular relevance to teacher education programs across varied educational contexts.
Redirecting the Flow of Knowledge Across Languages and Cultures affirms the foundational premise that students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds bring invaluable knowledge to the classroom and to the teaching and learning process. The volume interrogates and illuminates critical themes such as language awareness, cultural competence, and the implementation of pedagogical practices that sustain diverse identities. Collectively, the scholars in this volume share a commitment to advancing methodological approaches that recognize identity as a central component of learning—an aspect too often overlooked in contemporary classrooms. The book ultimately advocates for culturally sustaining pedagogies, critical language awareness, and educational practices rooted in social justice.
Table of Contents:
Foreword. Arlette Willis
Chapter 1. Language, Culture, and Privilege: Aligning the ABC’s and Identity Texts; Claudia Finkbeiner and Rahat Zaidi
Chapter 2. Constructions of Cultural Identity in the Primary Foreign Language Classroom; Maria Sussex
Chapter 3. Multilingualism in Teacher Training and Primary Education: Working on Case Vignettes With the ABC Model; Saskia Becker, Julia Kern, and Friederike Heinzel
Chapter 4. Life Stories in the Present and Past: An Empirical Study With Generation Tandems; Claudia Finkbeiner and Yvonne Hesse
Chapter 5. Using the ABC’s Model to Understand Transcultural and Transgenerational Practices in a Multicultural Context; Zahra Golneshan and Marigona Morina
Chapter 6. Beyond Fact-Focused Instruction: Advancing Classroom Practice in Global Citizenship Education; Mary Masterson
Chapter 7. Literacy Teacher Preparation for Equity and Diversity: Facilitating Teacher Candidates’ Reflection; Chinwe Ikpeze
Chapter 8: Cultivating Critical Awareness: Affordances of a Transraciolinguistic Approach; Patriann Smith and Tala Karkar Esperat
Chapter 9. Experiencing Processes of Culture Construction and Culture Contact Through the Textual Culture Puzzle; Jennifer Schluer
Chapter 10. Language Awareness and Cultural Awareness in the Subject Danish: Learning Opportunities for Students With Danish as L2; Sofia Esmann Busch and Bettina Buch
Chapter 11. Linguistic and Cultural Awareness in Learning Materials for Teaching Chinese L2 and Danish L2; Bettina Buch and Tingting Liu
Chapter 12. Culturally Responsive/Sustaining Pedagogy Disrupted? Repositioning K–12 Education Post Pandemic; Chinwe Ikpeze and Sue Schultz Afterword. Patricia Edwards
About the Author :
Claudia Finkbeiner is Professor at the University of Kassel, Germany. Her expertise includes language awareness, literacy development, intercultural communication, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality as well as CLIL.
Rahat Zaidi is Research Professor and head of the Brooks & County of Newell Centre for Local Language Learners at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, Canada. Her research expertise focuses on multilingual literacies that clarify intersectional understandings across sociophobia, diversity, immigration, and pluralism.
Bettina Buch is Senior associate Professor at the Centre for School and Learning, University College Absalon, Denmark. Her research focuses on subject-specific literacy and linguistic awareness in primary and secondary schools.
Review :
This book reminds us that language teaching and learning is always an intercultural and intergenerational gift - an exchange of biographies and risky life journeys, of educational possibilities and hope.
