Developing a Critical Border Dialogism

This book is based upon research conducted both before and after a visit to Kota Kinabalu Malaysia inMarch 2003. During this time period United States (US) bombs fell on Baghdad Iraq. An invasion of USand British ground forces in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities followed the initial bombing. Events during theonset of the war became a catalyst for gaining insight on how the US invasion of Iraq impacted the lives ofteachers and their students in Malaysia. In June and July of 2003 the researcher returned to intervieweducators in Sabah Malaysia. Follow-up electronic communications with educators were conductedthrough the remainder of 2003.After the research in Malaysia the researcher conducted studies of educators' perspectives in MexicoCanada and the US. The key objective of the investigations in all four countries was to uncover attitudesand pedagogical comparisons of educators and their students regarding US policies including war and counter-terrorism policies. Studies in the UStook place in close proximity to the US/Mexico international border. Studies were analyzed through the lenses of place-based pedagogy borderpedagogy and issues-centered approaches that provided baseline information for transnational comparisons and cross-comparative case studies. In thismanner the researcher contemplated the intersection of a critical pedagogy of place and border pedagogy. From these studies emerged newunderstandings and the development of a critical border dialogism . This critical border dialogism is based on following principles: heteroglossiameliorism critical cosmopolitanism nepantla dialogism feminism and pragmatic hope. By its nature critical border dialogism engages us inmultidirectional discourses that allow us to tackle issues and work toward enduring conflict resolutions. When applied in classroom settings criticalborder dialogism moves educators students and cultural workers in the direction of a critical border praxis.