AN EDUCATOR BETWEEN BORDERS

A CONVERSATION WITH GRACIA MARÍA CLÉRICO ON INTERCULTURALITY, INTERNATIONALIZATION, AND EDUCATION

Abstract

Interculturality and internationalization have become central themes in contemporary educational debates. In this interview, Argentine professor and researcher Gracia María Clérico revisits key moments of her academic and professional trajectory to examine how seemingly random and unforeseen experiences shaped her interest in these topics. Having begun her work with migrant communities in Argentina and Spain, Clérico identifies in the phenomenological notion of elementary experience a theoretical and methodological foundation that informs her teaching, research, and outreach activities. She also clarifies her stance toward cultural studies and critically engages with concepts such as multiculturalism and assimilationism, advocating for interculturality through concrete examples of school practices spanning basic to higher education. More recently, she has taken part in the Rede de Promoção da Interculturalidade na Internacionalização da Educação [Network for the Promotion of Interculturality in the Internationalization of Education], which brings together Brazilian and Argentine researchers in shared teaching initiatives. The interview concludes by outlining current possibilities and challenges for intercultural education and international academic cooperation.