Michael Fleming (Durham) p.110-123
2004 Issue 1
Abstract
The following paper was given as a key note speech at an International Conference at National University of Ireland, University College Cork: Drama and Theatre in the Teaching and Learning of Language, Literature and Culture. An overview is provided of the different ways in which drama can support intercultural education, in particular in the way it helps people to examine their own practices and assumptions that are often taken for granted. The concept of interculturalism can be widened to include all sorts of human encounters, not just those across national boundaries; there is a sense in which any encounter with an ‘other’, ‘stranger’ or new social group may be seen as a form of interculturalism. In order to give language its proper respect we need to examine it in rich, meaningful contexts to explore its nuances, ambiguities and complexities. Drama as an art form works paradoxically; it highlights complexity in situations and reveals their cultural dimensions though a process of selection and simplification. Drama has a particular role to play because it engages feelings but also helps participants to decentre and view human encounters in a fresh way. In a dramatic representation human motivation and intention can be simplified and examined more explicitly.