Paper short abstract:

Interculturality is more relevant and necessary than ever in today’s globalized world. This paper studies the largest educational project of social inclusion, local participation, and citizenship in Bahia (Brazil) through the lens of intercultural education.

Paper long abstract:

Interculturality is the interaction of peoples from different cultural backgrounds who have knowledge and understanding of those cultures; it refers to the capacity of an individual to experience cultural otherness and to be aware of it in light of one's own patterns of perception, thoughts, and behavior. Not surprisingly, interculturality has become increasingly relevant in today's globalized world, and acquiring intercultural competence more necessary than ever. This paper studies the largest educational project of social inclusion, local participation, and citizenship in Bahia (Brazil) through the lens of intercultural education. I conducted longitudinal ethnographic research in 2008 and 2009 at the Cidade do Saber (City of Knowledge, CDS), a pioneering project based on the concept of 'plural citizenship,' which provides free access to education, cultural events, sports and leisure activities to economically disadvantaged children and adults of the Municipality of Camaçari (Bahia). I argue that the CDS employs an approach to intercultural education as a mechanism to achieve their objectives, with uneven degrees of success. This project is not envisioned as a vocational school, but as an epicenter of cultural knowledge, education, and sports; as such, its goal is to counter the historically limited social, cultural, and symbolic capital of Camaçari's population, and ultimately, to reduce social and economic inequalities through education. I address the tensions and conflicts that result from the different views of culture, social inclusion, and citizenship of administrators, instructors, and students, as well as the difficulties the project encounters in materializing alternative Brazilian notions of citizenship.