Making the invisible visible in human encounters. Code, Identity and Intercultural Education

Resumen

Intercultural Education, in my opinion, has as one of its main goals to make the invisible visible in human encounters. The invisible relates to the meanings of communication that are implicit for individuals or groups, thus, one of the premises for communication to take place is to grasp the implicit in human meetings. Individuals and groups use different codes to communicate. Code can be seen as an unwritten agreement that is tied to various social, linguistic and cultural contexts in which individuals or groups shape their identity. Identity then is developed through a process that takes place in interactions with significant others within the contexts which individuals and groups reside in, search for, or face. Codes are linked to different discourses and doxa. Discourse can be seen as language in use within a specific group. Doxa is the mental representation of how the social world is and how it should be. In this article, by illustrating with examples from my research, I will shed light on how a teacher or instructor can have a more rewarding exchange towards bridging cultural, social, and linguistic differences if they are aware of the various codes and doxa used by their students in different situations.