<Articles>From 'Culture' to 'Cultures' : Some Notes on a Consequential Conceptual Shift from the Viewpoint of Intercultural Education in the Humboldtian Tradition

Abstract

This paper elaborates on the relationship between education and culture in regard to the historical shift from a singular to a plural culture concept. Using the German notion of Bildung as a key concept for thinking about intercultural education, the paper starts by summarizing Wilhelm von Humboldt's influential conceptualization of Bildung and culture. The relationship between Bildung and culture is then re-considered in light of the development of the plural culture concept in Anglo-Saxon anthropology. The paper suggests that Bildung and the plural culture concept can be linked by reference to the anthropological concept of cultural translation. Cultural translation is interpreted as a form of understanding that involves not only cognitive operations but also social practices. This analysis in turn enlarges the traditional concept of Bildung. Finally, the discussion of Bildung and culture will be related to existing problems of cultural understanding in the international academic sphere.