2023

Layne, Heidi; Chakrapani, Abitha

Students, teachers, and policymakers are currently challenged by misinformation, tensions, and, e.g., various acts of discrimination and social injustice worldwide due to different kinds of conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic. What then is the role of interculturality in the middle of all this and how could it be understood and taught in education? Using Finland as an example, this chapter first considers different lenses for interculturality during times of emergencies. The chapter then explores the meaning of education for emergencies, making use of answers to a survey on crises experienced by university students in Finland. The survey is not meant to serve as generalisations about all students in Finland but to help us problematise interculturality ‘holding hands’ with education for emergencies. We conclude by arguing that there is a need for interdisciplinarity in education to deal with emergencies, and to create a sense of safe space and a caring community open to multiple voices and experiences.