Towards a transcultural pedagogy and education

The idea of transculturality was introduced on European level by German philosopher and art historian, Wolfgang Welsch (Welsch, 1999). It was the response to already existing concepts of multi- and interculturality, which are understood as excessively static. Multiculturality implies harmonious coexistence of differing cultural or ethnic groups in a given society (e. g. Cashmore et al., 1994; Nikitorowicz, 2009). Interculturality, although promises dialogue and exchange between the cultures, alike multiculturality comes from the traditional, close to Herderian one, approach to culture as a whole. These concepts, according to Welsch and other authors (e. g. Misiejuk, 2011), create and sustain barriers between different cultures, recognizing cultures as its foundation. Transculturality breaks with such separatist, rival understanding of the cultures in which social effect is usually appropriation of cultural heritage and conflict of traditions. In place of comprehensive cultures idea it introduces the model of culture networks (Welsch, 1998). Thus, transculturality does not imply, the relationship between cultural unities. It is the individual network elements that mutually merge. The result of it is the process of culture hybridization during which the content of other cultures becomes an elements of a given culture, creating a new kind of cultural quality.