BORDER PEDAGOGY. THE BODY AND ART FOR INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION AND INCLUSION

Abstract

Abstract

The body and artistic languages can develop visions, effective, innovative and cutting-edge proposals on issues considered crucial for inclusion and interculturalism. Artistic practices, in particular Dance-Movement Therapy, are central to this contribution, which has as its object art-based research (Barone, Eisner, 2011; Leavy, 2009) and a methodological process that is other, in the educational/intercultural sphere. The research takes shape within the school context from reflections resulting from the use of art and corporeity to promote intercultural competences, and takes on the guise of a political-pedagogical project. The research question is to ascertain whether performing arts and Dance Movement Therapy can create inclusive and intercultural contexts, and the aim is to analyse the ways in which inclusion can take place, change or modify prejudices and stereotypes so as to bring about significant and transformative changes in growth processes. The research, moving within the theoretical and methodological framework of the research-intervention, followed a "mixed methods" preserving its qualitative nature, thus following the phenomenological and hermeneutic approach, and at the same time used a questionnaire (Pettigrew, Meertens, 1995), which characterises the quantitative part and completes the research itself. Following the operational methodology of Dance Movement Therapy, and the performing arts, one of the themes that emerged concerned the discovery of feeling moved to a new perspective from which to view the world. The results achieved reinforced the belief in the adoption of a methodological approach based on constructivist-inspired artistic exploration, as they produced an intercultural awareness in the interactions between the school and the local community.