Rethinking the concept of ‘western’

In this article, I propose that the west/non-west dualism sets limits on our thinking about internationalisation of the curriculum. While this dualism and that of the west/the rest offer some heuristic capacity to surface issues of imperial power and hegemonic grip, I suggest that it has congealed into a grand narrative that inhibits our explorations of global divisions. I discuss the conceptually interdependent notions of orientalism and occidentalism and their view of the incommensurability of western and non-western cultures. I relate this discussion to conceptions of western and non-western pedagogies and associated concepts of knowledge generation. I point to the importance of a concept of the west and of pedagogic cultures that admits a history of complexity and connectivity.