When a person participates in a cultural exchange, the concepts and theories of intercultural learning are invaluable when adjusting to a new culture and they also aid positively in personal development. Yet, such cultural exchanges are also beneficial from an international relations perspective. How do the ways people with backgrounds in international relations versus intercultural learning perceive youth exchanges help us further differentiate these two fields?
For decades, international students have been a welcome part of schools and universities around the world. Indeed, studying abroad is recognized as an extraordinary experience that one remembers for a lifetime. The thousands of AFSers who look back fondly at their time abroad demonstrate the impact of this type of experience. International youth exchanges can even serve as case studies in the field of intercultural learning. What is less recognized is that such exchanges can play a part in a state’s foreign policy for several reasons. Two of these reasons in particular stand out:
The ideal of a world coexisting peacefully is still alive and well. Many governments believe that if the youth of one state traveled and experienced life in another state firsthand, then misunderstanding and prejudice about other societies can subside. Consequently, many governments promote youth exchange programs so their young citizens can understand that they share the world with many other people who live differently, yet are still worthy of respect and peace.
Another reason why many in the field of international relations advocate for youth exchange programs comes from a national hosting perspective. If citizens of a state open up their homes, hearts and minds to teaching a young sojourner about their country by first hand experience, then it is quite possible that the sojourner will not allow misunderstanding to color his or her opinion about the host country in the future. This result can only be benefitial to all the citizens of the sojourner’s home and host country. When thinking of their host country, many AFSers immediately think about their host family and all the friends they made in the country. Building relationships literally puts human faces on this type of citizen diplomacy.
Of course, the two fields strongly interlap because they are globally focused. This is why one can specify a single global topic, such as youth international exchanges, and easily understand its benefits from both fields’ unique perspectives. Since intercultural learning is so clearly distinct from the larger field of international relations, AFS stands to continuously benefit from its concepts and theories. The focus on people and cultures makes ICL unique as a subject, and ideally suited to be a tool in a sojourner’s individual development when living abroad. ICL is much more suited in this task than the field of international relations. Since AFS works with thousands of young travelers, ICL is also ideally suited for AFS.From these two reasons we can better understand how international exchanges are seen from an international relations standpoint. Like in other areas, the field of international relations is different from intercultural learning because it emphasizes understanding the governmental and organizational level over the individual and social levels. It also emphasizes the state as a political entity. Such a perspective explains why youth exchanges can be recognized as benefitical to a national government. In contrast, Intercultural learning tends to focus more on understanding at the individual and social levels. It emphasizes cultures, not nation-states, and consequently recognizes the benefits of youth exchanges on an individual and cultural level.
Paul Edinger is a contributing writer for the ICL Blog. He was an intern at AFS International in 2011 in the Development and Branding department, and continued in 2012 in the Intercultural Learning department. He holds a B.A. in International Studies.