Intercultural education and the realization of intercultural capital in Mexico

Contrary to what the seductive marketing power of neoliberal “free”-trade ideology and its more or less explicit postulation of homo interculturalis might suggest, the multi-dimensional realization of intercultural capital cannot simply be taken for granted, but needs to be subjected to critical empirically grounded scrutiny. Drawing on the findings of three recent research projects, the present article explores the prospects and limitations of intercultural capital realization in contemporary Mexico – at nearly two and a half decades of the country’s membership in the quintessentially neoliberal North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and with a particular interest in the field of intercultural education. Whilst the article does not engage in evaluations of NAFTA, nor offer a contribution to the critique of neoliberal globalization and the mercantilization of formal education, it nonetheless raises important questions for all those interested in alternative forms of intercultural cooperation that convey a vision beyond narrowly instrumental business interests. As our three research examples forcefully illustrate, it is high time for a socioculturally sensitive educational development toward more intercultural literacy – both inside the multicultural national context and internationally.