Creative dissent and constructive solutions: what contributions does Bahktin make to our understanding of transnational education?

Abstract

Creative dissent takes many forms, including generative tensions arising from collaborations involved in dialogue and critical reflection on practice. From generative tensions arise constructive solutions that derive from, and build upon, multiple perspectives; they are expressed in socially constructive contexts that respect otherness and that strive to facilitate shared understandings. The notion of dialogicality (Bakhtin, 1981, 1984, 1986) is pivotal to creative dissent and constructive solutions; it is fundamental to transformative education that has its aim as the mutual enrichment of learners, teachers and shared social contexts. This paper argues that Bakhtinian ideas, particularly dialogue and creative understanding, are fundamental to transnational education. The writers articulate the ways in which key elements of these concepts manifest themselves in the educational experiences offered to students at the University of Southern Queensland, a university committed to transnational education. The paper illustrates some of the challenges and opportunities in the shift from rhetoric to lived reality for students and teachers in an increasingly globalised world. Transnational education epitomises constructive solutions that arise from creative dissent.