What is Intercultural Resilience

Social justice issues continue to impact higher education institutions with students reporting a decline in experiences that cultivate empathy. We must examine social justice work as we prepare students to navigate major academic milestones while emphasizing the promotion of cross-cultural communication. One way to foster equity is through intercultural listening, which can provide a unique opportunity to increase intercultural awareness by engaging in the practice of empathy. Educators must interrogate how to deepen our commitment to supporting historically minoritized students and evaluate how we show up to deeply value their diverse perspectives. The authors (1) introduce the concepts of intercultural listening as a practice for educators to reconsider how to build relationships with diverse students across sociocultural boundaries, (2) discuss traditional conceptualizations of empathy as the cornerstone of the field of intercultural learning, (3) present a conceptual framework for developing critical empathy, and (4) discuss application to the field of higher education.