Cross-cultural challenges and possibilities in early childhood education

Emione (Emmy) Kiriakou’s chapter on cross-cultural challenges in early childhood education in the first and second editions of the Anti-Bias Approach remains highly relevant to contemporary practices in early childhood centres. With a focus on self-awareness of one’s own cultural identity and communicating effectively with families and community, Kiriakou’s scholarship provides an important basis for continuing discussions about awareness, action and activism in cross-cultural work. In this chapter, we focus on self-reflexivity as a starting point for cross-cultural work and question the facility of cultural competence frameworks in contemporary early childhood education policy. The recent doctoral research of both authors is drawn upon to demonstrate how self-authorship can aid self-reflexive practices and intercultural competence (Mascadri), and how racism can continue to operate in cross-cultural work that is viewed as inclusive and high quality (Miller). In response to the Australian context, we draw attention to the importance of recognising the histories, cultures and languages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as central to cross-cultural work.