QUAREPE: ASYMMETRIES IN (INTER)CULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE LUSOPHONE WORLD

Abstract

In this article, we intend to present a qualitative and descriptive analysis on how the Quadro de Referência para o Ensino Português no Estrangeiro (QuaREPE) deals with the issues of diversity and interculturality. It is important to point out that, in recent decades, there has been a lot of discussion about the importance of developing intercultural competence in foreign language learners. However, in educational practices and teaching materials, the implementation of these precepts is still not a reality. Thus, questions arise on how QuaREPE deals with the cultural issue and to what extent it is intercultural indeed. Therefore, we aim to analyze whether QuaREPE, in fact, establishes an intercultural dialogue between learners, recognizing the cultural diversities. Thereunto, we tabulate all the task commands from the second part of QuaREPE, “Tasks, Activities, Exercises and Resources for Assessment”, analyzing with more details three proposals of activities. Our theoretical approach is constituted by authors such as Kramsch (1998); Byram, Gribkova e Starkey (2002); Bennett (2013); and Agar (1994), among others. As a preliminary result, we point out that the QuaREPE (guiding document) adopts a Eurocentric perspective, promoting only the Portuguese culture. Thus, it is a document that presents unsuccessful practices regarding the effective development of intercultural awareness.