Reclaiming Tension for Inter’ality

This chapter reframes tension as an essential force in ICER. The author continues to critique the dominant emphasis on, e.g., harmony, togetherness and conflict resolution, arguing that discomfort, mis-/non-communication and/or friction are not failures but vital opportunities to expose hidden power structures and assumptions. Introducing new concepts such as bias tremors, glitch revelations and shadow dialogues, the chapter provides a basic toolkit for educators and researchers to detect, analyse and harness interpersonal and systemic friction. It advocates for a pedagogical shift from avoiding tension to dwelling within it, thereby transforming moments of unease into pedagogical moments for critical consciousness and potentially more equitable intercultural praxis.