Two polarised logics co-exist in international research and programming on quality teaching and learning. One logic understands pedagogy as embedded in its cultural, structural, political and historical contexts. In contrast, an interventionist agenda seeks solutions to the improvement of teaching practice, and isolates it and its influences in order to understand what works to improve learning outcomes. The borders between these two epistemic communities have hardened in the post-COVID, mid-SDG period. In the current quest for ready solutions, our field has never felt so divided. This article is based on the 2024 BAICE Presidential Address. After mapping these borders, it suggests strategies for de-bordering and re-bordering this field. De-bordering means overcoming epistemic hubris and acknowledging the strengths and the weaknesses of these approaches. Re-bordering means thinking differently about how pedagogical researchers, policymakers and programmers work together; it also means thinking differently about scale, community, and what is important.