Probing Beneath Meanings of Multicultural Education

Abstract

Around the world, interest in variations of multicultural education appears to be growing due to factors such as immigration and increased integration of the global economy. As terms like “culture” and “multicultural education” move from one national context to another, it is important to pay attention to the steering role that such terms play in framing problems, constructing discourse communities, and subsequently shaping practice in schools. In this paper, I probe meanings that lie below the surface of four conceptions of multicultural education in a global context, and their implications for curriculum. I distinguish between these four conceptions using two perpendicular axes. One axis differentiates between emphasis on cultural difference, and emphasis on equity and social justice. The other axis differentiates between a nationbound perspective and a global perspective. I briefly present “ideal types” of each conception of multicultural education in terms of underlying assumptions, ideas and actions each authorizes, and which discourse communities tend to promote and benefit most from each, illustrating with examples. The four “ideal types” can be called: 1) appreciating the nation’s cultural differences, 2) appreciating international cultural differences, 3) anti-discrimination and social justice, and 4) anti-discrimination and global justice. The purpose of this analysis is to broaden discussions beyond solutions to diversity that may seem obvious in order to prompt broader dialogs about multicultural education curriculum and practice.