SOCIO-CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF POLICULTURAL EDUCATION APPEARING

Abstract

In modern society a certain social processes occur. That is, the complicated socio-economic and political transformation of global scale is associated with the processes of globalization. Unity of mankind and the formation of human culture became a reason of appearing of the phenomenon of multicultural education.In modern scientific literature on this issue a different meanings (multiculturalism poly-culturalizm, inter-culturalizm, transculturalizm, etc.) are found. There is no unity in their interpretation.In our research the terms «policultural society», «the policy of multiculturalism» and «policultural education» will be used. We are distinguishing and defining them as it follows.Defining the essence of the concept of «policultural society» we based on the generally definition concept of «society». But attention in definition was focused on the diversity of cultures.In aspects of our research, we analyze the society that has geographic boundaries (border), a common legislative system and a certain socio-cultural unity. Unity is a reflection of the integrity of the existence of various cultural communities (including ethnic) in the nation.Multicultural society is characterized by such basic features as territory, social structure, autonomy and self-sufficiency, social and cultural unity – typical of the multicultural society.The concept of «multiculturalism» we use in it most common sense, that is – in the meaning of public policy.The concept «multiculturalism» appeared in Canada in 1960, in the process of searching the ways to solve the conflict between Quebec nationalism and English Canada. Multiculturalism was officially politically accepted in 1971. In the European political and academic vocabulary «multiculturalism» came in the middle of 80-s, but it was not an expression of official policy.The problem of intercultural interaction is now in the focus of not only politicians, philosophers, sociologists and culturologists, but also educational community. The trends of developing of modern society have created the necessity of direction of national policies on the development of the educational sector, which would be based on the principles of universalization. In this regard, in many countries of the world, the multicultural education has become the leading development strategy of multicultural society.