Global Constructions of Multicultural Education

Introduction

This book tells us how various global regions are dealing with three major concerns within the field of multicultural education:

the conceptualization and realization of "difference" and "diversity";

the inclusion and exclusion of social groups within a definition of multicultural education; and

the effects of power on relations between and among groups identified under the multicultural education umbrella.

All of the chapter authors pay attention to these themes, but, at the same time, they bring their particular interests and perspectives to the book, addressing issues, such as linguistic, racial, ethnic, and religious diversity; class; educational inequalities; teacher education; conceptualizations of citizenship; and questions of identity construction. In addition, the authors offer both historical and social contexts for their analytical discussion of the ideals and practices of multicultural education in a particular region.

This is not a book that tells us about multicultural education with an international "twist"; it provides readers with different ways to think, talk, and do research about issues of "diversity," "difference," and the effects of power as they relate to education.