This event is the third discussion in the ‘Debating Multiculturalism’ panel discussion series: four discussions led by prominent academics and practitioners exploring and evaluating multiculturalism as an ideology and political project.
This particular panel will focus on the relationship between multiculturalism and education, an area profoundly affected by the policies of multiculturalism, and one playing a key role in determining the dynamics of a diverse society. Exploring the impact of multiculturalism on the UK education system will feed into the evaluation of multiculturalism as a political project. The challenges of educating a culturally diverse population will also be considered more generally, and the merits of different practical approaches to these challenges will be discussed.
In this discussion principal speaker Dr Richard Race and discussants Dr Ömer Sener and Ms Melanie Bashor will address the following questions:
- How far, and in what ways, has multiculturalism as a political project affected the UK education system?
- What does ‘multicultural education’ mean?
- What practical difficulties are faced in implementing ‘multicultural education’? How could they be overcome?
- What existing or possible initiatives will promote equality, respect for diversity and social cohesion?
- To ensure that children develop healthy attitudes towards people who are culturally different, should education pay more attention to cultural difference, or less?
