ABSTRACT
Multiculturalism has become a central discourse in the struggle over issues regarding national identity, the construction of historical memory, the purpose of schooling, and the meaning of democracy. This chapter analyzes how a broader definition of pedagogy can be used to address how the production of knowledge, social identities, and social relations might challenge the racist assumptions and practices that inform variety of cultural sites, including but not limited to the public and private spheres of schooling. It shifts the discussion of multiculturalism to a pedagogical terrain in which relations of power and racialized identities become paramount as part of a language of critique and possibility. The chapter argues that educators need to rethink the politics of multiculturalism as part of a broader attempt to engage the world of public and global politics. It suggests that public schooling and higher education are crucial sites in which the relationship between multiculturalism and democracy should be acknowledged and incorporated into the curriculum.
