ABSTRACT
Using schools as a vehicle for passing on a single culture based on either Western traditions (Bloom’s argument) or a set of standards for cultural literacy (Hirsch’s argument) creates problems for cultures that have been subjected to domination by outsiders or whose members are immigrants in nations where they make up only a small part of the population. Throughout history, conquerors have tried to force weaker native cultures to adopt their ways. For example, colonialism and imperialism imposed European cultures on the peoples of North and South America. Other examples, among many, include British colonization of India, parts of Africa, and numerous Caribbean islands, and Japanese, French, Russian, Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese empires.
