ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the theoretical contours of and debates within multiculturalism. It proposes a fundamental distinction between a normative and a constructive multiculturalism. The chapter probes the occurrence of any crisis in the field of multiculturalism in the United States and European Union (EU). It refers multiculturalism as the dominant version of the struggle to incorporate diversity into the United States, and interculturalism as the dominant model for assessing diversity in EU schools. The chapter reflects on the compatibility of multiculturalism policies and civic integration, arguing that more liberal forms of civic integration can be combined with multiculturalism, but that more illiberal or coercive forms are incompatible with a multicultural approach. It focuses on the learning experience across borders, which is well represented in international comparative education studies. A social justice–oriented inter/multicultural education is necessary for overcoming the contradictory implementation of current multicultural policies and practices.
