ABSTRACT
In South Africa public debate about multiculturalism and multicultural education has not been very prominent. This might be thought to be an anomaly. South Africa is, after all, a ‘plural society’ with a vengeance; a ‘rainbow people’ in the process of escaping the dark clouds of its history.2 South Africa comprises a breathtaking diversity of more or less recently imported cultures, almost a complete range of racial groups, eleven official languages and very high discrepancies between rich and poor. How might we explain the apparent anomaly that in this diverse society multiculturalism has not (yet, perhaps) become a major issue for debate? Here is a possible explanation.
