multiculturalism
The debate on multiculturalism is a discourse that represents, interprets and evaluates social experiences of diversity and difference. It was articulated in the construction of multiculturalism social identities, in opposition to the homogenizing strategies of modernity. It has made culture, identity and politics the central categories of public dialogue on difference, thereby giving them new meanings. The three main content approaches to the concept of multiculturalism are: 1. the treatment of the cultural diversity of consumer society as a fact; 2. the normative conception of pedagogy that emphasises intercultural education, respect for different cultures, and the representation of minorities and different identities; 3. presented as a state ideology (in Canada and Australia). In these countries diversity is also institutionally promoted through pluralistic restructuring of national institutions and the creation of minority institutional frameworks that ensure equal opportunities in society and are compatible with the political unity of the state. Critical multiculturalism aims to critically deconstruct the ethnically homogenizing nation-state and its exclusivist values and social patterns, and to represent and acknowledge previously marginalized experiences and identities.