Educación, justicia social y multiculturalismo: teoría y práctica en el aula

Abstract

After almost fifty years from the appearance of the term “multicultural education” in the United States, this research wants to show the current trend in this area, after the review of the most recent literature published in prestigious international journals and editorials. Multicultural education is going to be associated with social justice. It refers refers not only to a critical interrogation of power and privilege, but also to acts that intentionally disrupt or respond to systemic oppression towards no-hegemonic groups. A very clarifying example of implementation in the classroom is included in this paper. This proposal encourages a new kind of teacher that gives a great value to dialogue and students´ participation; offers them opportunities to commit to fighting against discrimination; to linking ethical values with political actions; and to applying ideas of justice, autonomy, and reciprocity. This work concludes emphasizing the need to develop this methodology in education aimed at a social transformation supported by values such as active respect, freedom, equity, and social justice. To summarize education requires a perspective that recognizes human diversity as normal. This is very important, bearing in mind the drastic increase of economic, social, and cultural inequality that tends to provoke feelings of humiliation and disrespect in disadvantaged groups. It is a situation that hinders a peaceful democratic coexistence.