Todd, Sharon
(2011)
Educating Beyond Cultural Diversity: Redrawing
the Boundaries of a Democratic Plurality.
Studies in Philosophy and Education, 30 (2).
pp. 101-111.
ISSN 0039-3746
Abstract
In this paper I draw some distinctions between the terms ‘‘cultural diversity’’ and
‘‘plurality’’ and argue that a radical conception of plurality is needed in order both to reimagine
the boundaries of democratic education and to address more fully the political
aspects of conflict that plurality gives rise to. This paper begins with a brief exploration of the
usages of the term diversity in European documents that promote intercultural education as a
democratic vehicle for overcoming social conflict between different cultural groups. In
contradistinction to these usages, this paper calls for a more robust conception of plurality,
one that does not simply denote membership in different cultural groupings but is rooted in
the human condition and based on a conception of uniqueness. Following the work of Hannah
Arendt and feminist philosopher Adriana Cavarero, I explore how the appearance of unique
beings in specific contexts can be understood as an eminently political act and I contend that
such a view leads to a better educational understanding of conflict and contestation. The paper
sketches the contours of democratic plurality along this line of thought and discusses how
these new boundaries have implications for education’s relation to democracy.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
Hannah Arendt; Adriana Cavarero; Education; Diversity; Democracy;
Politics; Europe; Uniqueness; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > Education |
| Item ID: |
8546 |
| Depositing User: |
Prof. Sharon Todd
|
| Date Deposited: |
01 Aug 2017 16:59 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Studies in Philosophy and Education |
| Publisher: |
Springer Verlag |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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