Language Diversity in the Classroom - ymerleksi - home

Multiculturalism and Multicultural Education 207it is not always correct to read into them any great respect for diversity.They are sometimes rather grudging accommodations arising from theforce of circumstance, politically opportunistic reflexes in settings where‘ethnics’ are voting citizens or, indeed, attempts to block the activities ofstronger minority groups by formulating minority-group policy in ablanket fashion. Apparently democratic responses that purport toconsider the needs of all groups large or small, strong or weak canactually be a clever way of obviating or diluting meaningful actions forany of them. French governments, for instance, have used this sort ofdivide-and-conquer approach in dealings with minority groups in thehexagone: a continuation of the historically traditional centralization. In arecent variant, the primary player in la francophonie has appealed to otherlanguage communities to help it stand firm against the homogenizingevils of global anglicization. It is quite clear, however, that another aspectof French tradition is at work here. That is, while France continues to carevery little for any language other than its own, it is desperate to enlistwhatever help it can get for something that it does care a great dealabout: its own linguistic loss of place in the world.It is clear that any discussion of multiculturalism is one that may meanquite different things in different quarters. There have always been, ofcourse, strong and disinterested sentiments supportive of cultural andlinguistic pluralism. On the one hand, some groups may legitimately feelthat their cultures are under threat from powerful neighbors. If arevitalized ‘internal’ monoculturalism is no longer seen as practical, anaccommodation that allows some cultural duality can then be seen as anattractive option. Such a posture is likely to become more prominent intimes like our own, when a pervasive global ‘monoculture’ casts its longshadow over all others. On the other hand, however, one need not be amember of a group whose language and culture is at (real or perceived)risk, to endorse some sort of pluralistic perspective. Just as educatedpeople have always been interested in learning other languages, so anunderstanding of cultures other than one’s own has always been a markof enlightenment. Just as all well-rounded programs of educationtraditionally gave an honored place to languages modern and classical,so all such programs took learners beyond the confines of their owncultural immediacy. Although formal language learning in anglophonesocieties is obviously not what it once was, the cross-cultural componentsof education remain as central as ever, and this is so, even when they arenot specifically identified as such. All education, by its very nature,transcends the time and place in which it finds itself. All good educationis multicultural.