Thinking multicultural education ‘otherwise’ – from a secularist construction towards a plurality of epistemologies and worldviews

Abstract

This article examines educational, political and philosophical perspectives on the concepts of worldview and religion in the context of multicultural education. Using a postcolonial and post-structural approach combined with theories that analyse the politics of secularism, we attempt to pinpoint key perspectives in the recognition of worldviews in the current discourse on liberal multiculturalism. We suggest that the liberal-secular foundation of multicultural education is blind to practices, which, while supposedly based on political neutrality, are discriminating and 'Othering' towards religions and non-Western worldviews. Through theoretical and contextual analysis, we aim to deconstruct the 'Otherness' of religious worldviews at the epistemic level.

Negotiations on Inclusive Citizenship in a Post-secular School: Perspectives of “Cultural Broker” Muslim Parents and Teachers in Finland and Sweden

“…In the field of education, criticism of the secular normativity of schools and the liberal-secular foundation of multicultural education have emerged against the backdrop of the notion of post-secularity. The banning of headscarves in French public schools, in particular, has raised intense debates (see e.g., Fernando, 2010), but in the Nordic context, too, scholars have criticized the othering of non-secular and non-Western worldviews in educational thinking and practices (see e.g., Berglund, 2017;Poulter, Riitaoja, & Kuusisto, 2016). In this study, post-secularity is understood in terms of the emergence of a pluralistic public sphere.…”

“…The present combination of Protestantism and secularism in the Nordic context could be called "secular Lutheranism" (Poulter et al, 2016). In both countries strong ideals of ideological neutrality in education exist, while the mediation of fundamental national values based on liberal Protestant secularism often emerges as a central educational aim.…”

Encountering Worldviews: Pupil Perspectives on Integrative Worldview Education in a Finnish Secondary School Context

“…Rather, when addressing the question of how worldviews are positioned in education, we stress the importance of viewing 'religious' and 'non-religious' worldviews together -especially their intersections. 23 The concept of worldview is used in this study to refer to various interpretations of the world and ways of life that are individual in nature but also become communal when shared with other individuals. 24 They also entail a particular ontological, epistemological and ethical orientation to the world.…”

The multicultural and multi-religious Norwegian kindergarten

“…Staff members come from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. As Poulter et al (2015) states, the Western standpoint is not shared by all Westerners, and there are differences between individuals within communities and societies (p. 13). Each individual represents a particular, unique worldview, and kindergartens in Norway are diverse when it comes to representing the cultures and worldviews of staff members, parents, and children.…”

“…Another study explores religious education in the KTE in Germany, Nordic countries and Austria (Schweitzer and Biesinger 2015), while Sturla Sagberg has examined related matters in Norway (2011,2012,2013) and also conducted a comparative study (2003). Saila Poulter et al (2015) have examined different perspectives on the concepts of worldview and religion in the context of multicultural education. And Kuusisto and Lamminmäki-Vartia (2012) have looked at the moral foundation of the Finnish KTE and compared it with empirical findings from kindergartens in Finland.…”