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SUMMARY:'Has multiculturalism failed?' Challenging representations of diff
 erence in schools. - Dr. Caroline Howarth\, LSE
DTSTART:20130514T120000Z
DTEND:20130514T130000Z
UID:TALK44425@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Nik Darshane
DESCRIPTION:From discussions running in politics and the media around the 
 world\, it would seem that many agree that multiculturalism has failed - b
 ut this could be because of perceptions of increased racist hostilities an
 d decreased cultural tolerance as much as perceptions of increased cultura
 l tolerance\, particularly towards Islamic values and practices. Part of t
 he problem is that there is an array of competing definitions of multicult
 uralism. Rather than assume or impose one particular definition\, it is es
 sential for social policy and public debate to rest on a more in-depth kno
 wledge of the different ways 'ordinary people' relate to multiculturalism 
 in practice\, in the context of their everyday lives. For these reasons\, 
 we should not assume a definition of multiculturalism\, but rather seek to
  understand how people 'in the everyday' understand multiculturalism\, how
  they talk about it and how they experience it.  That is\, we need is a So
 cial Psychology of multiculturalism that highlights the relationship betwe
 en identity and representations of difference and examines the possibiliti
 es for dialogue and engagement across assumed 'differences'. It is importa
 nt to examine social contexts where ideas and practices about multicultura
 lism are particularly salient and to assess how they promote or inhibit en
 gagement and dialogue. In this paper we give examples of different practic
 es in schools across England that relate to and sometimes challenge repres
 entations of difference and discourses on multiculturalism. These examples
  show that it is vital to investigate how wider social contexts shape the 
 construction of social and cultural identities\, and the systems of everyd
 ay knowledge in which they are rooted. We suggest that a social psychologi
 cal approach to multiculturalism has much to offer to contemporary academi
 c and political discussions by drawing attention to the lived realties of 
 cultural diversity\, the tensions that are associated with it and the ways
  in which differences are bridged in social encounters.
LOCATION:PPSIS Seminar Room (Free School Lane)
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