Multiculturalism Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

This multiliteracies-oriented test is currently being used in intermediate Italian courses at a large public university in the southwestern United States. It was designed to replace the traditional oral assessments that are question-answer based, during which learners are providing predictable short answers to predictable, predetermined questions. In the multiliteracies-oriented test presented here, students perform tasks designed using the pedagogy of multiliteracies (Cope & Kalantzis, 2009; Kern, 2000; New London Group, 1996). A multiliteracies framework perceives learning as a process of discovery (Paesani, Allen, & Dupuy, 2015, p. 23), and learners are not only preparing for an assessment, but they are also engaging in forethought, design, and reflection while reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

This article presents an qualitative case study of a recent educational development project 1,2 Fellaskóli in Breiðholt, which took place during the 2012-2013 academic year. Fellaskóli is in many ways unique as nearly half of the student population speaks a language other than Icelandic at home. One of the main purposes of the project, 1, 2 and Fellaskóli, is to intertwine school and after-school programs in an effort to improve reading, language and social skills for six and seven year old students. The opportunity for greater exposure to an Icelandic speaking environment through the lengthening and combining of the school and after-school program is part of a broader project in the neighborhood to support and improve resident experiences. In the spring of 2012, the school received funding and subsequently lengthened the school day and hired classroom aides who were placed in the classrooms during the school day and who then took charge of the children during the after-school program times.
This article begins with a discussion of the theoretical underpinnings of the evaluation project, where the authors explore recent research on school and after-school care, its melding, the importance of socialization for children, as well as a discussion of education in a multicultural context and active bilingualism as it informs the discussion of the results of the research. The researchers interviewed employees, children and parents to better understand their school and after-school experiences as well as conducting a number of site visits which included tours of the school grounds lead by students and extensive document reviews. Student and parent interviews were audio recorded for further analysis and parent focus groups included interpreters in order to facilitate discussion.
The findings indicate high parental satisfaction with the new program as parents noted the improved opportunity students had to build social contacts both with adults and other children. However, parent involvement was low and cultural and language barriers seemed to hinder active parent-teacher cooperation. Many parents noted they valued the multicultural learning environment the school offered although a few noted there had been small racial incidents between students. Both teachers and support staff found that the work day often did not allow for enough time to collaboratively work on development of curriculum and activities. Furthermore, support staff indicated that they would have liked more input in the development of the project. Classroom support staff indicated they often could not find enough time in the day to plan activities for the afterschool programs and were often left out of meetings relevant to the project. Over all, the children reported satisfaction with the changes in the program, and neither the parents nor the children reported significant tiredness due to the length of the school day. Children made a clear distiction between the role of the teacher and the support staff, and noted that they apprieciated that some of the staff was with them through out the day into the after school time. However, the children also pointed out areas for improvement, as they noted how loud and disorganized the transition between school and the after-school area was. Overall the researchers concluded that a signficiant effort was being made in regard to improving children´s language and readings skills as well as addressing the varied social and cultural needs of the students. The authors also noted various areas that the school administrators and teachers can focus on for improvement. The article concludes with a discussion of the practical and academic lessons to be drawn from this project.

The Jewish peoples have endured thousands of years of discrimination and subjugation, yet during this new millennium, Jews and antisemitism are conspicuously absent from university ethnic studies classroom discourse in the United States. Those scholars, determined to penetrate the walls of the multicultural education stronghold, are met with an ebb and flow of silence and vociferous resistance. A primary rationale for multiculturalists ignoring antisemitism appears to be the Zionist question and how they, themselves, perceive Israel's relationship with Palestine. This qualitative case study analyzed interviews of six prominent scholars in the areas of multiculturalism, history, and Judaism through a critical pedagogical lens. Throughout this paper, the author explores his personal experiences in regard to educational multiculturalists and the dismissal of Jews as a persecuted group. From discourse analysis of themes and recurrent meanings in the data, it is evident that the majority of study participants believe that Israel's behavior toward the Palestinians is unacceptable, yet that does not justify the large-scale generalizations of the Jewish people in the United States. As a result, this paper argues for the inclusion of the Jewish experience into university multicultural discourse.

- by Daniel Rubin
- •
- Ethnic Studies, Multiculturalism, Jewish Studies, Diversity

Although scholars tend to draw a line of confrontation between the conquerors Normans and the conquered Muslims and Greeks in the kingdom of Sicily, the actual relationship among these people was not so simple. In the kingdom there was a relatively developed bureaucracy staffed by officials with varied cultural backgrounds. The kings and these bureaucrats took a stand against the aristocrats, who had solely Latin Christian backgrounds. In fact, the keynote of the political history of the kingdom was a process in which the kings together with bureaucrats held down the aristocrats and cities of the peninsula. The kings and bureaucrats, who had different cultural backgrounds but were highly educated and cultured, took a stand against aristocrats who were not well cultured but trained as warriors. However, this line of confrontation was visible only during the peacetime. During the wartime, a line of confrontation was drawn within aristocrats and cities that had military power. Aristocrats and cities were divided into a pro-king group and an anti-king one, and fought amongst each other, while bureaucrats were usually on the side of the kings. This suggests that even the mighty Norman kings supported by the bureaucrats were by no means absolute. The strong Norman kingship of Sicily was in fact only made possible by a delicate balance of power among aristocrats, cities, and bureaucrats.

- by Hiroshi Takayama
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- Multiculturalism, Medieval History, Medieval Studies, State Formation
- by Liz Jackson
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- International Relations, Multiculturalism, International Law, Human Rights

In this chapter, we analyze the idea of “best practice” in early childhood education through a cultural framework. We explore the notion of best practice as a cultural construct, contextualized within discourses of developmental appropriateness, child-centerness, and individualism. Further, drawing upon cross-cultural evidence on theories and practices early childhood education, we suggest alternative assumptions about the nature of children’s selves and adult-child relations to those that are currently ground ideas about best practices in the US. Lastly, we urge educators to reconsider the position of children in adult discourses of literacy and early childhood by attention to the lens through which we view children, as well as by careful attention to the ways best practice is formulated in different cultures and societies around the world.

- by Chenyu Wang and +1
- •
- Multiculturalism, Early Childhood Education, Anthropology of Education

In this paper I discuss in a critical manner what I believe to be some of the more interesting contributions of Anthony Steinbock’s book Home and Beyond: Generative Phenomenology after Husserl. I will thus refer mainly to his clarification of the constitution of familiar and alien objects or states of affairs through appropriation and transgression. In connection with this I will try to put forward some of the advantages and implications of a phenomenological approach to the problem of historicity in terms of generativity. However, I will also discuss some of the limitations and problems of Steinbock’s approach. I believe that most if not all of these problems are related to his understanding of the relationship between static, genetic and generative phenomenological methods. Therefore I will devote some lines to discuss this issue and to rethink some of Steinbock’s main theses under the light of another way of understanding the relationship between these methods as well as the task of the philosophical inquiry proposed by phenomenology.

- by Esteban Marín Ávila
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- Philosophy Of Language, Communication, Multiculturalism, Typology

The book charts the attempts of Islam's largest missionary movement, the Tablighi Jamaat (TJ), to build Europe's biggest mosque in London – the so-called Mega Mosque. The book follows TJ from its founding in India in 1926, to its establishment in Britain during the 1940s, to its plans for construction of a controversial mosque in London. The book addresses the issues emerging at the forefront of national debates across liberal democracies: the role of Islam in the west, conceptions of changing citizenship and national identities, and how best to integrate increasingly diverse populations. What happens to illiberal and politically disengaged groups that wish to segregate themselves from what they regard as corrupt and immoral wider societies? How do these groups engage with government policy that seeks to define good citizens as those that are actively engaged in the socio-political life of the community? Zacharias Pieri provides context and insight to answer these and other important questions.

- by Zacharias Pieri
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- New Religious Movements, Sociology, Political Sociology, Social Movements

This article addresses girls' dress, which has become controversial, especially in contemporary multicultural Europe. Using the Dutch public debate about the headscarf, belly shirts, visible G-strings, and other forms of ‘porno-chic’, the authors show that these seemingly separate debates are held together by the regulation of female sexuality. Through their analysis of the headscarves and porno-chic debate, the authors argue that women's sexuality and girls' bodies in particular have become the metonymic location for many a contemporary social dilemma: of the multicultural society when it concerns the scarf, of feminism and public morality when it concerns porno-chic. They conclude that despite the widely different appearance of girls wearing headscarves or porno-chic, both groups of girls are submitted to the meta-narratives of dominant discourse: the state, school, public opinion, parents and other social institutions ‘resignify’ their everyday practices as inappropriate, and reprieve them from the power to define their own actions.

- by Linda Duits and +1
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- Gender Studies, Multiculturalism, Women's Studies, Gender and Sexuality

ABSTRACT
In this paper, we study for the first time the unpublished multilingual poetry written by Sanandrean linguist Oakley Forbes. We also explore his role in
the translation of Juan Ramírez Dawkins’ poems. In these two unknown aspects of Forbes’ life, we trace the relationship between writing and translation
in his double role as translator and self-translator. This study shows that writing and translating are two spheres present both in his role as a translator
of Ramírez Dawkins’ works and as a translator of his own works. When he collaborated with Ramírez Dawkins in the translation of the latter’s works,
he had the freedom to rewrite and to adapt the text in order to re-spatialize it to the writer’s other audience. The same happened with the translation of
his own poetic work, which, being written in several languages, reflects the richness and paradoxes of the encounters of diverse cultures.
Keywords: Oakley Forbes. Collaborative Translation. Self-translation. Caribbean Poetry. Literary multilingualism.

- by Andres Arboleda
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- Multiculturalism, Translation Studies, Multilingualism, Caribbean Literature

Many social theorists have suggested that we are currently living in a period in which the identities of the past are becoming increasingly irrelevant and in which new identities, and new identity formations, are being created. The major identity colossus forged in the nineteenth century, and subsequently spread over much of the globe - nation-state identity - has been the subject of particular debate; and theorists have attempted to identify alternative, post-national (in the sense of post-nation-statist) identity constructions. The proliferation of museums in the nineteenth century was undoubtedly closely bound up with the formation and solidification of nation-states in, and subsequently beyond, Western Europe. A crucial question for museums today concerns their role in a world in which nation- statist identities are being challenged. Are they too inextricably entangled in ‘old’ forms of identity to be able to express ‘new’ ones?
How and why museums are able to act as manifestations of identity or sites for the contestation of identities requires a ‘denaturalizing’ of the concept of ‘identity’. That is, we need to be able to see our notions of particular identities, including ‘national identity’, not as universal but as historically and culturally specific. What is entailed in even ‘thinking’ and ‘doing’ ‘the nation’ or ‘the public’? And what role have museums played in such ‘thinking’ and ‘doing’? What is it about museums that makes them suitable - and sometimes not so suitable - for certain identity ‘work’?
The article proceeds as follows. I begin with a brief outline of the identity work of the nineteenth-century museum and with a focus on the articulation of ‘the nation-state’ and ‘the public’. My concern here is with the relationship between the museum as a cultural form with particular technologies of representation, and with the kinds of identities that this form helped not only to express but also to constitute. The second part of the article turns to arguments by social theorists that many former identities are in the process of radical transformation, of fragmentation and disembedding and considers their implications for museums. If the nation-state and the kind of ‘public’ with which it was associated are on the brink of obsolescence, then what future is there for museums? Are museums perhaps too intimately linked up with material- and place- rooted, homogeneous and bounded, conceptions of identity to be able to address some of the emerging identity dilemmas of the ‘second modern age’ or ‘late modernity’? Of course, this account of identity transformation may be wrong or exaggerated, and there are social theorists who would argue thus. Rather than address this problem directly, however, what I suggest here is that museums - because of their longstanding and central roles in the articulation of identity - are significant sites in which to examine such claims. In the third part of the article I discuss one example of an attempt to articulate a post- national, trans-cultural identity complex. The final part of the article draws upon this to reconsider the potential of museums for articulating new, postnational and transcultural identities in late modernity or the second modern age.

- by Sharon Macdonald
- •
- Multiculturalism, Western Europe, Globalization, National Identity

This study examines the influence of acculturation and language on the emotional response of three print advertisements (English, Spanish, Code Switched) through an experimental methodology founded on the Revised Hierarchical and the Conceptual Feature Models. The advertising treatments and surveys were administered to a convenience sample of 272 respondents in a large southwestern metropolitan area from five local Hispanic churches. The Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics was used to measure acculturation (Low, High, Bicultural). Emotional responses to the print advertisements were measured using the Emotional Quotient Scale and the condensed Reaction Profile. Results revealed some significant differences in advertising preferences. Results also suggested that a code-switched advertisement could be both culturally relevant and appropriate for reaching the majority of the Hispanic market. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

- by Cynthia Nichols and +1
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- Multiculturalism, Advertising, Consumer Behavior, Hispanic Linguistics
- by Ghassan Hage
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- Sociology, Cultural Studies, Anthropology, Multiculturalism

The rising trend of outsourcing IT projects to countries with more economical workforce and considerable time differential, has given rise to a host of problems relating teamwork. Co-location, which was once considered an effective teamwork tool is now getting lost in the crowd of telecommuters and offshore distributed teams. The reliance on electronic media has even replaced the need for face-to-face communication and even help desks are now located offshore. This paper focuses on the multinational and multicultural issues faced by outsourcing companies and their offshore partners, especially in IT projects. How to bridge the wide communication gap and make offshore IT Project a sure success is the theme of this paper. Case studies from India, Pakistan and other potential offshore partners are discussed to extract best practices. Asia is considered to be the offshore heaven for IT projects being outsourced from USA, Canada and even UK. Where cheaper workforce is one major consideration, the time zone difference of 8-10 hours contributes positively towards outsourcing medical/legal transcription and call center businesses. English being the second spoken language in Asia, the accent of people from Asia is very adaptable to the native accents of USA, Canada and UK. The problems rise when the cultural and national abnormalities and habits cause differences and such projects face disaster. Only if both the nations can understand each other better psychologically and culturally, this gap can easily be bridged, thus assuring success to such IT Projects.

- by Suhail Iqbal and +1
- •
- Multiculturalism, Virtual Environments, Project Management, Multinational
- by Audrey Osler and +1
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- Multiculturalism, Human Rights, Human Rights Education, Child Rights
- by Bernardo M Ferdman
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- Multiculturalism, Diversity, Intergroup Relations, Diversity & Inclusion

The European Union (EU) has closely correlated different aspects of the peace process in Bosnia with progress towards European accession. The ‘power of attraction’ of EU membership would presumably induce the Bosnian authorities to accept the adaptation costs of political and economic transformation. However, the Europeanisation approach has not produced the expected results. The track record of the EU’s policies towards Bosnia represents a paradigmatic case of what would happen if almost nothing works as efficiently as in the case of the countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007. The article investigates the causes of EU policy failure in Bosnia and claims that the EU has not effectively responded to three challenges: 1) adjust the process to the needs of an ethnically divided post-war state; 2) preserve the credibility of accession conditionality, and 3) convey the proper messages on how to comply with EU rules. Therefore, the article argues for a more cohesive and consistent EU approach towards Bosnia.

Given the prominence of Muslim veils—in particular the hijab and full-face veil—in public discourse concerning the place of Muslims in Western society, we examined their impact on non-Muslims’ responses at both explicit and implicit levels. Results revealed that responses were more negative toward any veil compared with no veil, and more negative toward the full-face veil relative to the hijab: for emotions felt toward veiled women (Study 1), for non-affective attitudinal responses (Study 2), and for implicit negative attitudes revealed through response latency measures (Studies 3a and 3b). Finally, we manipulated the perceived reasons for wearing a veil, finding that exposure to positive reasons for wearing a veil led to better predicted and imagined contact (Study 4). Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

- by Brian D . Earp
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- Religion, Comparative Religion, Cultural History, Sociology
- by Milena Doytcheva
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- Multiculturalism, Diversity, Migration, Discrimination

Among the deficiencies demonstrated by the world financial crisis of 2008–9, one was the limited capacity of G-8 to provide for global economic governance. The developed economies quickly realised that they should seek joint solutions and coordinated policies in cooperation with the leading emerging-market economies. As a result, the G-20 turned into the main forum for managing the crisis. This in fact pointed to an early institutional acknowledgement that important changes were underway in the global distribution of power. These changes derive from the substantially higher growth rates of the emerging-market economies in comparison with those of the developed economies, a trend named ‘the rise of the rest’ (Zakaria, 2008, pp. 2–3).

- by Nikolaos Tzifakis
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- Geography, Political Geography and Geopolitics, Latin American Studies, Law

This article argues that the post-Dayton political organisation of Bosnia represents an exemplary illustration of the difficulties associated with the empirical application of the pluralist model of “consociational democracy”. The country’s political system has been predicated on the existence of consensus and the spirit of cooperation among the three ethnic groups without, however, offering any electoral or political incentives to their leaderships to cooperate. Also, the inclusion of several elements to the Dayton accords of a partition approach to conflict resolution has even encouraged the ethnic leaderships to maintain their nationalistic programs and their endeavours to exploit the aforementioned power-sharing arrangements. Indeed, the structural deficiencies of the Dayton agreement have permitted nationalists to continue implementing their ethnic
agendas and have accounted for the slow progress towards the implementation of the Bosnian peace process. Therefore, this article elaborates on the international policies in Bosnia, aimed at transforming the country into a viable multiethnic state, and highlights the significance of motivations for implementing the peace process.

- by Nikolaos Tzifakis
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- History, Social Movements, International Relations, Multiculturalism
- by Nikolaos Tzifakis
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- Languages, Eastern European Studies, European Studies, International Relations

This paper strives to reread and recontextualise the ideas of Ibn Khaldun on diversity, group feeling and political legitimacy, most specifically within the contemporary context of nation-state. Ibn Khaldun states, "A dynasty rarely establishes itself firmly in lands with many different tribes and groups". A high level of diversity (with no social cohesion), is regarded as a peril rather than a promise, most particularly to the stability of the state or dynasty. This paper address the following problems: (a) what societal cultures which contribute to the Indonesian nation-building; (b) how do the minority groups perceive their belonging to the nation and how do they respond to the nation-building.

- by Asfa Widiyanto
- •
- Multiculturalism, Ibn Khaldun, Belonging, Nation Building

On the cusp of the third millennium, the debate on tolerance raises new questions with regard to cultural pluralism, economic disparities, and ethnic and religious frictions that have changed our globalized society. With the decline of the tenets of “democratic pluralism” (Wolff 1965), the boundary that separates tolerance from intolerance dwells on a knife-edge, oscillating between an “instrument of domination” (Marcuse 1965) used to control the economic and political power, and a “boomerang” (Adorno 2005 [1954]) through which the abstract rhetoric of egalitarianism wipes out differences, under the guise of a false tolerance. In the light of multicultural policies imbued with Eurocentric principles, tolerance comes then to tally with an “ideological category” (Zizek, 2008) of global-capitalist discourse. Zizek’s critique of the multicultural project echoes Staney Fish’s concept of “boutique multiculturalism” (Fish 1997), a tendency to superficially appreciate other cultural practices without a comprehensive understanding of their differences. According to Gilroy (2004), British multiculturalism is afflicted by “postcolonial melancholia”, a sense of nostalgia for the lost empire which arouses feelings of racism and intolerance against the subjects coming from erstwhile colonies. In the emphasis on the connections between South-Asian migrancy and multiculturalism, Monica Ali’s novel Brick Lane (2003) and Hanif Kureishi’s essays in The World and The Bomb (2005) are key works that epitomize the issues of segregation and alienation within the London South Asian (Muslim) community. Revolving around stereotypes, desire for revenge, intergenerational conflicts, interracial anxieties and cosmopolitan resistance, these texts are symptomatic of the socio-cultural processes generated by globalization and they therefore explore integration and otherness in the controversial British multiculturalism. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on how the conflictual attempts to accommodate by south-Asian migrants have a considerable impact on the thorny question of tolerating differences, above all in the aftermath of September 11.

- by Angelo Monaco
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- Multiculturalism, Migrant Literature, South Asian Literature, Tolerance

The accuracy of t he Cont ent should not be relied upon and should be independent ly verified wit h prim ary sources of inform at ion. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, act ions, claim s, proceedings, dem ands, cost s, expenses, dam ages, and ot her liabilit ies what soever or howsoever caused arising direct ly or indirect ly in connect ion wit h, in relat ion t o or arising out of t he use of t he Cont ent. This art icle m ay be used for research, t eaching, and privat e st udy purposes. Any subst ant ial or syst em at ic reproduct ion, redist ribut ion, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, syst em at ic supply, or dist ribut ion in any form t o anyone is expressly forbidden.

- by Katy Sian
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- Sociology, Multiculturalism, Education, Racism

Este trabalho visa a questionar a interculturalidade, com base no pensamento abissal e da colonialidade. Infelizmente,
esse pensamento ainda está presente na Sociedade Brasileira não nos termos do acordo territorial, mas as negociações
têm imposto a nossa sociedade e reproduzir continuamente. Hoje, esses pensamentos são apresentados no poder do
racismo de maneiras diferentes. Portanto, para entender o tema deste trabalho, foi realizado um estudo da literatura para
entender a raiz do pensamento abissal e sua relação com o multiculturalismo. Este estudo conclui que não há nenhuma
maneira de separar o conceito de construção intercultural do conceito de um postabisal, capaz de superar o conceito
de superioridade ou inferioridade pensamento. Transcender o pensamento mais multicultural, multiculturalismo
incentiva uma interrupção das barreiras abissais, integrando grupos diferentes.

- by Isabela Vieira Barbosa
- •
- Cultural Studies, Epistemology, Multiculturalism, Education

and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.

- by Julia Athena Spinthourakis
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- Sociology, Psychology, Multiculturalism, Intercultural Education

This course worked well in many ways. I used the Thursday lecture slot to do unlectures - getting students to practice things more actively, from kinship charts, to reading and discussing a short article, to learning how to talk to Star... more

- by Alexander D King
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- Anthropology, Teaching and Learning, Multiculturalism, Social Anthropology

Dr David Roberts argues that matters normally prioritized as security issues in international politics, such as terrorism and nuclear weapons, cause very limited harm, and that preventable global infant and maternal mortality, counted in the millions, is dismissed from security agendas by policy makers, who are mostly white, mostly male, and mostly secure. He will argue that the security needs of the most vulnerable do not resonate with the people who determine what security those people can have; and that international law does not apply to the public institutions which most undermine human security. Dr Roberts will propose a fast-working solution to this dilemma that will reduce the scale of deaths substantially almost overnight, and will identify the means by which this change can be effected.

- by Michael Apple
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- Religion, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy

In: Eva Kimminich (Hg.) Kulturelle Identität: Konstruktionen und Krisen. Frankfurt/M. u.a.: Peter Lang 2003: 187-211 (= Welt -Körper -Sprache. Perspektiven kultureller Wahrnehmungs-u. Darstellungsformen, Bd. 3).

- by Richard Shusterman
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- Multiculturalism, Art, Czech language
- by Gino Orticio
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- Multiculturalism, Social Policy, Australia, Ethnicity
- by Ozalle Toms
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- Multiculturalism, Leadership

This paper critically examines football (soccer) fandom as an important yet under-explored site for the production of new understandings of multiculturalism and cultural hybridization. Building on the analytical framework of everyday multiculturalism, we report on ethnographic research undertaken with football fans in Western Sydney, Australia, to analyze the interactions and conflicts between football fans and authorities that surrounded the 2014 Harmony Day celebrations. This paper argues that across the fabric of professional football in Australia, multiculturalism is lived in conflicting ways. It is shown that despite attempts by stakeholders of the game to promote a mainstream 'family-friendly' form of fandom, Western Sydney football fans create new forms of cross-cultural conviviality through their fandom practices that not only reshape their own identities but also challenge the country's official, governmental discourse of multiculturalism and its attendant policies.

- by Jorge Knijnik
- •
- Sociology of Sport, Multiculturalism, Fandom, Urban Sociology

The present study investigates the Swiss constitutional arrangements that have been made to cope with the polarity and multiculturalism in the country since it has come into being. It is a qualitative study based on the data collected through desk study. It further aims at finding out how this fact of multiculturalism has been realized in the constitution and what provisions have been established to accommodate cultural diversities in the country. There are some constitutions which are based on the homogeneity of the culture of the people, which enhances the cultural heritage of the country. A common race, religion and particularly a common language is often considered an essential element to guaranteeing homogeneity. There are some constitutions which are based on a set of universal values uniting all citizens as political being with a specific territory. Finally, immigrating states have to integrate the various cultures of diverse immigrants through integration based on common values. The Swiss constitution has tried to develop a special type of federal state-one that is developed and determined by its multicultural environment. For last 150 years, it has been successful in managing cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious diversities of the country and today Switzerland stands as united.

- by Dr.muhammad issa
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- Multiculturalism

Scientists and non-scientists speak to each other from different cultures without always realizing that they understand ideas differently--including the idea of substance. Scientists have even been told that it is wrong to ask questions, like "how" sacraments work. Beginning with clearer "packaging" of the church's explanations of scripture, Christology, and sacraments, options to bridge that gap emerge. Using allowable explanations from church history, including and especially the Council of Trent's description of Transubstantiation, a legitimate scientific explanation of that wondrous transformation reveals itself as a complementary alternative to the explanation of St. Thomas Aquinas' double miracle description. This helps a lot in the RCIA program.

- by Patrick Dolan
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- Philosophy of Science, Multiculturalism, Theology, Liturgy

Part of the problem with the contemporary museum is that the notion of authority is met with much suspicion. As a result, museums have disguised their authorative voice by shifting the attention from objects to visitors. Museum authority is now framed by the new paradigm of visitor participation, inclusiveness and social change. Although these are laudable efforts, the problem is that they are based on the same old finalizing claims. Drawing from Mikhail Bakhtin’s notion of authority we can recover the museum’s voice, and with that, fundamentally change the visitor’s experience. Bakhtin’s notion of the dialogical implies that authorative discourse happens within all social groups. It demands answerability as words are always said by someone and meant for someone. Dialogue happens only in the space between the utterance and the reply. Therefore, a dialogical museum is not about the pursuit of knowledge, social change or participation per se; it is the experience of dialogic relations that matters most. This is especially relevant in today’s world marked by religious and ethnic conflicts and the rise of cultural intolerance. The new social role for museums requires a heightened awareness of multiculturalism to provide safe havens for meaningful discourse.

- by Conny Bogaard
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- Multiculturalism

A Mountain at Stake: Creole Identity and Heritage on Mauritius
The process of « patrimonialisation » of Le Morne Brabant on Mauritius indicates the marginal situation of Creoles in a country marked by the persistence of classificatory categories deriving from colonialism and by a multicultural ideology that contributes to the compartmentalisation and isolation the island’s communities from each other. On 1 February 2005, Le Morne was for the first time officially the theatre of the commemoration of the abolition of slavery on Mauritius. This text reveals a process of ethnicisation of the actors involved in this celebration. The analysis of this ‘site of memory’ examines, on the one hand, the power struggle at work in the construction of Creole identity and of its legitimacy. On the other hand, it shows the plurality of possible identifications with Africa and with slavery for Mauritian Creoles.
Keywords: Mauritius, heritage, Creole identity, multiculturalism, object of memory, slavery.

- by Sandra Carmignani
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- Multiculturalism, Cultural Heritage, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Slavery