Discourses of Globalisation, Multiculturalism and Cultural Identity (Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research, Band 29) - Softcover

Prof. Nitza Davidovitch currently serves in teaching and administrative positions at the Ariel University, and is a leading team member of a large-scale international research project on delegations of high school students and others trips to Holocaust sites in Poland. Her area of interest include academic curriculum development; development of academic instruction; Holocaust awareness and Jewish identity; director of student exchange programs with Germany and Poland; preservation of the heritage of Jewish sects; and moral education. She is former member of the steering committee on moral education and curriculum development at CET.

Suzanne Majhanovich (Western University) is Professor Emerita and Adjunct Research Professor at the Faculty of Education, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada. She has published numerous articles and edited books, and has guest-edited (with different others) five special issues of the International Review of Education. Her research interests include globalization, internationalization and education restructuring, as well as first and second language acquisition and the teaching of English and French in international contexts. She was the senior author of the French text series En français s’il vous plait and also worked at times on contract for the Ministry of Education developing curriculum guidelines for French as a Second Language and International Languages. She has been active in the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association and was awarded a Life Membership in 2000. Before joining a faculty of education, she taught secondary school French as a Second Language and German. She co-edited the special issue of the International Review of Education: Journal of Lifelong Learning  (with Diane Napier and Norberto Fernández Lamarra), “New Times, New Voices” based on selected papers from the thematic group on Higher/adult Education of the 2013 WCCES in Buenos Aires, which appeared as volume 60(4) 2014. Professor Majhanovich also co-edited several volumes on Comparative Education for Sense Publishers. In June, 2013 she was honoured to receive the David N. Wilson Award for contributions to Comparative and International Education from the Comparative and International Education Society Canada (CIESC) at the annual meeting in Victoria BC.

This book examines dominant discourses in multiculturalism and cultural identity globally. It critiques dominant discourses and debates pertaining to multiculturalism and cultural identity, set against the current backdrop of growing social stratification and unequal access to quality education. It addresses current discourses concerning globalisation, ideologies and the state, as well as approaches to constructing national, ethnic and religious identities in the global culture. It explores the ambivalent and problematic connections between the state, globalisation, and the construction of cultural identity. 

The book also explores conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches applicable to research on the state, globalisation, multiculturalism and identity politics. Drawing on diverse paradigms, ranging from critical theory to globalisation, the book, by focusing on globalisation, ideology and cultural identity, critically examines recent research dealing with cultural diversity and its impact of identity politics. 

Given the need for a multiple perspective approach, the authors, who have diverse backgrounds and hail from different countries and regions, offer a wealth of insights, contributing to a more holistic understanding of the nexus between multiculturalism and national identity. With contributions from key scholars worldwide, the book should be required reading for a broad spectrum of users, including policy-makers, academics, graduate students, education policy researchers, administrators, and practitioners.