Dimensions of intercultural education in the twenty-first century

The multicultural society is already a fact, and intercultural education is both a pragmatic necessity and a moral duty. The challenge is to find ways of promoting intercultural education in practice. Much earlier discussion of this issue should be seen against the background of liberal humanist concepts, a logical extension of the rights of man.proclaimed at the Enlightenment, moving from individual liberté and égalité to the freedom of expression of different groups and cultures, and ultimately to a notion of the equality of all cultures. However, the liberal solutions which this approach engendered seem now to have worn somewhat thin as they do not take into account the human person, his or her individual psychology, or the all-pervasive nature of the cultures into which he or she has been born. It is significant that the postmodern solutions to the problems of multiculturalism retreat back into the person, dealing with questions of an affective nature, the relationship to otherness, self-esteem and the education of virtues. Only if these issues are satisfactorily resolved can the project of intercultural education be carried forward. From the base of self-esteem and solid values, people will be capable of going out into society to live out not just an absence of prejudice, but a positive solidarity with others. In this perspective, schools with religious commitments have a positive contribution to make to intercultural education, providing they approach the question with realism and trust