Multiculturalism and Education by Thomas J La Belle

Multiculturalism and Education by Thomas J La Belle

This book introduces multiculturalism and its relationship to education and schooling, while also highlighting current approaches to multicultural education and placing them in a broad comparative and international context.

Through a comparative view that is both domestic and international, the book explores ethnicity, race, class, and education (kindergarten through higher education) as they interact to integrate populations, while also serving vested interests and enhancing group identity and status. The authors position multiculturalism as a political and social phenomena that affects and interacts with education and its institutions. To do this, they draw upon international cases as well as the history of segmentation and integration in the United States.

"This book is very usefulBecause it is unique—a sound, balanced, political and theoretical work rather than a 'cookbook' on how to do multicultural education. It stands out from the many other books now appearing on the subject. It is a thoughtful, knowledgeable treatment of a topic that is too often treated, by authors, in a superficial or simplistic manner." — Maxine S. Seller, University of Buffalo

Thomas J. La Belle is Provost at West Virginia University. Christopher R. Ward is Administrative Officer for Generations Together, University Center for Social and Urban Research, at the University of Pittsburgh. He is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, where he teaches Educational Anthropology.