Abstract

Current debates and heated public dialogue about multicultural issues and minority rights underline the social importance of how to best understand, conceptualize and approach multiculturalism within an educational context. Recent research suggests that teacher educators lack the necessary information and academic curricular support to adequately deal with multicultural issues; thus, if a central aim of education is to create a more democratic and inclusive society, we must reflect on establishing a sound multicultural teacher education curriculum. This thesis examines and explores varying understandings, differing perspectives, and contrasting foundational approaches to both multiculturalism and anti-racism, and identifies common criteria in these theoretical and pedagogical approaches which support a social justice agenda and facilitate social change. Through summary and discussion of conservative and liberal multicultural approaches, the problematic aspects inherent in these approaches are identified which effectively limit, and, in some cases, even undermine the possibility of generating social justice. An in-depth examination and critique of critical multicultural, anti-racist, critical, black feminist, and women of color theory and pedagogy serves to identify the important shared fundamental principles upon which all of these theories/pedagogies are founded, which include addressing and challenging institutionalized racism and structural inequalities, and addressing white racism and whiteness as an invisible normative force. The practical extensions, implications and challenges involved in the implementation of these theories within teacher education programs are discussed, and recommendations for future research are presented.