Multicultural Education in the Light of Global Citizenship: Continuing the Legacy and Struggle

• In Event: James A. Banks: A Pioneer for the Advancement of Social Justice in a Global World

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss Dr. Banks latest scholarship on global citizenship and multicultural citizenship education. Applying historical inquiry (Kaestle, 1988) and archival research, this paper examines the archives in the Center for Multicultural Education that Banks founded and directed for the last twenty years. Two major multicultural citizenship education projects: the Bellagio Diversity and Citizenship Education Project (2002) and the Talaris conference on Global Migration, Structural Inclusion, and Citizenship Education across Nations (2015), as well as his major publications on citizenship education (2004b, 2007, 2009, & 2012), were reviewed. His teaching materials on relevant courses were also examined. Two cognitive interviews (Desimone & Le Floch, 2004) were also conducted with Dr. Banks at the beginning and the ending of this project. Results suggest three themes: Citizenship education dilemma, Multicultural citizenship and transformative citizenship education, and Failed citizenship. Themes were interpreted using the quest for democracy and equity in multicultural nation-states with large diverse and immigrant populations and the preparation of citizens to function completely in cultural, national, and global levels. Examining Banks’ scholarship on multicultural citizenship education in the past 15 years will provide timely and critical perspectives on how schools and citizenship education can address the contentious issues of balancing national unity and cultural diversity. Multicultural education and citizenship education scholars will also benefit from this work by rethinking and reconceptualizing important notions in civic education, such as equity, social justice, democracy, and unity and diversity in relation to globalization.

Authors

• Tao Wang, University of Washington - Seattle

• Yiting Chu, University of Washington