Identity, Diversity and Education: A Critical Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT/RESUME In this paper, we take a critical view of the literature on multiculturalism and diversity as it pertains to the identity work of youth and to the role of education as process and institution. First we distinguish the two very different views of identity: modern and postmodern, and the social science theories that flow from one or the other. Next, taking these views into consideration, we examine what is known about the intersection between identity, youth, and schooling. Emerging from this review, we identify gaps in the research literature. Implications are then drawn out for research, multiculturalism policy, and educational practice. and recommendations made for further action. Pour les fins de ce texte, nous adoptons une perspective critique de la litterature portant sur le multiculturalisme et la diversite par rapport au travail identitaire de la jeunesse et au role de l'education en tant que processus et institution. Premierment, nous distinguons les deux conceptions fondamentales tres differentes de l'identite : moderne et postmoderne. et les theories des sciences humaines qui s'en degagent. Prenant ces conceptions en consideration, nous tracons le portrait du savoir au sujet de l'intersection de l'identite, la jeunesse et la scolarisation. Emergeant de cette recension des ecrits, nous identifions les lacunes dans les recherches actuelles. En guise de conclusion, les implications pour la recherche, les politiques de l' interculturalisme et les pratiques educatives sont suscitees et quelques recommendations proposees vers une action subsquente. INTRODUCTION Identity is a problem. Born as a problem within modernity, it is something one needs to do something about, as a task. It is both a project and a postulate. (1) Whenever one is not sure of belonging, of how to place oneself among a variety of cultural styles and patterns, one thinks of identity. If the construction of identity is how to get people to accept one's placement as right and proper, then both the self and the other would know how to get on in each other's presence. The study of identity forms a critical cornerstone of thought in the social sciences. In education more specifically, studies point to the difficulties students encounter in their search for who they are. Multicultural liaison workers strive to develop effective communication between home-school-community, whereas diverse community groups struggle to have their voices heard, their identities recognized and included. Schools seek ways of accommodation and curriculum moves toward models in which multiple perspectives are heard, reflecting ethno-cultural, linguistic, racial, and religious diversity. In this critical review of the literature, we wonder about different views about the notion of 'identity as a problem' in modernity and of 'identity as a strategy' in postmodernity; the state of knowledge about the intersection between identity and the role of education as process and institution, contrasting modernist and postmodernist perspectives; the gaps in the research literature as it pertains to identity, youth, and schooling; and the connections to multiculturalism policy. Finally we wonder about implications for research, policy, and practice, and make recommendations for further action. VIEWS OF IDENTITY Modernity and Stability: Identity as a Project Referring generally to an individual's sense of uniqueness, of knowing who one is and who one is not. the notion of 'identity' comes in two basic conceptions. The modern view conceives identity as an absence, reflecting a need to identify with something of significance. From this perspective, the 'problem of identity' is to construct an identity and keep it solid and stable. (2) The catchword of modernity is creation. Its main concerns are worries about durability and commitment-avoidance. Modernity is like the accumulation of yellowed pages in a photo album that slowly traces identity-producing events. …