Political Theorizing and Policy Implications: The Case of a Rawlsian Approach to Multicultural Education

Authors

  • Masakazu Matsumoto Associate Professor, Department of Education, Shimane University, Japan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v15i1.559

Keywords:

Rawls, justice, self-respect, immigrant children in Japan

Abstract

This article provides a philosophical foundation for the legitimacy of multicultural education by developing the analyses of Rawlsian political philosophy. For Rawls the most important primary good is that of self-respect, and this can be reinterpreted to make a convincing argument for multicultural education, provided that it has a strong connection to cultural minorities' sense of self-respect. After clarifying this connection, this article addresses the objection raised against the idea of equating multicultural education with a social basis of students' self-respect. It ends with a brief overview of a recent example of multicultural education in Japan.

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Published

2013-03-14

How to Cite

Matsumoto, M. (2013). Political Theorizing and Policy Implications: The Case of a Rawlsian Approach to Multicultural Education. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v15i1.559

Issue

Section

Articles (Peer-reviewed)