The Role of Multicultural Education in Constructing a Democratic-pluralistic Society in Iran

Multicultural education, as an educational reform movement, has been given ample attention since 1960s. It has sought to promote the democratic values and educational equality in culturally and racially diverse communities. One of the most important issues at the forefront of education in multi-ethnic societies is how to bring social cohesion by helping people from different cultural, racial, linguistic and ethnic groups develop the positive intergroup attitudes. Given the importance of multicultural education in recognizing and respecting diversity, this paper seeks to investigate how multicultural education can promote the construction of a democratic society. In this qualitative investigation, data was collected through individual interviews, focus group discussions and oral history. The well-known technique of Delphi method was used to analyse the data. The results reveal that multicultural-pluralistic education is poised to maintain educational equilibrium, and develop cross-cultural knowledge and values. Indeed, paying attention to pluralist education can be a way of making democracy more accessible by building on what can be prevented from achieving cultural diversity. As long as the dominant discourses rooted in pre-modern eras do not open the way to play the signs and the presence of the abandoned and marginalized groups, practicing of the democracy will only remain in the realm of constructing and creating political inputs. The liberation from of such institutions, which itself has become the most fundamental challenge of human life, has gone through the reconstruction and the foundation of a focused and non-pluralistic educational system. Something that doubles the hope of achieving progress and freedom in society.