Multiculturalism and Education: Understanding the Connection Between Global Ideas and the Indonesian Context

Abstract

In multicultural communities, students’ travels between home and school often reflect differences in students’ cultural affiliations and the values, assumptions, challenges, or privileges that may accompany those affiliations, and these. This article aims to reveal and analyze in depth the concept of multiculturalism and education. The research method used is library research. The result shows that multiculturalism and education belong together as something that is inclusive, fair and respectful of differences. It responds to the existence of different cultures, faiths, ethnicities, languages and other identities that exist in society, specifically aiming to ensure equal opportunities for all people, regardless of their specificities. Multicultural education focuses on the importance of understanding each other, respecting each other's differences, and building skills to live in a diverse society. Nevertheless, multicultural education, despite its rich potential, has also brought philosophical roadmaps, such as problems of addressing plurality without marginalizing minorities and issues of social relations and power. Detractors of this approach argue that in the absence of a blueprint of the big picture of social structures, a multicultural education would become a hollow exercise. Initiatives concerning multicultural education have therefore to be considered primarily as an incremental process which requires both systemic adaptation and changes in policy and pedagogy. Application of multicultural education appears particularly appropriate given Indonesia's extensive cultural, religious and ethnic diversity. As Education is the key, it is vital that education in Indonesia addresses this diversity through providing a safe and suitable space for these groups. Being a country with diverse customs, traditions, cultures and religions, it has potential to implement multicultural education that is not only diverse but also unifying.