Examining canadian and brazilian educational policy through the lens of kymlicka’s liberal multiculturalism

Abstract

This paper tries to explore the implications of Will Kimlicka’s (1998; 2007; 2015) theorizing on liberal multiculturalism for educational policy in Canada and Brazil. Through exploring a series of case studies from Canada, including publi-cally funded heritage language schools and Afrocentric programs, we try to show how liberal multiculturalism shifts the terms of educational debates away from a focus on the particular classroom practice of teachers, towards restructuring educational policy to address the unique needs of different ethno-cultural groups in society. Making ongoing links to Brazilian educational contexts, we highlight some of the unique challenges of introducing policies inspired by liberal multiculturalism in Brazil.