A Comparison of Western Multicultural Education and the Minority Education in China.docx

A Comparison of Western Multicultural Education and the Minority Education in China.docx

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AComparisonofWesternMulticulturalEducationandtheMinorityEducationinChina

AComparisonofWesternMulticulturalEducationandtheMinorityEducationinChina

Westernmulticulturaleducationtheoryhasflowedintochinafornearly20yearsandattractedtheattentionofChineseresearchersintheareaofminorityeducationtheory.Butmostofthemhavenosystematicunderstandingofthebackgroundandstructureofwesternmulticulturaleducation,sothereisatrendtojustsimplyequatethewesternmulticulturaleducationtotheminorityeducationinChina.Asatheorysystem,whichhasagreatinfluenceonthedevelopmentofworldnationaleducation,ifwesternmulticulturaleducationcanbeappliedtoChineseminorityeducationisstilldoubtable.SoitisnecessarynowtodeeplyanalysisthistheoryandtogetafullunderstandingoftherelationshipbetweenmulticulturaleducationandChineseminorityeducation.

1.Thehistoricalorigins

1.1Thehistoricaloriginofwesternmulticulturaleducation

Duringthe19-century,thedominantracegroupstriedhardtoassimilatetheminoritynationsintotheirvaluesysteminwesternmultinationalcountriesnotonlybecauseoftheirmentalracialdiscriminationbutalsotheirfearoflosingprivileges.Undertheassimilationpolicy,minoritynationalshavebeenlosingtheirowntraditionalculturesandvaluesandgraduallyintegrateintomainstreamvaluesystems.However,formostoftheminoritynationalgroupslivinginasocialenvironmentfullofdiscriminationandinequality,theywereforcedtoalienatetheirmotherculturebutcouldnotblendintomainstreamsociety.Thissituationmadetheseminoritynationalgroupsturnintooppressedmarginalizedgroupsinpolity,economyandeducation.Forexample,theIndians,theblacksandthelaterimmigrantsinAmericanareallinsuchsituation.

Untilthe60’soflastcentury,inwesterncountries,especiallyAmerican,Canada,British,NewZealandandsoonwithdifferentethnicpopulations,multiculturalismstartedtoreceiveattentionafterthecivilrightsmovements.Toadapttothedevelopmentofmulticulturalsociety,multiculturaleducation,associalmovement,triedtorealizetheeducationalideal,thatallthenations’culturescanbeequalandsurvivetogether.Furthermore,ittriedtosolvetheconflictsbetweenraces,improvethesocialpositionofminoritynationgroupandpromotesocialequalityandjustice.

BeginningwiththeAmericancivilrightsmovementsleadbyMartinLutherKingJr.inthe60’sof20thcentury,thewholewesternsocietycameintoawaveofrebelandawakening.Thepurposeofcivilrightsmovementistoawaketheblackssufferingthetreatmentofinequality,discriminationandexploitation.Inadditiontotheblackcivilrightsmovement,therewerealsovarioussocialideologicaltrendandmovement.Ontheonehand,theminoritygroupsrequiredtherecognitionandidentificationoftheirculturesandfightfortheequalsocialstatusandpoliticalrights；ontheotherhand,somesocialvulnerablegroupsbesidestheminoritygroupsalsofightfortheirownlegitimateinterestsandrights.Echoingwiththeeffortsofsocialvulnerablegroups,civilrightsmovementsdrewtheattentionofsocietyandthegovernment.Governmentsprotocoledcorrespondinglawsandpoliciesandtriedtosolvetheirproblems.Multiculturalismbegantoreceiveworldwideattentionfromthen.ThewaveofmulticulturaleducationhasbeenpopularinAmerican,British,Canadaandsoonsince70’sof20thcenturyastheimportantcontentofsocialmovementandeducationalreform.

1.2ThehistoricaloriginofChineseminorityeducation

TheChinesemodernminorityeducationappearedinthelateQingdynasty.Atfirst,theminorityeducationwasjustforveryfewchildrenofupperclassinminoritygroups.Afterthe1911revolution,thegovernmentoftheRepublicofChinahadtakensomemeasuresforminorityeducation,butfailedtoestablishaperfectminorityeducationsystem.Afterthe1930’s,thegovernmentsetupafrontiereducationdepartmentandemphasesthatfrontiereducationshouldmixintoallkindofChinesecultureandtheeducationshoulddevelopasawhole.Itmeanstoreplacetheminoritynationalculturesbyonenationalculture.ThisperiodofminorityeducationwasassimilationeducationwiththeHannationalitycultureasthemainstreamculture.

After1949,theestablishmentofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,Chineseminorityeducationdevelopedrapidly.Thefirstnationaleducationconferencemadespecificprovisionsforminorityeducationandpointedthat“onlyiftheminorityeducationtakecareofeachnation’scharacteristics,itcanbewellcombinedwiththeactualsituationofallethnicgroups”andminorityeducationmustbenational,scientificandcommoneducationandtaketheformsuitableforallnationalpopulation’sdevelopmentandprogress.”Underthisgeneralprincipalwhichcloselycombinetheminorityeducation’snationalityandmodernization,Chineseminorityeducationhavedevelopedrapidlyinthatperiod.

Topromoteminorityeducation’sdevelopmentandrealizetheequalityofeducation,Chinesegovernmenttookmanygreatmeasurestostronglysupporttheeducationinminorityareas.Aseriesofsignificanteducationalprogramswascarriedout,suchassettingupTibetclassesandSinKlangclassedininlandarea,providingfreeprimaryeducationprogramsinpoorareasandlongdistanceeducationprogramsinSouthcountrysideareasandsoon,whichgreatlypromotedthedevelopmentofminoritynationaleducationandletChineseminorityeducationturntoanewperiod.

Differentinessence,Chineseminorityeducationisleadbygovernmentwithlegalprotectionwhilewesternmulticulturaleducationdevelopedfromcivilrightsmovementandthegovernment’scompromisetoconflicts.

2.Thedifferentsocialcharacteristics

2.1Thedifferentpoliticalandculturalappeals

ASwetalkedbefore,itisnotuntil1960’sthatmulticulturaleducationbegantodrawattentionandtriedtosolvetheconflictsbetweendifferentracesafterthecivilrightsmovements.AsWatsonpresentedinhisbook“Multiculturalism”,multiculturalismsuggeststhattherejectionfromtraditioneducationtonon-mainstreamculturesshouldbecorrectedandschoolsmusthelpstudentstoeliminatetheirmisunderstandingsanddiscriminationstootherculturesandthefairtoracialconflicts,andtolearntorespectandappreciateothercultures.Itaimstoletallthepeoplebesocial,economic,culturalandpoliticalequalityandopposeanydiscriminationcausedbyethnic,race,nationality,color,religionoranyotherfactors.Thus,multiculturaleducationmovementisawaytofightforthesocial,economicandculturalequalityforthesocialvulnerablegroupswhoarealwaystreatedunequallyduetorace,nationality,colorandreligion.Sowecanregardthemulticulturaleducationisjustakindofcivilrightsmovementineducationalareaandthemainappealofitistosolvetheproblemsofunequalrightsandpoliticalpositionsbetweendifferentethnicgroups.

Differentwiththewesternmulticulturaleducation,Chineseminorityeducationhasnosuchpoliticalappeals.In1949,itwasstipulatedintheCommonProgrammethat“thestructureofthePeople’sRepublicofChinaisaunitarymultiethnicunity”,and“theregionalnationalautonomyshouldbeintroducedinareaswheredifferentminoritynationalitieslivetogether”onthefirstnationalpoliticalconsultativeconference.ThispolicyreflectsthatthegovernmentfullyrespectandsafeguardtherightofethnicminoritiesmanagingtheirinternalaffairsbythemselvesandalsoreflectsthatthegovernmentresistsinthepolicyofethnicequalityandunityandtriestoletalltheminoritiesgetsomesocialpositionasHannationalityandownethicminorityspecialrightsadditiontothesamecivilrights.ThepurposeofChineseminorityeducationistocultivateallkindsoftalentsneededinminorityareas,tospeeduptheeconomicandsocialdevelopmentintheseregionsandtorealizethemodernizationoftheseareasassoonaspossible.SotheappealofChineseminorityeducationiseconomic,socialandculturaldevelopment.

Aboveall,westernmulticulturaleducationandChineseminorityeducationpresentstwodifferentpaths.Westernmulticulturaleducationtriestoeaseandsolvetheethnicandpoliticalproblemsthroughtheculturalmeantoresolvingsocialcontradictions,whilepromotingnationalmovementprocessandthedemocratizationatthesametime.Chineseminorityeducationembodiesthesocialidealoffairnessandjusticeandpromotesthedevelopmentofnationalregionsandshowsthesameinterestsofthestateandtheethnicminorities.

2.2thedifferentethniccomposesandorigins

WesternmulticulturaleducationoriginatedformtheAmericannationaleducationandgraduallyspreadedtoCanada,Australiaandotherwesterncountries.Takenasanexample,theUnitedStateshasbeenamultiethnicimmigrantnationsincethefounding.Withthediscoveryofnewlands,BritishbegantoimmigrantstoNorthAmericantillthebeginningofthe20thcentury.Themostpopulationsoforiginal13statesinNorthAmericaareBritishimmigrants.Atthesametime,theblackscametotheAmericaasthelargestAfricangroupbecauseoftheslavetrade.Then,toescapeformthetwoworldwars,immigrantsformalloftheworldflewintoAmericafromthebeginningof20thcenturyto1960’s.TheseimmigrantsmadetheraceinAmericansocietyvarious.ThestructureoftheAmericanpopulationismainlymadeupofdifferentimmigrantsfromdifferentcountriesindifferentperiod.BesidestheIndians,therewasnonativenationinthisnewland.Canada,Australia,NewZealandandothercountries’nationalsourcesarealsofromimm