No longer 'Catholic, White and Gaelic': schools in Ireland coming to terms with cultural diversity

Irish society has experienced unprecedented demographic change since the turn of the twenty-first century, and increasingly, educators are facing the prospect of having to respond to the changing nature of cultural diversity in their classrooms. Traditionally characterised as 'Catholic, white a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Irish educational studies 2013-12, Vol.32 (4), p.477-492
Main Authors: Parker-Jenkins, Marie, Masterson, Mary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catholicism
Catholics
Cultural Differences
cultural diversity
Cultural Pluralism
Curriculum
Demographics
Educational Attainment
Educational Change
Educational Philosophy
Educational Policy
Educational Practices
Foreign Countries
intercultural education
Interviews
Ireland
Multicultural Education
multiculturalism
Race
Religious Cultural Groups
schools
Social Change
Social policy
Social Theories
Student Diversity
Teacher Attitudes
White Students
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Summary:Irish society has experienced unprecedented demographic change since the turn of the twenty-first century, and increasingly, educators are facing the prospect of having to respond to the changing nature of cultural diversity in their classrooms. Traditionally characterised as 'Catholic, white and Gaelic', Irish schools are said to be finding it difficult to recognise and acknowledge new expressions of race, culture and religion. This paper focuses on the challenges facing educationalists in responding to cultural diversity within the Republic of Ireland. Drawing on empirical research conducted in Irish schools, we frame the discussion around a number of practical issues, namely, school dress, curriculum content and academic attainment, and explore the findings using liberal and critical multicultural theories. Finally, the paper contains philosophical discussion of the challenge of responding to cultural diversity and the implications this raises for policy and practice in Ireland.
ISSN:0332-3315
1747-4965
DOI:10.1080/03323315.2013.851438