Beyond bindis, bhajis, bangles and bhangra Promoting multiculturalism in primary schools in predominantly white British places
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Twenty-first-century education as a powerful means of knowledge will possibly be shaped by the emphasis it places on having classrooms that are race-conscious and multicultural. The present article is based on a doctoral study that explores an under-researched area: experiences and understanding of multiculturalism in mainstream primary schools situated in the predominantly White places of Southwest England. The study was underpinned by a sociocultural theoretical framework; data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the adult participants, students’ classroom activities, and documentary analysis of school displays. The article focuses on the data generated from the students’ classroom activities. Findings show differences in knowledge level and access to multicultural education among participants that significantly influenced their perceptions of multiculturalism. The study findings illuminated two key ideas. The first key idea is the powerful role of multicultural education in teaching and learning for not only raising cultural awareness among students across communities but also becoming a mouthpiece of empowerment for students from ethnic minority communities by promoting an equitable school atmosphere of recognition and acceptance for them. Secondly, findings illuminate racialised power positioning that created (un)democratic conditions perpetuating broader societal structural (im)balances within the particular local sociocultural context.
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