Diversity from Within and Without: Comparative Notes from France and Japan

This paper focuses on examining the instructional theme of “diversity” in the teaching of citizenship in schools, particularly in history and civics subjects, by bringing in examples from France and Japan. We find that more so than own ethnic and racial minorities, in both cases, the broader world emerges as the source of “meaningful diversity.” In France, the introduction of diversity into school teaching is closely connected to her core membership in the European Union. In Japan, the country’s efforts to present itself as a “proper” nation in international spheres are the main drive behind the changes in curricula. We also find that diversity is in the main discussed in the context of rights and responsibilities, thus as an attribute of the individual and less as a characteristic of the collective. Diversity teaching in France and Japan in that sense does not have the mission of correcting historical injustices or recognition of collective racial or ethnic origins, as original multicultural ideas would have it (as they developed in the US). Rather, it reflects a shift in educational priorities that increasingly emphasize active and participatory citizens, exercising rights and responsibilities not only within but without the national boundaries. © 2010 2010 Taylor and Francies Group LLC.