Exploring Models of Multicultural Education in Asia A Study of Taiwan and Singapore

Various social and political issues in the recent years have indicated a stronger need for multicultural education in schools. In Singapore, there is increasing negative sentiment against ‘foreign talent’ and an unspoken fear of Islamic extremism. In Taiwan, the academic performance of the ‘new children of Taiwan’ and the cultural adaptation of foreign spouses are pressing issues. This book offers a contextualised introduction to multicultural education in Singapore and Taiwan, reviews the construction of policy discourse on multicultural education in Singapore and Taiwan, investigates the current practices of multicultural education in Singaporean and Taiwanese schools, and evaluates the achievements and identify the challenges of multicultural education in Singapore and Taiwan.

1. Introduction 2. Setting the scenes: social, cultural and historical contexts 3. Multicultural Challenges in Singapore and Taiwan 4. The political agenda: representations of multiculturalism/multicultural education in policy discourse 5. Key themes under the multicultural umbrella 6. Singapore’s model: forging a national identity in a multicultural society 7. Taiwan’s model: Seeking for social justice and embracing cultural diversity 8. Conclusion: achievements and challenges

Tzu-Bin Lin is an assistant professor with the Policy and Leadership Studies Academic Group at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Meihui Liu is a professor with the Department of Education at the National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan.