Who belongs in what Hong Kong? Citizenship education in the special administrative region

This chapter examines how educational jurisdictions in Canada, both past and present, have responded to the tension between accommodating cultural difference while also ensuring social cohesion along the lines the dominant group has established. It explores the ways citizenship education in Canada, particularly during the pre-World War II era, was organized around the principles of forging a unitary nation-state. The chapter also explores how two strands within the theory and practice of multiculturalism in Canada, including a recognition of diversity dimension and a social justice dimension, reject this model of attempting to assimilate minority peoples into a homogenous national culture. It outlines the ways interculturalism in Quebec and a movement toward a more unitary vision of Canadian identity and citizenship within the rest of Canada are challenging particular aspects of multicultural theory and practice. The chapter analyses that liberal multiculturalism, when tied to an emphasis on social justice, provides the most compelling framework to guide citizenship education in Canada. Copyright © 2014 Taylor & Francis.