Revisiting multiculturalism in social work

This article examines multiculturalism as an organizing concept about human diversity in social work education in terms of the groups to be included and the significance of multiple cultural identities. The author reformulates the goals of multiculturalism in relation to the attachments people have to their cultural groups and to mainstream U.S. American culture. Attention is given to the future of a multicultural society in light of demographic trends beyond 2000 and the continuing significance of ra ce a nd racism in the United States. The author concludes by describing four principles for multiculturalism and their application in the social work curriculum.