Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in Europe: A Challenge for Educational Research and Practice

Diversity of languages and cultural backgrounds is a common reality in European societies. But European educational systems do not adapt very well to this reality. It can be observed that a linguistic and cultural background different from the respective national one serves as a means of exclusion, of prevention from equal access. The contribution offers reflections about the question, if and how the traditional notion of nation contributes to the — in a democratic society — unwelcome stratification effects for children from immigrant minorities in Europe.