The Social Studies, Ethnic Diversity, and Social Change

A series of ethnic revival movements emerged in Western societies such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia during the 1960s and 1970s. A major goal of these movements was to reform the school curriculum so that the images of ethnic groups and the roles that ethnic minorities had played in the development of their nation-states and societies would be accurately and comprehensively depicted. This article describes the curricular visions and goals of the ethnic revival movements, the limited extent to which these goals have been realized, and the factors that have prevented significant curriculum reform. In the final parts of the article, a reform strategy is proposed that conceptualizes the teacher as a cultural mediator and an agent of change and a social studies curriculum that promotes social criticism and civic action to improve the human condition.