Developing Capacities for Inclusive Citizenship in Multicultural Societies: The Role of Deliberative Theory and Citizenship Education

Political frameworks such as assimilation, accommodation and multiculturalism that have sought to address difference have
failed to achieve political equality and inclusion for immigrants, driven primarily by the flawed understanding of culture
and identity in multicultural states. Offering a brief critique of these models, this essay advocates the use of deliberative
theory in citizenship education as instrumental to building capacities for inclusive citizenship and cultivating belonging
and inclusion in diverse societies. Deliberative practice enables the reconceptualization of citizenship as performative,
involving responsibilities for dialogic engagement. Such capacities and responsibilities are indispensable for a just political
order in multicultural societies.