The Embodiment of (in)Tolerance in Discourses and Practices Addressing Cultural Diversity in Schools in Hungary. The Case of Roma

The present case study report addresses two issues that are of major importance from the point of view of ‘tolerance’ and ‘diversity’ in present day Hungary. The first deals with the complex and multifaceted issue of the segregation of Roma children in the education system, and the second focuses on the curriculum: how diversity questions related to the Roma minority are manifested in the content of the curriculum. The most important educational issue for the Roma in the last decade has been the desegregation of the school system and the integration of Roma pupils into mainstream education. The overall social and political reception of the policy initiatives designed to tackle these issues has been negative, thus contributing to strong opposition at all levels of policy implementation. The second case, the teaching of minority content both in the framework of‘minority education’ and the National Core Curriculum intended for the entire student population, raises important questions about how Roma cultural difference is understood and taught. Using discourses analysis the paper explores how experts and stakeholders regard the issue of segregation/integration and the cultural accommodation of Roma and how their discourses and justifications relate to the conceptual framework of ‘tolerance’.