Education in a cultural lag: the case of Germany

Germany has been receiving immigrants since the 1960s, but many politicians and a broad section of public opinion refuse to admit it. There is no official immigration policy and hence no integration-oriented educational policy either. The dictates of demography point to permanent immigration. Economic integration is rapid. Inequality of opportunity in the German education system is narrowing. As the large percentage of mixed marriages shows, Germany is de facto a melting pot. Traditional views linking nation with ethnic and cultural heritage, and—mainly economically motivated—xenophobia exist, alongside a new nationality law that defines nationality not only in terms of parentage, but also of place of birth. On-going European integration brings new multicultural challenges for all Germans, old and new.