From Sites of Occupation to Symbols of Multiculturalism

Rarely do we find books in educational research that are both thick in context and rich in theory. Usually books emphasize oneover the other. Authors that engage in thick descriptions tend to fall short of explaining what larger theoretical issue their case stands for.Vice versa authors who make a case for a particular theory do not always describe their case in sufficient detail. From Sites to Occupation toSymbols of Multiculturalism is a remarkable exception. The book is a major break-through in case study methodology multiculturalism andpolicy borrowing/lending research.The book investigates a puzzle: how is it that one and the same system the system of separate schooling for Latvian and Russianspeakers is seen as a site of occupation during one period (1987-1990) and as a symbol of multiculturalism in the next (1991-1999)? Thesystem has stayed in place but the meaning attached to it has been completely inverted. Is cultural change without structural change possible?Does it mean that the dual school system has become anachronistic and will eventually disappear in light of the cultural changes of thepast decade? The book is the story of a great metamorphosis of one and the same system of separate schooling that at first unbelievablegradually makes sense.