Pendidikan Multikultural Sebagai Upaya Membangun Toleransi Sosial di Tengah Keberagaman Masyarakat Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesia's social, cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity requires an educational approach capable of strengthening tolerance and harmonious social relations. This study aims to analyze the role of multicultural education in building social tolerance amid the diversity of Indonesian society, including its mechanisms, implementation strategies, and supporting factors. The study employed a qualitative approach using library research with scientific books, national and international journal articles, policy documents, official reports, and relevant regulations as data sources. Data were collected through documentation and analyzed using content analysis involving data reduction, conceptual categorization, interpretation, and synthesis. The findings indicate that multicultural education contributes to social tolerance through three main mechanisms: increasing understanding of diversity, developing social empathy, and reducing prejudice. Its effective implementation requires an inclusive curriculum, dialogical and collaborative learning, multicultural teacher competence, an inclusive school culture, and support from families, communities, and government. The study concludes that multicultural education should be positioned not merely as learning content but as a comprehensive educational paradigm for strengthening social cohesion and developing an inclusive, democratic, and harmonious society in Indonesia.