The Relevance of the Culturalist Paradigm in Education: From Cultural Transmission to Intercultural Education

This article examines the contemporary relevance of the culturalist paradigm in education by analysing how its key concepts have been transformed and reinterpreted in response to social and educational change. Although the literature on classical culturalism, cultural reproduction, identity, and intercultural education is extensive, these theoretical strands are often examined separately, leaving insufficiently explored the continuities and transformations linking cultural transmission to contemporary forms of identity construction and intercultural education. The article addresses this conceptual gap through a qualitative, conceptual, and integrative review of the literature. It brings together foundational contributions from the culturalist tradition with subsequent perspectives on cultural reproduction, identity, multiculturalism, and intercultural education. The analysis identifies a conceptual trajectory from cultural transmission and socialisation, through cultural reproduction and identity construction, towards cultural negotiation and intercultural mediation. The findings suggest that culturalism has been superseded in its deterministic form but remains theoretically relevant for understanding the role of culture in individual development and educational experience. Its contemporary relevance lies in reconceptualising culture as a dynamic, plural, and negotiated process rather than as a homogeneous and stable system. The article also highlights implications for educational practice and policy, particularly regarding curriculum development, teacher education, cultural inclusion, intercultural dialogue, and the equitable digitalisation of education. Overall, the study argues that intercultural education should be understood not as a complete departure from the culturalist legacy, but as its contemporary transformation and critical reformulation.