Abstract
Culture and identity are constitutive dimensions of multilingual education rather than optional add-ons. Framing language learning as social, cultural and ideological practice, the chapter brings together sociocultural theory, intercultural communicative competence, culturally sustaining pedagogy, poststructuralist views of identity and plurilingual policy. On this basis, the chapter proposes design principles for identity-affirming multilingual curricula. These principles are illustrated through comparative curriculum vignettes from Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium, which show how similar logics can be adapted to diverse sociolinguistic ecologies, assessment cultures and language politics. The chapter also outlines implications for teacher education, leadership and policy, and practice-based professional learning. It concludes by identifying future directions for research–practice partnerships, digital infrastructures for plurilingual portfolios and system-level assessment innovation in everyday institutional life.