Starting from the idea that citizenship in a pluralistic and democratic society means participating in belonging to both a cultural community and a political space, the article suggests reframing the teacher’s position in the multi-ethnic milieu with regards to student identity development. Instead of trying to comfort a hard identity core, the teacher could contribute to developing a centre of gravity through an education focused on a triple relationship to culture, symbolic thought and power. In developing a sense of cultural belonging and the right to exist, the student can develop the ability to associate politically with others, to make the public space a place of deliberation. This balance between the feeling of belonging and the ability to associate with others becomes the student’s centre of gravity.