Where the education of subaltern multicultural student collectives is concerned, the case of contemporary developments in the discourse of reform in Spain is particularly poignant. A critical engagement with that discourse and its greater sociocultural context reveals some of the subtle ways in which cultural alterity comes to be represented. And because the implications for immigrant and Gypsy/Roma groups are serious and complex, such representations can and must be challenged on multiple fronts, some of which are pursued in this essay. Here, the ideological effect of the dominant discourse of reform is examined in the context of the educational institution of Spain. Specifically, the dual aim will be to uncover, on the one hand, the most pervasive representations of cultural otherness in recent reform legislation, and to explore, on the other, the potential effects (or power) of such representations on both historically oppressed, and more recently settled multicultural student populations. The notion of "nonsynchronous" sociocultural dynamics, as well as Nietzsche's concept of "resentment" in cultural identity formation and representation--as further developed by postcolonial scholars Cameron McCarthy and Greg Dimitriadis--will largely inform this endeavor. And in order to properly situate this policy discourse, its content will be analyzed by way of two major reform laws, as well as through mass media coverage of educational policy issues, recent school-related controversies, and other social developments in Spain and beyond. On a final note, attention will be drawn to the pursuit of crosscultural justice through the democratic production of educational discourse. To this end, the ways in which several scholars aim to promote a more participatory and inclusive democratic process, as initiated from both within and outside of the educational institution, are examined. These include Seyla Benhabib's notion of "interactive universalism" for deliberation in the public sphere, as well as various insights on schooling for a democratic society, from scholars whose works reflect the educational philosophy of John Dewey, among others. These complementary perspectives, when coupled with a series of critical pedagogical strategies, hold promise for disrupting the biased production of discourse that resonates throughout reform policies. (Contains 14 notes.)