Multiculturalism

 

1. Meaning of Multiculturalism.

• Multicultural (adjective): Describes a society with many different cultural groups living together. For example, India is a multicultural country because people of different religions, languages, and traditions coexist in the same country.

• Multiculturalism (noun): It goes beyond just describing diversity. It is a social and political philosophy that promotes the recognition, respect, and support of cultural differences within a nation.

• It is often associated with values such as equality, tolerance, and inclusiveness.

2. History and Policy Origins

• The term became widely used in the 1970s, especially in Canada and Australia, as part of official government policy.

• The Canadian government emphasised multiculturalism to manage the increasing ethnic pluralism (many ethnic groups living together) caused by immigration.

• It was officially promoted as a way for all citizens to be equal, while still allowing people to:

  • Keep their ancestral culture and identity,

  • Take pride in their heritage,

  • And feel a sense of belonging to the nation.

• Thus, it was seen as an alternative to assimilation policies (which force migrants to abandon their culture to fit into the majority).

3. Multiculturalism in Liberal Democracies

• By the late 20th century, many Western countries began calling themselves multicultural societies because of rising immigration.

• Even countries previously seen as homogeneous (e.g., Japan and Germany) had to admit growing ethnic and racial diversity.

• Global migrations created multi-ethnic societies—sometimes with 30% of the population made up of migrants.

• In this context, multiculturalism was seen as a way to:

  • Manage diversity peacefully,

  • Prevent ethnic tensions,

  • Reduce the risk of racial conflict.

4. Different Contexts

1. Policy context – Liberal Multiculturalism

   • Focused on government policies that recognise minority rights and identities.

   • Aimed at creating equal citizenship for people of all cultural backgrounds.

   • Seen as progressive and inclusive, offering a positive alternative to assimilation.

2. Activist context – Critical/ Radical Multiculturalism

   • Emerged in the USA during the 1980s, especially in debates over school curricula.

   • Criticised the Eurocentric bias of education that ignored contributions of women, people of colour, and non-Western civilisations.

   • Movements like Afrocentrism promoted the idea that African heritage was central to American and world history.

   • Its aim was to raise self-esteem and success among marginalised groups (e.g., African-American students).

5. Criticism of Multiculturalism

a) From the Left (Radical Critics)

• Argue that liberal multiculturalism does not go deep enough.

• Instead of tackling racism, white supremacy, and structural inequalities, it only promotes a shallow celebration of diversity.

• Example: Multicultural festivals often reduce cultures to “costumes, customs, and cooking” without addressing power imbalances.

• They see multiculturalism as a way of containing resistance, not bringing real change.

• From postcolonial perspectives, multiculturalism wrongly assumes cultures are fixed and static, when in reality, cultures are dynamic and constantly changing.

• Critical multiculturalism is suggested as an alternative—linking cultural diversity to social justice and criticism of power structures.

b) From the Right (Conservative Critics)

• Conservatives argue that multiculturalism creates division instead of unity.

• It encourages separatism by making communities focus on their own identities rather than on national identity.

• Example: Australian PM John Howard (1988) said multiculturalism emphasises division.

• In the USA, historian Arthur Schlesinger (book The Disuniting of America) argued that multiculturalism promotes a “cult of ethnicity” and threatens the balance between unity (unum) and diversity (pluribus).

• In Britain, the Parekh Report was criticised for encouraging a “community of communities,” which conservatives feared could balkanize society (break it into separate groups).

• For conservatives, nations need a common culture to remain peaceful and united.

6. Post-9/11 Challenges

• After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many Muslims in Western countries were viewed with suspicion as the “enemy within.”

• Their religion and culture were sometimes dismissed as backwards or inferior by right-wing politicians (e.g., Silvio Berlusconi in Italy).

• This led to stronger calls for:

  • Assimilation (making migrants adopt the majority culture), or

  • Even stopping immigration altogether.

• However, in a globalised and interconnected world, such demands are unrealistic.

7. 21st Century Issues

• Globalisation has made societies more diverse and borders more porous.

• The core questions of multiculturalism—how to handle cultural differences in one nation—are now more urgent and complex.

• Yet, the term “multiculturalism” itself has become contested and problematic.

• Today, it functions less as a political solution and more as a heuristic concept—a tool to think about the balance between:

  • Exclusionary nationalism (forcing sameness and rejecting difference), and

  • Cosmopolitanism (the ideal of being world citizens without strong cultural roots).

Conclusion
Multiculturalism is about recognising and respecting diversity, but it has been praised, criticised, and reshaped over time. Supporters see it as essential for equality and harmony in diverse societies. Critics on the left see it as too shallow, while critics on the right see it as too divisive. In today’s globalised world, multiculturalism remains controversial but unavoidable.