Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah

Faculty of Art & Humanities S3, Extensive Readings

Department of English Profs: Baddouri & Ben Lahbib
Dhar El Mahraz, Fez

MULTICULTURALISM

INTRODUCTION

Multicultural and multiculturalism are frequently used words to describe the ethnic
diversity that co-exists with mainstream society everywhere in the world today. In other
words, multiculturalism means pluralistic or culturally diverse society that celebrates the
existence of diverse cultures, experiences, communities and traditions of immigrant or
ethnic groups. Large scale migration from the Third World countries to the First World
nations developed the favorable conditions for multicultural society in the Western nations.
Discarding the colonial past, the once colonized nations developed economic as well as
political relationship with the western nations. The spontaneous migration from Third World
nations to the First World nations, mainly for education and better job opportunities, not
only helped in developing multicultural society but it also changed the socio-political and
demographic conditions of the host nations. Though multiculturalism is a theoretical
framework for understanding the multi-ethnic, multiracial, multi-religious and multi-lingual
societies of postcolonial world, yet multiculturalism has its emergence as a movement, first
in Canada and Australia and then in the USA, UK and Germany. It came into wider public use
in the early 1980s in the form of public-school curriculum in America.

[Link] MULTICULTURALISM.

In America’s post-civil war and post-Harlem Renaissance society, individual immigrants from
Asia, Africa and other Third World countries tried to assimilate into the American society and

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thus accepted its melting-pot ideology. This new model of integration, assimilation and
adaptation favored the emergence of multicultural society in America in which the
immigrants irrespective of their racial, ethnic, cultural and religious faiths settled with new
vision and new commitments.

The term multicultural includes people of several different religions, races, languages and
traditions. The concept of multiculturalism is a source of co-existence of multiple cultures
which nurtures understanding and appreciation of different cultures. It is not just about
existence of different cultures, rather it also looks at appreciation of the richness of these
cultures. Multicultural and multiculturalism are the terms frequently used to describe ethnic
and religious diversity. Multiculturalism symbolizes a society which is composed of people
who belong to different cultures.

Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defines multiculturalism as “the practice of giving

importance to all cultures in a society and it includes people of several, different races,
religions, languages and traditions.” Terence Turner in his book Anthropology and
Multiculturalism points out that: “Multiculturalism is one manifestation of the
postmodernist reaction to the de-legitimization of the state and the erosion of the
hegemony of the dominant culture in advanced capitalist countries.’’

Bhikhu Parekh in Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory

(2000) defines multiculturalism as a way of viewing human life. According to Parekh, equal
rights to every cultural group irrespective of race, religion and language constructs the base
of a multicultural society. Tariq Madood in his book, Multiculturalism (2007) defines that
multiculturalism is a mode of integration that can be juxtaposed with other modes, such as
assimilation and adaptation. It is based on the core democratic value of liberty, equality and
fraternity. He claims that each mode of integration has some demerits, but multiculturalism
as a whole is a response to shortcomings in the other modes. So, multiculturalism is
necessary to any strategy where groups are needed to be integrated for a larger benefit.

Emergence of Multiculturalism can be traced back to the mid-eighteenth century. The

German critics developed the notion of difference and diversity of cultures and favored the
harmonious existence of cultural diversity and pushed differences outside the boundary of

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society. The German historians including Herder and Ranke supported the idea of cultural
diversity to enlighten the idea of progress from Dark Age to the civilizational progress. They
argued that human society is constituted by distinct and heterogeneous cultures, and each
culture has its own values, traditions, norms, political and economic structures. Thus, each
culture is complete in itself.

Peter McLaren viewed multiculturalism from the position of critical pedagogy while
identifying four major political positions of multiculturalism: conservative multiculturalism,
liberal multiculturalism, left-liberal multiculturalism and critical or resistant multiculturalism.
In the postmodern world, multiculturalism is seen as the medium to represent race and
ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality as part of larger struggles for identity. In this globalized
world, migration changes the cultures continuously. It reconstructs the world into a large
multicultural pot, which has shifted from monocultural assimilation to multicultural
adaptation because of the migration shifts like north to south or east to west as well as socio-
economic transformation of the immigrants.

In simple words, people do not migrate alone, they bring their cultures along to the host
land and when two cultures, homeland and host land culture come into contact with each
other, a hybrid or melting pot culture takes birth. The post-Civil War society in America is the
beginning of the multiculturalism that occupied the center stage of American sociology,
politics, and history in late twentieth century. Incorporation of different cultural values
transforms the socio-cultural integration of a society which generates the hybrid identity and
culture. Hybridization of cultures is pluralistic in nature, and it allows the immigrants
freedom to embrace multiculturalism. As a result of hybridization, encounters of diverse
cultures have given acceptance to diversity and differences in a society. Maintaining the
notion that all cultures have merits of equal respect, multicultural societies have
incorporated a variety of people, belonging to different parts of the world.

Multiculturalism grows when migrant communities get settled in a new surrounding and
begin to merge their cultural identity in their day-to-day life in the hope of assimilation in
the host society. Multiethnic societies of America and Europe assisted multiculturalism to
grow which was supported by civil rights movements and feminist movements. In his article,
“Is There a Case for Multiculturalism?” Valerian Rodrigues states that:

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 “Multiculturalism draws our attention to the differences that inform our
social existence and not merely to what is common to all human beings.
These differences are constitutive of what we are and wish to be
although in other respects we may have the same concern as the rest”.

Thus, multiculturalism means appreciation, acceptance, and promotion of various cultures. It

advocates cultural diversity and distinct ethnic and religious groups. In other words, it defends
cultural rights of individuals as well as different ethnic groups. It tries to build bridge among
different cultures. In his book, Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political
Theory, Bhikhu Parekh states that:

“It is neither a political doctrine nor a philosophical issue but actually a

perspective on as way of viewing human life. Increasing cultural
diversity focuses on the promotion of rights for different religion and
cultural groups. The rights for cultural groups form basis for
multiculturalism”.

It anticipates collaboration and communication between different cultures to enrich a

society as a whole. It provides an opportunity to ethnic groups as well as individuals to
preserve their culture and identity and allows them to express their views freely. It is a
concept that describe the coexistence of diverse cultures in a society without the domination
of any one culture, thus multiculturalism strives to overcome racism, sexism and other forms
of discrimination. The concept of multiculturalism has been broadly discussed during past
decades, and a multicultural perspective has been adopted by many nations in order to deal
with cultural diversity. In this respect N. R. Khadpekar says that “The idea of multicultural
society has its roots in nation-states, throughout their histories, when confronted with
international migration such as Canada, the United States of America and Australia”.

In countries like Canada, USA, India and Australia, people belonging to different religions and
cultures live together. Therefore, it is necessary to respect each other’s religion and culture
to maintain harmony among the citizens. Though, it seems that multiculturalism is all about
equal rights to minorities, but Bhikhu Parekh perceives that:

“Multiculturalism is, in fact, not about minorities but is about the proper
terms of relationship between different cultural communities, which
means that the standard by which the communities resolve their
differences.’’

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 Thus, multiculturalism reserves differences while supporting a collective society. It gives
freedom of following religion and traditions of one’s own choice.

Multiculturalism is also a theoretical framework which has been adapted by many western
nations. Many western countries have cultural diversity due to migration, and so they are
multicultural. Thus, multiculturalism can be considered a policy developed in western
nations which has affected the whole world, especially the Third World Nations.

2. FORMS OF MULTICULTURALISM.

As discussed above, the concept of multiculturalism has vast meanings and has been used
in a variety of ways. Multiculturalism can be seen as a rational system that allows immigrants
to express their views within the host society. The term multiculturalism has been used in
two broad ways: descriptively and normatively by Andrew Heywood. As a descriptive term,
multiculturalism refers to cultural diversity and as a normative term, it suggests the
ideologies that endorse the diversity. The first form of multiculturalism refers to the presence
of diverse cultures, whereas the second form tells how to maintain that cultural diversity,
minority identity and how to improve it.

Rajeev Bhargava describes in his article “The Multicultural Framework”, that this issue of
normative and descriptive multiculturalism can be put into the broader conflict of
multiculturalism. The first moment in this conflict is the concept of particularized hierarchy
which means a particular community is dominant over other communities. Here, cultural
differences are maintained through this relationship of superior and subordinate only. The
second moment of conflict is universalistic equality in which the only way to maintain
equality is to deny the significance of cultural differences. In a multicultural society, people
are equal because their role in a cultural community is not considered important, rather their
individual status and their membership in the community, is considered significant. The third
moment in this conflict is particularized equality. Here, there are differences among the
people, but equal membership in particular cultural group is important and so is the
relationship among difference cultural communities.

The above discussion concludes that every member of a cultural community should have an
independent recognition within society. A member of a particular community cannot be

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treated as subordinate to other members of that community. This can also be termed as
egalitarian multiculturalism as the class cannot be the basis of recognition but only culture
and way of life.

Ashok Chaskar in his book, Multiculturalism in Indian Fiction in English refers different
forms of multiculturalism: democratic, conservative, liberal and critical multiculturalism.
Democratic multiculturalism identifies the cultural diversity and differences and provides a
political dimension to it. These cultural differences can develop clashes between groups, but
democratic multiculturalism tries to resolve these conflicts through dialogue and discussion.
It asserts that social equality is possible only when there is no oppression and subordination.
The major themes of democratic multiculturalism are social heterogeneity, diversity and
freedom. Another form of multiculturalism is conservative multiculturalism which is less
accommodative than the other forms. Third form of multiculturalism that is liberal
multiculturalism supports the significance of individualism. Though it takes up the issues of
liberty and autonomy, but at the same time denies the issues of identity and belonging. It
argues for the natural equality of diverse cultural communities such as Whites, African
Americans, and Asians.

Another form of multiculturalism is critical multiculturalism which focuses on the

significance of positive socio-cultural transformation. It supports the equal representation
of race, class, gender in the public domain and throws light upon the reasons of social unrest
and struggle.

Thus, different forms of multiculturalism bring together the set of issues such as sense of
longing and belonging, sense of identity, status and recognition, need to recognize and
maintain differences with others etc. Multiculturalism allows immigrant groups to follow
their own culture and customs regarding, food, dress and religion. Multiculturalism can be
put as a particular way to understand, to express and to develop the identity in an ethnically
and culturally diverse society.

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