Multiculturalism today is the reason why Asian and Peruvian medicine has healed numerous of diseased people of Malaria. It has added color and community to many places in the world, breathing life to people’s day. It has offered new ways of thinking, and new ways of expressing ourselves. However, is multiculturalism also the reason why nations and cultures lose their identity, and how do we define culture?
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
Defining Culture: Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people. This includes language, religion, cuisine, social habit, music, and arts. It is the human nature of what the people learn as members of society such as ideas, meanings, and beliefs.
Some countries share the overall aspect of the culture while having their own twist and tradition on it. Take for example Sweden and Norway which are two countries from the north in Scandinavia. These countries have a similar climate and history but differ in both language, cuisine, social habits and more. There are similarities between them such as the shared religion of Christianity, the political ideology of democracy and both being born with skis on their feet. Yet have differences in them when it comes to a deeper layer of the culture such as cuisine, self-identity, and art as this operates at levels of Gender, Generation and Social class, rather than the National level and the Regional level.
In Norway's dark winter during the Polar Nights, the sun is up for only 3 hours a day in some parts (and in others, doesn't come up at all). You could imagine how it would differ from the Summer, where the sun never sets!
| Cultural Assimilation | Cultural Amalgamation | Cultural Coextistence |
|---|
In the picture above, there are three different figures representing Cultural Coexistence, Cultural Amalgamation, and Cultural Assimilation. These are three levels of multiculturalism. Where cultural coexistence is a way to live together, while still taking care of your own values and beliefs. Cultural Coexistence can be found in many places when looking at how indigenous people and modern societies live together. They may not influence each other as much, the same way that we are a variety of cultures in the workplace where we “mind our own business and respect others”. Cultural Amalgamation is where different cultures come together to form a mix of various traditions, values, and beliefs- such as Canada which consists of as much as 35% of foreign culture, whereas much as 20% of the people are born outside of Canada. Cultural Assimilation is a form of cultural domination where a person of a group’s language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group. This is a known term for indigenous people where many tribes/societies have been forced to learn specific cultures and languages regarding “becoming” a whole nation.
Theory aside, let’s reflect on the challenges of these types of multiculturalism and how it can also offer us opportunities. I will compare two different statements by two people by the name Benjamin L. Pettigrew and Alice Q. Bennet. They have two different views on multiculturalism and how it can either come with benefits or with problems. Here’s the first paragraph I will discuss, from Benjamin L. Pettigrew:
I used to think multiculturalism was an answer to our social problems. But today, I would say that it is the cause of them. It has fueled the success of far-right parties and populist politicians across the world. And in the most extreme cases, it has inspired obscene acts of violence.
How did this transformation come about? I feel that we have allowed excessive immigration without demanding enough integration. This has eroded social cohesion, undermined national identities and degraded public trust.
Benjamin explains how he believes that multiculturalism is the reason why we have acts of violence, and why our social cohesion is failing. He also explains that national identities are fading, and so is the public trust. In this text, he does not give any foundation or base for his claims, and for that reason, it’s hard to take him seriously. Let’s start by analyzing these claims, one for one:
#1 Multiculturalism is the reason why we have acts of violence and our social cohesion is failing
Cracks within societies and disagreements of values and beliefs have always posed a challenge not just to the multiculturalism in the country, but also to the whole world. It has created conflicts and is the reason why there are manifested forms of riots, street violence, and ethnic gangs that try to “express” their opinion or wanting a nation where it’s cultural assimilation. However, this is a generalized opinion as he does not take into consideration that a lot of immigrants prefer to stick together because of racism and the fear of racial violence. The key to harmony is to respect differences and to accept and educate about ignorance, which Benjamin has failed to do in this text.
#2 National identities are fading, and so it the public trust
It is true that when being integrated into a new country, you also learn new values and ways. Learning new languages and cultures enables you to choose between multiple ways of thinking, and even understanding other ways of seeing things like you didn’t do before. This creates a gap between the old you and the new you- however, is this a bad thing? Spaghetti was almost banned in the US because it was “damaging the national image” of the country. It came to a point where Italians were discriminated against because of their cuisine choices.
When you bite into a homemade taco that originates from Mexico, or whether you choose to have spaghetti from Italy, it’s not something you particularly think about- because it’s just another typical cuisine that you’re used to. Culture will always be personal, and it will always be changing. It’s not static or something you can put in a museum. Benjamin says that National identities are fading, and this is caused by globalization- which is a fact. However, this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. As mentioned earlier, Peru and Asia are reasons why Europeans are living today. Immigration is the reason why Canada is as creative and inviting as it is, and why there will never be a boring night-out because there is a diversity of restaurants to pick from.
And when it comes to diversity and public trust, this is a truth. A study done by Robert D. Putnam showed results of 26’200 people in 40 American communities, where people in diverse communities "don't trust the local mayor, they don't trust the local paper, they don't trust other people and they don't trust institutions”. He explained that “We hunker down. We act like turtles. The effect of diversity is worse than had been imagined. And it's not just that we don't trust people who are not like us. In diverse communities, we don't trust people who do look like us”.
However, this is not multiculturalism to blame. This is a known factor known as xenophobia- the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange. This has to with feeling close and to understand other people and their culture. This is a sign of cultural coexistence, but also cultural clash and ignorance.
The second text I will be analyzing is from Alice Q. Bennet:
Multiculturalism, if you look at it, it’s everywhere and it’s a very good thing. But the real problem today is all the racists who are crawling out from underneath their rocks. Diversity is the sign of a healthy community. Where I live, we have Pakistani Muslims in the house next door, Indian Hindus downstairs and Latvian Jews across the street. This is the world I know and love. The mix, the music, the food, the street festivals; life can’t be any better.
Alice explains how it’s everywhere and it’s a very good thing, but the only problem is the racists (or the ignorance that was mentioned and explained earlier in this text). She mentions how it’s the sign of a healthy community. This text is more loving and understanding, but we will dig a little deeper and see how true all of this really is.
#1 Multiculturalism is everywhere and it’s a good thing, the racists are the problem
Of course, Multiculturalism is important! Because it dilutes the xenophobia as well as ignorance. It is important because it also encourages us to experience new things as well as dialogue between the different cultures. Instead of taking Benjamin’s opinion and generalizing it all too bad, it’s important to be curious and face what you’ve been a prejudice of and get a better understanding of it. Learn that no culture or religion promotes terrorism and that people are created different- cultural diversity is natural, and we should respect the differences.
Now, cultural racism, also known as “the racism of cultural difference”, is based upon the reversed way of thinking. It’s a belief that your own identity and culture is the “superior” one. It’s the theory of human nature where cultural difference makes it natural to form closed communities, as outer perspectives may seem hostile. The only way to battle this is to not just tolerate but to also respect other people’s ways.
#2 Diversity is a sign of a healthy community
A healthy community should provide broad access to arts and culture. It should meet the basic needs of residents, ensure a vibrant and diversified economy and give learning opportunities for all ages. If multiculturalism can be respected and if people can live in harmony with differences, a healthy community is in place.
Multiculturalism offers and encourages a wide variety of recreational, historical and cultural opportunities. As mentioned before, multiculturalism is the reason why we have a variety of cuisine and is also why we’re able to express ourselves in other ways that wouldn’t be understandable without globalization. Take for instance various words like Cookie (Dutch), Anonymous (Greek), and Lemon (Arabic) that we decided to start using from other cultures. These were things that we integrated into our own daily basis and has today become a part of our very own identity as well as a nation’s identity.
In addition, multiculturalism boosts the economic market of a country. If fosters an economy that is diverse, innovative, and which offers jobs and income for residents. Take for instance those foreign restaurants and those foreign shops that sell food that originates somewhere else outside of the country. This does not only increase the flow of money, but also offers an opportunity to experience something new and learn from those.
Sources:
http://bipt.ca/benefits-multiculturalism/
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Three-models-of-multiculturalism_fig1_238433195
https://planetmagazin.com/cultural-coexistence-a-key-to-harmony-and-peace
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_multiculturalism
http://www.challengefuture.org/news/609
Paragraph 1 from Benjamin L. Pettigrew, made-up comment.
Paragraph 2 from Alice Q. Bennet, made-up comment.
