Multiculturalism Flashcards
Assimilation:
- based on the idea that minority groups assimilate into the dominant culture
- the obliteration of any minority identity in favour of the national majority identity
- ‘melting pot’
- colonial inspired logic: holds up the western standards to which others should aspire
Critiques of assimilation:
1) reproduces colonial ideals around ‘mission to civilise’ and ‘west as best’
2) denies agency and individual liberty (Sayyid et al 2006)
3) assumes that the only source of renovation comes with the replacement of the non-west with the west (Sayyid et al 2006)
4) seeks to coercively manage difference
Multiculturalist framework:
- Levy and Modood 2009 = a politics of recognition
- recognises cultural diversity and promotes an equal standing for all cultural traditions
cultural acommodation:
widening and adapting to the national culture and national membership to include all minority groups
Liberal perspectives - Taylor 1992 =
offers a theory of recognition and difference in which the inclusion of minority cultures enables us to be authentic and prevent social fragmentation
Hartmann and Gerteis 2005 =
view multiculturalism as the creation of social conditions where diversity is sustained and new conceptions of solidarity are formatted
Vertovec 2007 =
‘super-diversity’
Solomos 2003 =
multiculturalism enables the fostering of positive community relations
Definition - Hall 2000 =
different cultural communities living together and attempting to build a common life while retaining something or their original identity
Sian 2013
public policy should be attuned to legitimate needs and demands of its diverse population
Critique of multiculturalism - Cantle 2001 =
the cantle report argued that multiculturalism has failed
Critique of multiculturalism - Hedetoft 2003 =
people are gainst multiculturalism as ‘our’ values and culture are indisputably superior
Critique of multiculturalism - Koopmans 2003 =
in the Netherlands, people believe that immigrants havent taken the responsibility to intergrate as multiculturalism is too generous
War on terror - Pfaff 2005
british bombers are a concequence of a catastrophic pursuit of multiculturalism
War on terror - Sharma 2009
multiculturalism has effectively acted as the cultural front on the war of terror where difference has antagonised national belonging and social harmony
War on terror - Modood 2011
concern that a stable sense of Islamic identity can impede integration and social cohesion causing a loss of freedom
War on terror - Huntington 1993
islam is an unwavering force that exists to challenge the west
Return to assimilation:
- shift from multiculturalism to integration
- triggered by Goodhart who stated that multiculturalism. has failed
Return to assimilation: Hedetoft 2003 =
immigrants are facing new british values tests which demonstartes that there is substantial liberal focus whereby the anterior culture is viewed as superior
Does multiculturalism create terrorism?
- this idea is unhelpful and reductive
- political violence occurs in all aspects of society
Does multiculturalism create terrorism? Carrington 2017 =
every major european country has experienced political acts of violent struggle
Limitation - the multiculturalist model has not truly responded to the real demands of members of minority communitites…
multiculturalisms exclusive focus on culture can present an apolitical picture of minority experience and agency that evades the daily realities of institutionalised racism
Limitation - it fails to take into account the sense of cultural isolation faced by minorities (Modood 2011)
- Schierup 2006 = In Sweden, despite multiculturalism, ethnic segregation and high unemployment persists
- Schierup 2006 - in the UK, 37% of Bangladeshis aged 16-24 are unemployed compared to 11% of whites
What is needed is…
to extend multiculturalisms application by recognising all minority groups as legitimate social partners (Modood 2011)
