CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL
CONTEXT
OF CULTURAL PLUALISM
[MULTICULTUALISM CAN BE DEFINED AS A VARIANT OF
CULTURAL PLURALISM AND THE PROBLEM OF SOCIAL COHESION {{?}}]
[WE CAN BEGIN OUR DISCUSSION OF MULTICULTURALISM IN THE
CONTEXT OF CHALLENGES OF DEALING CREATIVELY WITH THE INESCAPABLE REALITY OF
“DIFFERENCE” AND OF FINDING GROUNDS FOR A UNITY-IN-DIVERSITY]
THE PROBLEM COMPLEX OF THE
21ST CENTURY DWELLERS IS: HOW CAN WE TAKE DIFFERENCES INTO ACCOUNT?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TAKE
DIFFERENCES SERIOUSLY? {?}
THE MULTICULTURAL IMAGINATION ==
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE MULTICULTURALLY IMAGINATIVE
POSSESS THE ABILITY TO TAKE DIFFERENCES SERIOUSLY AND TAKE DIFFERENCES
INTO ACCOUNT WHEN TRYING TO SEE THE WORLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF OTHERS.
[IF IT IS HARD TO MAKE THE
“MENTAL TURN” OF THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION OR HAVE THE MENTAL ABILITY TO SEE
“THE INDIVIDUAL IN CONTEXT” === IT IS INFINITELY HARDER TO MAKE THE MENTAL TURN
OF THE MULTICULTURAL IMAGINATION OR HAVE THE ABILITY TO “TAKE DIFFERENCES INTO
ACCOUNT”]
THE PROBLEM COMPLEX OF THE 21ST CENTURY IS : HOW
CAN WE TAKE DIFFERENCES INTO ACCOUNT?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TAKE DIFFERENCES SERIOUSLY? {?}
{THE MULTICULTURAL IMAGINATION LEGITIMIZES THE DYNAMIC RICHNESS AND
RESONANCE OF DIVERSITY?}
{LET'S START HERE TO BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND CULTURAL
PLURALISM} THE ENTIRE WORLD IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY A PLACE OF “INTERMINGLING
DIVERSITY”[?] AND A PLACE OF INCREASING “INTERDEPENDENT
DIVERSITY.”[?]
IN THIS INCREASING MIX AND GLOBAL
DIVERSIFICATION – “ETHNICITY– CULTURE TRAITS ARE BECOMING
ACCENTUATED/ UNDERSCORED/ EMPHASIZED AS THE PARAMOUNT FEATURE OF
IDENTITY.
[“PLURALISM”IS VIRTUALLY
EVERYWHERE --- A PLURALIST SOCIETY CAN BE DEFINED AS A SOCIETY THAT
ENTAILS THE CO-EXISTENCE OF CULTURALLY DIFFERENT GROUPS === THIS
CULTURAL COEXISTENCE IS ACHIEVED THROUGH THE CREATION OF AN OVERARCHING SET OF
VALUES OR INSITUTIONS. A COMMITMENT TO “MULTICULTURALISM” REPRESENTS ONE
VARIANT OF A PLURALIST SOCIETY
{TODAY, THERE ARE MORE THAN 5000 DIFFERENT
ETHNO-RACIAL GROUPS AND SUB-GROUPS LIVING IN 189 NATION STATES. IN TWO
COUNTRIES OUT OF THREE, THERE IS AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIAL MINORITY GROUP,
REPRESENTING 10% OF THE POPULATION OR MORE. IN 150 OF THE 189 NATION STATES
THERE ARE AT LEAST FOUR DIFFERENT ETHNO-RACIAL GROUPS WITHIN THEIR BORDERS.
AT THE SAME TIME, THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 900 MILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
WHO FACE SOME AGGRAVATED FORM OF DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE OF THEIR MINORITY
STATUS AND IDENTITY.}
(EX: CULTURE NOT CLASS
IS HOW WE COLLECT AND DIVIDE OURSELVES)
GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE WORLD ARE UNDER A GROWING
PRESSURE TO ACCOMMODATE INCREASINGLY DIVERSE POPULATIONS WITHIN A SINGLE
BODY-POLITIC -- THAT IS, TO FIND SOME POLITICAL FORM OF PLURALIST
ACCOMMODATION.
(AND TO DATE, OF COURSE, IT IS WORTH NOTING
THAT ONLY CANADA HAS EVEN COME UP WITH A RUDIMENTARY MULTICULTURAL FRAMEWORK
FOR MANAGING ETHNO-RACIAL DIVERSITY === CANADA INITIATED THE PUBLIC
“DISCOURSE ON DIVERSITY”).
FOSTER'S DEFINITION OF “PURE” MULTICULTUALISM ======> A NEW FORM
OF CIVIC CULTURE BASED ON MULTIPLE PUBLICS
{{{FOSTER ASIDE: FOR ME, I
BELIEVE THAT IT ULTIMATELY MEANS === SHARING OWNERSHIP OF REALITY
[?]}}}
SO WHAT IS A “MULTICULTURALIST?”
SOMEONE WHO CAN SEE THE WORLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE
OF THE “OTHER” === (1) SOMEONE WHO SEES DIVERSITY AS A WAY OF LEARNING ABOUT
OURSELVES AND THE WORLD AT LARGE; (2) SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN TRANSFORMING
THE WORLD TO MAKE A PLACE FOR THE “OTHER” AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE WHOLE; (3)
SOMEONE ONE WHO BELIEVES THAT ACTUALIZING OUR MIXED ENDOWMENTS STRENGTHENS ALL
OF US AND CAN HAVE CASCADING POSITIVE EFFECTS FOR HUMANITY.
THE COMMITMENT TO MULTICULTUALISM REPRESENTS ONE
VARIANT OF A PLURALIST SOCIETY
{DEF'N FLERAS} CONTEMPORARY MULTICULTUALISM
IS A STRATEGY FOR ENGAGING DIVERSITY AS DIFFERENT YET EQUAL AS A BASIS FOR “LIVING
TOGETHER WITH DIFFERENCES.”
[[THE SEARCH FOR THE HARMONY OF DIFFERENCES – THIS REQUIRES A LEGITIMATION
OF MULTIPLE PUBLICS]]
[[IMPORTANT
SOCIOLOGICAL NOTE: CANADIAN MULTICULTURALISM HAS BEEN APTLY CALLED
“CONSENSUS MULTICULTURALISM” OR “CONSENSUAL PLURALISM” IN THAT IT
FOCUSES ON INCLUSIVENESS WITHIN A PREEXISTING FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIETY ====
“CRITICAL MULTICULTURALISM,” FOR INSTANCE, IS A MORE “SUBVERSIVE”
FORM THAT SEEKS TO CHALLENGE SOCIAL AUTHORITY, RESIST WHITE
HEGEMONY, AND TRANSFORM SOCIETY BY CREATING SPACE FOR OTHER CULTURES.]]
{SEE CHAPTER 9 FLERAS}
[[SOCIOLOGICAL
ASIDE: “POSTMODERNISM” AND “CRITICAL MULTICULTURALISM” ARE OFTEN
IDENTIFIED BY SOCIOLOGISTS AS “COUNTER-HEGEMONIC PROJECTS” (COMMITMENT TO THE
BELIEF THAT NO CULTURE IS INHERENTLY SUPERIOR TO ANY OTHER MORALLY OR
INTELLECTUALLY, THEREFORE, NO CULTURE SHOULD DOMINATE OTHERS) --- INVOLVING CRITIQUES
OF DOMINATION AND NETWORKS OF ACTIVISM]]
THE BEDROCK OF ALL AND ANY MULTICULTURALISM”
IS PREDICATED ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT CULTURE IS THE KEY VARIABLE
IN INFLUENCING PEOPLES’ BEHAVIOR AND EXPLAINING
DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES FROM ONE CONTEXT TO ANOTHER
PROBLEM COMPLEX HERE: A SOCIAL AND
POLITICAL FRAMEWORK MUST BE ESTABLISHED THAT CAN ENGAGE
DIFFERENCES AS DIFFERENT YET EQUAL, BUT WITHOUT ERODING NATIONAL
UNITY AND SOCIAL COHERENCE IN THE PROCESS.
MAJORITY/MINORITY PERSPECTIVES ON MULTICULTURALISM
[[[WHITE SETTLER DOMINIONS LIKE
CANADA HAVE ENDORSED MULTICULTURAL PRINCIPLES AS A FRAMEWORK FOR
“ACCOMMODATING” IMMIGRANT MINORITIES == WHY? == IT ADDRESSES THE MAJOR
ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEM OF “PLURAL SOCIETIES” {THE “PROBLEM OF
COHESIVENESS” — OR HOLDING SOCIETY TOGETHER THROUGH “COMMON
CONSENSUS” RATHER THAN THE THREAT OF FORCE OR HEAVY-HANDED
IDEOLOGICAL INDOCTRINATION}]]]
FOR MINORITIES MULTICULTURALISM {ACCOMMODATION RATHER THAN
ASSIMILATION} HAS ALLOWED THEM TO PRESERVE THEIR DISTINCTIVENESS
{AND NOT BE ABSORBED INTO THE DOMINANT CULTURE == AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY == IT
PROVIDES A CONTEMPORARY PLATFORM FROM WHICH MINORITIES HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO CRITICIZE, NEGOTIATE, AND ADVOCATE
...
FOR THE MAJORITY OR DOMINANT
CULTURE, MULTICULTURALISM HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY BEEN A USEFUL INSTRUMENT
FOR EITHER CONTAINING MINORITIES AND FITTING THEM INTO SOCIETY'S FRAMEWORK ===
FOR MINORITIES, MULTICULTURALISM HAS BEEN AN
ADDITIONAL STRATEGY OF RESISTANCE TO DOMINATION (IN AN “EXTREMELY
PRECARIOUS” POSITION{?})
HAS CANADA ACHIEVED
EQUALITARIAN PLURALISM?
THE
CANADIAN MULTICULTURAL ACT OF 1988 -- STATED THAT “ALL CANADIANS ARE FULL AND EQUAL
PARTNERS IN CANADIAN SOCIETY.”
THE
DEPARTMENT OF MULTICULTUALISM AND CITIZENSHIP -- WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1991 WITH
THE GOAL OF ENCOURAGING ETHNIC MINORITIES TO PARTICIPATE FULLY IN ALL ASPECTS
OF CANADIAN LIFE AND AT THE SAME TIME MAINTAIN THEIR DISTINCT ETHNIC IDENTITIES
AND CULTURAL PRACTICES.
THE
OBJECT OF MULTICULTURALISM IS TO "PROMOTE UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY".
(1)
SUPPORT FOR CULTURAL GROUPS, (2)
OVERCOME BARRIERS TO OPPORTUNITY, AND (3)
PROMOTE BELONGING AND CONNECTEDNESS TODAY
THE STATED FUNDAMENTAL GOAL OF THE POLICY ON MULTICULTURALISM IS
TO BUILD AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY BASED ON SOCIAL HARMONY BY PROMOTING:
(1) IDENTITY -
(RECOGNIZES, RESPECTS AND REFLECTS A DIVERSITY OF CULTURES) (2) CIVIC PARTICIPATION -
(ACTIVE CITIZENS SHAPING THE FUTURE) (3) SOCIAL JUSTICE - (FAIR
AND EQUITABLE TREATMENT FOR ALL) ____________________________________________________________________________________________
THERE
ARE A CORE OF CENTRAL THEMES BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE
MULTICULTUALISM WAS EMPHASIZED AS A: (1)
(POLICY CONSTRUCT IN) ADVANCING NATIONAL AND MINORITY
INTERESTS (2)
COLLECTIVE PROCESS IN RESHAPING CANADA'S NATIONAL AND
MINORITY INTERESTS (3)
COLLECTIVE PROCESS IN RESHAPING CANADA'S SYMBOLIC AND SOCIAL
ORDER (4)
DISTRIBUTIVE IDEAL IN ALLOCATING REWARDS AND RESOURCES (5)
POLITICAL INSTRUMENT FOR MANAGING RACIAL AND
ETHNIC DIVERSITY**** (6)
[BOLD][SOCIAL EXPERIMENT FOR PROMOTING
DIVERSITY AS A UNIFYING FORCE ***** (7) KEY METAPHOR
IN SHAPING CANADIAN IDENTITY (TEACHING THE VALUE OF "CONSTRUCTIVE
CO-EXISTENCE"). ON
THE NEGATIVE SIDE, THE PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS IN THE OPERATION, FUNCTION,
PROGRESS OF MULTICULTURALISM POLICY CONSIST OF: (1)
MANY CANADIANS ARE UNSURE ABOUT WHAT MULTICULTURALISM IS,
WHAT IT IS TRYING TO DO AND WHY, HOW IT CAN BE PUT INTO PRACTICE, WHERE AND
WHEN IT IS EFFECTIVE, AND WHAT IT CAN REALISTICALLY ACCOMPLISH IN A
LIBERAL-DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY (2)
CONFUSION ARISES FROM THE FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE
THE DIVERSE LEVELS OF MEANING IMPLICIT IN THE MULTICULTURAL CONCEPT.
(A) IT IS AN
"IDEOLOGICAL THEORY" AND A "DESCRIPTIVE
REALITY". (B) HENCE, IT
RECOMMENDS A "BELIEF STRUCTURE" (DIVERSITY AND
RESPECT) AND A "STRUCTURE OF ACTION" (EQUALITY
AND PARTICIPATION).***** (3)
MANY SUPPORT MULTICULTURALISM AS CULTURE (SMALL C -FOLKLORE
AND FESTIVALS), BUT BALK WHEN THEY PERCEIVE THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC
COSTS AS EXCESSIVE. (4)
INTERGROUP RELATIONS ARE FRAUGHT WITH AMBIGUITY AND STRESS,
AS THE GROUND RULES UNDERLYING THE OLD ORDER REFUSE TO GIVE WAY TO NEW
REALITIES. (5)
CONCEPT CONTINUES TO BE REJECTED AS IRRELEVANT BY
QUEBECCOUS, AND CONTERPRODUCTIVE FOR ABORIGINAL ASPRIATIONS. AND
CONSIDERED DANGEROUS BY THOSE WHO ARE WARY OF GOVERNMENT INTRUSION (ESPECIALLY
IN AREAS RELATED TO THE FUNDING OF WHAT ESSENTIALLY SHOULD BE PRIVATE MATTERS).
***** (6)
MULTICULTURALISM HAS POLITICAL OVERTONES (THE IMPLICATION IS
ONLY WHEN ETHNIC COMPETITION IS REPLACED WITH A DUAL COMMITTMENT TO CULTURE AND
EQUALITY WILL HAVE THE REMOTE POSSIBLITY OF MANAGING DIVERSITY PROPERLY). (7)
MULTICULTUALISM IS "MOSAIC MADNESS" -- (COUNTER
ARGUMENT, CHAMPIONED BY NEIL BISSOONDATH, THE CULT OF MULTICULTURALISM IN
CANADA") -- ARGUES THAT MULTICULTURALISM IS DIVISIVE, AND
SAYS IT GHETTOIZES VISIBLE MINORITIES, FOSTERS RACIAL ANIMOSITY, AND
DETRACTS FROM NATIONAL UNITY. ***** THE DECONSTRUCTION OF
MULTICULTURALISM ... THE DIVERSE LEVELS OF
MEANING IMPLICIT IN THE MULTICULTURAL CONCEPT. (A)
IT IS AN "IDEOLOGICAL THEORY" AND A
"DESCRIPTIVE REALITY". (B) HENCE, IT
RECOMMENDS A "BELIEF STRUCTURE" (DIVERSITY AND
RESPECT) AND A "STRUCTURE OF ACTION" (EQUALITY
AND PARTICIPATION). ... LEVELS OF MEANING OF
MULTICULTURALISM As Fact As Ideology As Policy As Practice As Critical Discourse Descriptive and empirical statement of what
is [descriptive reality] Prescriptive and projective statement of
what ought to be in terms of ideas and ideals Explicit government initiatives to foster social
equality, cultural diversity, and national interests Putting multicultural-ism into practice at
two levels: 1) political 2) minority women and men Challenge, resist, and transform the
distribution of cultural power in society [institutional power-sharing
between ethnoracial groups] {UNREQUITED
GOAL == MULTICULTURALISM IS ULTIMATELY BASED ON THE “BELIEF” IN INSTITUTIONAL
POWER-SHARING.} CRITICAL MULTICULTURALISM CANADIAN
MULTICULTURALISM HAS BEEN CALLED “CONSENSUS MULTICULTURALISM” IN THAT IT FOCUSES
ON INCLUSIVENESS WITHIN A PREEXISTING FRAMEWORK [ON THE OTHER HAND --- “CRITICAL MULTICULTUALISM” IS
AN COUNTER-HEGEMONIC PROJECT (LIKE POSTMODERNISM) THAT SEEK A
COMPREHENSIVE CRITQUE OF DOMINATION AND COMPREHENSIVE NETWORKS OF ACTIVISM.] CRITICAL MULTICULTURALISM IS A DISCOURSE[S] THAT
CHALLENGES, RESISTS, AND TRANSFORMS OTHER FORMS === IT CHALLENGES AUTHORITY,
RESISTS WHITE HEGEMONY, AND TRANSFORMS SOCIETY BY CREATING SPACE FOR OTHER
CULTURES. IT REFUSES TO TREAT EUROPEAN CULTURE (I.E., WHITE, CAPITALIST,
MALE-CENTRED, EXCLUSIONIST CULTURE) AS “NORMAL” CULTURE [GIROUX, 1994,
EISENSTEIN, 1996; STAM, 1997] . IT QUESTIONS THE RIGHT OF EUROCENTRIC CULTURE TO
DOMINATE OTHER CULTURES IN A WAY THAT FLATTENS DIVERSITY, WHILE PRIVILEGING
EUROPEAN NORMS AS NECESSARY AND SUPERIOR [STAM, 1997]. AND IT QUESTIONS
CULTURAL AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS THAT ELEVATE “WHITE” STANDARDS AND VALUES
OVER THOSE OF OTHER CULTURES {D'SOUZA, 1995]. IT SEES OLD-STYLE, CONSENSUS MULTICULTUALISM AS A FORM
OF PLURALISM THAT DENIES THE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF POWER RELATIONS; IN
CONTRAST, CRITIAL MULTICULTUALISM SETS OUT TO PROMOTE HISTORICAL MEMORY,
NATIONAL IDENTITY, AND THE POLITICS OF DIFFERENCE [GIROUX. 1994:336]. CRITICAL MULTICULTURALISM CALLS FOR A PROFOUND
TRANSFORMATION OF POWER RELATIONS. ITSEEKSTOMOBILIZE MARGINALIZED GROUPS,
TRANSFORM INSTITUTIONS TO CREATE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL SPACE, AND DISMANTLE
DOMINANT INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES. CRITICAL MULTICULTURALISM DOES NOT CALL FOR
MINORITIES TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE EXISTING INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK, WHERE
THEY WOULD FACE CONTAINMENT ANDCONTROL. INSTEAD, IT ENDORSES THE CONCEPT OF
CULTURALLY SAFE SPACES WHERE MINORITIES WILL NOT HAVE TO JUSTIFY THEIR
EXISTENCE, ANDWHERE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO CHALLENGE THE SYSTEM FROM A POSITION
OF STRENGTH. CRITICAL MULTICULTUALISM EMPHASIZES THE PRINCIPLE
THAT PEOPLE ARE FUNDAMENTALLY EQUAL, AND MAKES THIS THE BASIS FOR
CHALLENGING HOW POWER AND PRIVILEGE ARE DISTRIBUTED AND HOW HISTORY AND
LITERATURE ARE TAUGHT. THE EUROCENTRIC NOTIONS THAT FORM THE CORE OF NORTH
AMERICAN CULTURAL LIFE ARE CHALLENGED, MULTICULTURAL ALTERNATIVES ARE PROMOTED,
AND THE SUPERIORITY AND NEUTRALITY OF MAINSTREAM VALUES ARE QUESTIONED [STAM,
1997]. MULTICULTURALISM AS A CRITICAL DISCOURSE (ACCORDING
TO FLERAS PIVOTS AROUND FOUR THEMES: POSTMODERNISM, CULTURAL RELATIVISM,
IDENTITY POLITICS, AND COLLECTIVE RIGHTS (PP. 308 – UNEQUAL RELATIONS) ... IT
HAS BEEN SAID THAT CANADA IS BASED ON “CONSENSUS MULTICULTURALISM” WHICH TRIES
TO MAKE SOCIETY SAFE BOTH FROM DIVERSITY AND FOR
DIVERSITY; IN CONTRAST “CRITICAL MULTICULTURALISM” SEEKS TO MAKE DIVESITY
SAFE BOTH FROM SOCIETY AND FOR SOCIETY [FLERAS AND
ELLIOTT, 2002]. BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES EISENSTEIN, Z. (1996) HATREDS: RACIALIZED AND SEXUALIZED
CONFLICTS IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. NEW YORK: ROUTLEDGE. GIROUX. H. E. (1994) “INSURGENT MULTICULTURALISM AS
THE PROMOIS OF PEDAGOGY.” IN D. T. GOLDBERG (ED.). MULTICULTURALISM A CRITICAL
READER
(PP.325-43) OXFORD, U.K. BLACKWELL PUBLISHERS. STAM, R (1997). “MULTICUTURALISM AND
NEOCONSERVATIVES.” IN A. McCLINTOCK, A. MUFTI, & E. SHOHAT (EDS.), DANGEROUS LIAISONS: GENDER,
NATION, AND POSTCOLONIAL PERSPECTIVES (PP. 173-87). MINNEAPOLIS, MN: U OF MINNESOTA
PRESS,