Multiculturalism

"Multiculturalism emphasises the respect and acknowledgement of differences within communities."

There has been considerable support over the last forty years for the notion of 'cultural pluralism'. This stemmed from a number of different measures, following racial and ethnic discrimination and conflict, that sought to protect cultural, religious, ethnic, and racial characteristics. From this has grown the concept of 'multiculturalism' and with it the practice of acknowledging and respecting the various cultures, religions, races, ethnicities, attitudes and opinions within an environment. Multiculturalism has been criticised for having reinforced divisions within communities with its emphasis on respect and acknowledgement of differences. A number of responses to multiculturalism have been developed, including 'community cohesion' with its emphasis on broad-based change, and 'interculturalism', a key feature of which (that differentiates it from multiculturalism) is its sense of openness, dialogue and interaction between cultures leading to long-term change. Where the former allows different cultures to co-exist whilst in a sense reinforcing differences, the latter is about bringing people from different cultures together and engaging in a process that may allow these to live together. It goes beyond mere respect and acknowledgement, and has the capacity to bring about long-term and deep-rooted change.