Multiculturalism
Many western countries adopted multiculturalism as authorized policies from the 1970s. The reasons for doing this varied from nation to nation. The major cities in western countries today are multicultural (Harrison 2008). Different governments also identify multiculturalism differently. The policies in different countries may include acknowledgment of multiple-citizenship, states support of press in marginal languages and recognition of their cultural events, accepting of cultural attire in learning institutions, military and the community in general, recognition of their arts and festivals, encouragement to participate in political, social and cultural matters of the countrys enactment of laws to support the marginalised, and acceptance of some codes of regulations of the different racial factions. In the United Kingdom, multicultural policies were accepted by the local authorities from the 1970s and the 1980s. It was the labour government of Tony Blair that was more concerned with this issue. The United Kingdom has recorded improvement in multicultural aspects since they were introduced (Grant et al. 2005).
Support for multiculturalism
Supporters of multiculturalism argue that it is a fair system that allows freedom of expression and promotes sense of identity. In this kind of system, different ethnic, cultural and racial groups are free to air views without being afraid of humiliation or discrimination. It is this kind of system that is more tolerant and where social issues can be handled so efficiently. The supporters of this system argue that it is the best in accommodating the drastic changes in cultures. Cultures around the world are changing at a very high rate.
This is the reason why in different nation-states, there is need to have in place a system that can effectively accommodate these changes (Hoberek 2005). Many nation-states and countries have diverse cultures as a result of immigration. A good example to illustrate this is the United Kingdom. The UK has not come up from a single ethnic group. It has arisen from the immigration and influence of Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Normans etc. There is no single country especially in the west that has not been influenced by other cultures. This is why supporters of multiculturalism argue that culture is not one distinguishable aspect that is founded on a single race or place, but is as a result of many factors that are transformed as the world is transformed. Multiculturalism is operational in globalization. All aspects of life are becoming global. Technological, economical, political and social issues are becoming global. As a result, cultural aspects have been diffusing across international boundaries. This therefore has necessitated the understanding of cultures on a global level (Phillion et al. 2005).
Opponents of multiculturalism
Opponents of this system frequently question the sustainability of the multicultural concept of benevolently co-existing cultures that relate and impact on each other. They also debate over the desirability of this kind of system. They argue that this kind of system may end up eroding the existing culture. This would affect some cultures in many countries, particularly in Europe which would opt to retain their own cultural identity. There are very many countries that given a choice would not agree to have any other culture impacting on their own. Therefore, multiculturalism is one aspect that ensures this does not happen (Grant et al. 2005).
Other opponents state that this system causes restrictions in the rights for some groups. They argue that this is detrimental for democracy, undemocratic and collective human rights. Research carried out by Robert Putman also supports the opposition against multiculturalism. This was a ten-year study to investigate the effects of multiculturalism to societal trust. The research was done on a population of 26,200 in 40 communities in the United States (Banks 2003). It was realized that when the information was regulated for class, wage-level and other related factors, the more the rate of diversity in a society, the higher the loss of trust. Individuals in the diverse area have no trust in anything or anybody (Zeilienger 2010). They do not trust their peers, they do not trust institutions nor do they trust the government. He came to a conclusion that wherever there is so much diversity, people act like turtles. He said that the effect of diversity is more than people think. In the presence of diversity, people tend to loose trust on others. In this context, multiculturalism leads to mistrust and working together therefore becomes difficult (Peters-Davis et al. 2005).
Homogeneity in communities leads to greater investment in public products. This proves a greater level of public altruism. For instance, the rate of racial homogeneity associates well with the states share of GDP, together with the general prosperity of the public. It has been proven from studies that generosity decreases with increase in diversity (Banks 2003). Multiethnic communities are less benevolent and less capable of working together to improve public facilities. From research, it was established that cities that are more diverse spend less on public services than those that are more homogenous (Parker 2003).
Citizenship education
The rise in diversity and the acknowledgment of it necessitate an enthusiastic re-investigation of the ends and the means to deal with it. This begins with the ends and means of citizenship education. Multicultural societies experience the challenge of establishing an environment that appreciate and integrate the diversity of the citizenship. The nations face the challenge of embracing an overarching set of beliefs, ideals and objectives of the multiculture citizenship. It is only in circumstances where nations are united along a set of democratic principles that it can be able to handle multicultural issues. Democratic principles like human freedoms, impartiality and equality can go a long way in securing freedom of racial, cultural and ethnic faction and make it possible for them to access fairness, liberty and tranquillity. This kind of environment and people who seek to see it through do not just arise without proper education (Grant et al. 2005).
Assimilationist idea of citizenship education was in place in most of western democracies before the 1960s and the 1970s. This was before the rise of ethnic revitalisation movements in the 1960s and the 1970s. During that time, the key objective of the citizenship education was to establish nations in which all groups embraced a governing conventional culture. This was based on the assumption that the minority factions and people migrating into these countries would abandon their prevailing cultures and adapt to the cultures of the country they enter to become effectual citizens of their new countries (Peters-Davis et al. 2005). The revitalisation movements challenged Assimilationist ideas of citizenship. As a result, there emerged a liberty and a right to disagree idea although it has not yet come to full reality in many nations (Haddock and Sutch 2003).
Citizenship education has a crucial objective of assisting learners to earn the awareness, mind-sets, and skills to reach contemplative decisions so as to make their countries more autonomous and just. This education system needs to be amended in considerable ways to allow people to operate well in the 21st century. In this century, people need to be in a position to operate well in their own culture as well as past cultural boarders (Kymlicka and Banting 2006). They therefore require knowledge, mind-sets and skills that will enable them to operate well in such environment. Citizens should also be ready to contribute in establishing a national civic culture. This culture is expected to be a moral and just society. The national community should maintain democratic ideal and principles (Smith et al. 2008).
In multiculturalism, one of the major challenges to the countries is to offer equal chances for various groups to retain features of their individual cultures and at the same time creating a community where these groups are incorporated and to which they have a sense of belonging.
The challenge of striking a balance between diversity and unity is becoming greater as democracies are becoming more and more diversified. The other challenge is the fact that these racial and ethnic groups in these countries are fighting so hard for cultural, political and financial freedom (Peters-Davis et al. 2005).
The democratic ideas within the key democracies together with the disparity between models and realism were the main contributors to the coming up of actions for cultural and economic freedoms in a number of democracies. These countries have one thing in common, they share democratic ideals. This is a key principle that it is the responsibility of the state to offer protection to human rights, boost equality and integrate dissimilar groups into the contemporary society. There is also a common characteristic of these diverse groups. They have extensive inequality, racial, and class stratification. Creation of protests and resurgence actions within the democracies is as a result of difference between their independent principles and the realities of the society and the increasing prospects of the marginalised groups. Such protests are like the civil rights movement in the United States (Haddock and Sutch 2003).
Assimilationist had both advantages and disadvantages. It was beneficial because countries did not have to spend much time and resources educating on multiple cultures. They only had to teach on their own cultures and those entering the country had no choice but to embrace that culture. Assimilationist on the other hand made most of the students to lose their own cultures, languages, and cultural identities. There was a major aspect of unfairness in this concept. This system also estranged some students from their families and communities. The system also caused some to be socially and politically assimilated into the national civic culture (Kelly 2006). This caused a major problem. Individuals of particular ethnic factions became marginalised in both their individual culture and also in the civic culture due to the fact that they could not operate well in any of the two (The Daily Mail 2009). Whenever they got the culture of the conventional community, they were restricted from complete integration due to their racial traits. This brings about the rationale behind the need for change in citizenship education (Smith et al. 2008).
In multiculturalism, citizens should be in a position to retain an association with their cultures as well as contribute well to the national civic culture. The problem arises where there is no balance between the two. Diversity and unity need to exist together in a balanced formula to ensure democratic multicultural country. Getting to strike the balance between the two is a continuing process and a principle that is never completely achieved. It is important for all the two groups to participate in formulating objectives associated with diversity and unity. The two should also be involved in the acts to strive to achieve those objectives. Consideration and sharing of power among the two is crucial for the creation and continuation of a just, ethical and participatory democracy in multiculturalism (Zeilienger 2010).
The main problem with this kind of arrangement is that the marginalized societies will be given a lot of power in a foreign country. They will be in a position to participate in many decisions concerning the country. The country shares its authority, roles and responsibilities with the various minority groups in the country. This causes a decline in the sense of identity of the citizens who have to adopt a system of multiple cultures. This is the reason why striking a balance between harmony and diversity is a continuing challenge in multiculturalism (Zeilienger 2010).
Citizenship education can help in dealing with the issues concerning multiculturalism. Due to the lack of proper education procedures, harmony has been attained at the expense of diversity. This has led to oppression and discrimination. Diversity is where there are multiple cultures that are respected by individuals on the same level. Respect and understanding are the main causes of harmony in a multicultural environment. To be able to achieve the growth of multiculturalism, it is important to start infusing the ideas into the young minds (Haddock and Sutch 2003).
Multicultural education
The objective of this kind of education is to assist learners in appreciating the diversity of cultures. They will be in a position to understand differences and similarities and also the contributions of diversity. This is an effort to transform the education system to accommodate diversity of cultures in the society (Ramsey 2004). This way, students and all the people will be able to accept diversity and multiculturalism. This is particularly important in the global era. In this kind of education system, consideration is focused on contributions of all the representatives of the society. Every culture is represented. Under the system, special attention can be given on the minority group that was not represented or underrepresented in the past. A multicultural curriculum aims at the presentation of more than a single perspective of a cultural occurrence. Historical events and cultural phenomena are viewed and understood from different perspectives. Supporters of multicultural education system argue that it is a change in learning methods that tackles unfairness in the community. The supporters believe that there is an increasing importance in this as a result of transforming population mix in the society (Ramsey 2004).
The change in the curriculum to be a multicultural one will be able to transform the education environment into a multicultural one. This way, it will be easier to integrate minority groups into the learning institutions without discrimination. It is also possible for all the students from all ethnical and cultural groups to have a sense of belongings. Academic performance will be better because all the students will be learning under similar environment (Banks 2009).
Banks (2003) gives five areas in which educators and researchers participate. These areas in multicultural education help in boosting multicultural education. The first area is content integration. This is where the instructional materials integrate contents, concepts and values from different cultures. The second area is knowledge construction. This concept presents an argument that all knowledge is formed in human minds and thus can be challenged. These ideas enable educators to change their own conceptions on multicultural issues before they start teaching. The third area is equity pedagogy. This is where the instructors are supposed to alter their instructing methods by accommodating diversity in cultures before encouraging academic improvement. The fourth area is prejudice reduction. Under this concept, it is the duty of the educator to discourage students from prejudice behaviours concerning race and ethnicity. Teachers can also discourage prejudice by teaching the students on different religions, races and sexuality. The students should also be taught to appreciate the differences. The last area is the empowering of the school culture. Under this point, schools should recognize the areas of education that prevent learning (Parker 2003). They should therefore empower parents and learners from all background in order to realize the full potentials of all the learners (Ramsey 2004).
Multicultural education can be grouped into three. The first one is content-focused. This is the most common kind of multicultural education program. Its goal is to integrate contents into the curriculum about different cultures with the aim of cultivating knowledge on the cultures (Banks 2009). The second category is student-focused. This is where most of the programs go past transformations in the content and particularly tackle the requirements of a particular group, mostly the marginalised. In this category, the curriculum may not undergo major changes. Instead, the changes are focused on the views of the students on multicultural issues. The third is socially-focussed. This kind of program focuses attention on eradicating prejudice and discrimination and promoting cultural and ethnicity tolerance (Ramsey 2004).
It is important for the education systems to embrace shared ideals. Learners must have equal chances to attain their potentials. Students must be given chances to participate in a multicultural environment. Teachers should be in a position to focus on every student equally regardless of their similarities or difference to the teacher. Schools are best placed to end oppression and discrimination of all kinds (Deakin 2007). Multiculturalism can be boosted if it starts from the school walls. The education program must incorporate the voices and concerns of all the learners.
Some opponents of the multicultural education system argue that it divides cultures instead of uniting and creating tolerance between them. It is argued that the system teaches learners to think of themselves as individuals from different parts of the world who happens to co-exist in the same nation. This makes them more conscious of their differences. According to the opponents, the ideal system would be one where the students are taught that they are part of a whole system. Other opponents argue that this system gets in the way of the learner being in a position to express themselves in their own individuality. This is so because the system puts more emphasis on ethnic and racial backgrounds. Even those in support of the system accept the fact that a persons cultural background may be influenced by gender or socio-economic status (Banks 2009).
Culture is dynamic and complicated as it varies from community to community. The opponents of this system argue that it is increasing the education burden to the learners. It is a very big burden for students to learn from different cultures than would be if they were learning about a single mainstream culture. In case where cultures of different communities are not handled and researched correctly, it is possible to feed the students with inaccurate information.
Efforts to achieve multiculturalism
The Awards for Bridging Cultures
There are events such as the Awards for Bridging Cultures that are organized to assist in the fight against discrimination and prejudice. These events were started to recognize organisations and individuals for their efforts to boost intercultural discussions. These events take place across the United Kingdom. The efforts by the awards for bridging cultures are aimed at motivating other people across the country to join in the course (Haddock and Sutch 2003).
It has been observed as a result of the ABCs that a lot of people in the United Kingdom are committed to promoting trust and respect for different cultures and beliefs. The main aim of the awards for bridging cultures was to find creative measures of boosting intercultural practices. They were trying to prove to the policy makers that the best solutions to the cultural matters are best sought from the grass root levels (Modood 2007).
Building bridges also support refugees, shelter seekers and migrants with useful proficiencies to assist them in settling in the United Kingdom. This program offers the participants a chance to articulate themselves and share their experiences. They are offered a chance to give details on their life back home, experiences during their travel, their cultural practices and their experiences in the United Kingdom (Banting and Kymlicka 2006). The programme is a multicultural activity with a third being European Union migrant workers, a third refugees and shelter seekers and a third of young British citizens. This programme offers participants a chance to socialize and share their experiences. The programme offers participants social skills, help them to establish new relationships, and boosts confidence among them. This makes it possible for people from different cultures learn to coexist in a diversity of cultures. The Awards for Bridging Cultures is a clear effort to ensure multiculturalism in the United Kingdom (Banting and Kymlicka 2006).
Commission for Racial Equality
This programme was set up in 1976. The programme sets out to eradicate racial discrimination, boost equality, boost relationships, re-evaluate the law and suggest amendments.
The Race Relations Act
This act was passed in 1976. Under this legislation, it is illegal to discriminate people on the basis of colour, race or culture. This law protects all racial and ethnic groups from segregation and prejudice. This law is relevant to employment, planning, accommodation and public services (Modood 2007).
The act was amended in 2001 to offer public authorities a new legislative responsibility to boost racial equality. The objective of the amendment was to assist public authorities to offer just and reachable services, and to encourage equivalent chances in employment. The responsibility for promoting racial equality is known as race equality duty. This responsibility is applicable to all public authorities and comprises of general and specific duties. The general duty concerns all public authorities contained in schedule 1A of the legislation. Under the general duty, they are required to eradicate illegal racial discrimination, boost equal employment chances, and boost positive relationships between people of different races. The specific duties are intended to support in the meeting of the general duties. Therefore, they can be considered a means to an end. Such duties include race equality system, publication of information, evaluating purposes, plans and programs, supervising and racial equality impact evaluation (Modood 2007).
The Commission for Racial Equality urges local factions to exercise zero tolerance against politicians who use racial issues in dividing them during election campaigns. There are political figures who incite ethnic communities towards hatred for their political benefits. It is from such politicians that the law protects the citizens. Racial abhorrence is not restricted to any single group and in any place that it is observed it should be dealt with (Lewycky 2007).
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The UDHR was agreed to by the General Assembly of the United Nations in the year 1948. Under the principles of the GAUN, it is vital for all members of the United Nations to educate their children on the requirements of the Declaration. They are all supposed to make public the contents of the Declaration and have it dispersed, exhibited, read and explained primarily in learning institutions (Parker 2003).
The Forum against Islamophobia and Racism (FAIR)
The coming of the Muslims to Britain dates backs to over a hundred years ago. Currently, it is the fastest growing marginalised group in Britain. The group is diverse and create a significant part of multicultural faction in Britain. Despite their contribution to Britain, they suffer significant amount of discrimination, harassment and stereotyping (Chamberlain 1998). The unfairness that Muslims suffer in that country has come to be known as Islamophobia. This is a widely acknowledged form of racism. It manifests itself in a variety of ways discrimination in learning institutions employment opportunities oralwritten abuse mental pressure and attacks. There are very many recommendations on handling this issue but not much has been done to implement them. Currently, Muslims and other religious minorities do not have sufficient protection from harassments and hatred (Parker 2003).
The Forum against Islamophobia and Racism (FAIR) was established in the year 2001. It was founded as a non-governmental charitable organisation. The aim of the forum was to have a secure, just and tolerant Britain where there would be no Islamophobia or racism.
The Forum against Islamophobia and Racism is specialist in nature as it is an organization, but it puts emphasis on working together with other organisations towards achievement of their goal (Lewycky 2007).
Conclusion
It is illegal to offer or not to offer people employment on the basis of their skin colours. This also applies to opportunities in learning institutions, public facilities and housing. Each year, there are usually a lot of complaints from those who feel that they have been treated unfairly due to their trace or religion. In the current world, unlike years ago, more people are likely to report such injustices and there is also evidence to prove that cases of discrimination have gone down. It is true to argue that all forms of discrimination, racism, sexism and harassment have gone down and will continue to decrease as a result of legislations, non-governmental action groups, and multicultural education for the young people. This is proof to the fact that the world is embracing multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is the solution to social injustices resulting from globalisation. Therefore, despite the few problems that arise from this concept, it is still beneficial and should be accepted globally.
People need to support the spirit of decisive and productive examination on the various questions concerning cultural issues. They also need to know that the things that make them alike are more important than those that set them apart. Education should begin with the young children. If this happens, the next generation which will be more globalized will have people who understand multiculturalism and all the issues surrounding this concept. The social injustices that result from cultural differences will be easier to handle, and it will be easier to strike the balance between harmony and diversity. More research should be carried out to identify better aspects to incorporate into the education system.
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