The multicultural approach attempts to create unity through difference, holding that although a nation's subcultures are diverse, those subcultures share common values. In terms of legal policy, Canada was one of the first nations with an official multicultural act and they are an officially bilingual nation, using both English and French. Cultural assimilation is a process of consistent integration whereby members of an ethno-cultural group are "absorbed" into an established, generally larger community. This presumes a loss of many characteristics of the absorbed group. The two approaches are quite different. The contrasts between them are often given comparative analysis in France (assimilation) and Britain (multiculturalism). The world continually refers back to these two case studies in order to weigh the pros and cons of these two social models. With both countries holding tight to these different models and with other countries diverging in their choice between them, the debate continues to be hotly contested and highly important to how societies deal with diversity in an attempt to construct the best, healthiest, safest, most dynamic, and most productive nation and world.
In order to promote a positive experience of multiculturalism and diversity, the State/nation should avoid defining in a strict way, norms and values as being superior than other cultures.
Assimilation and multiculturalism are two parallel processes in our world- the law of unity and struggle of opposites. If government stimulates assimilation then national groups tend to develop their cultures. However, If government stimulates multiculturalism then national groups still continue to adapt to the mainstream culture. E.g,, Jews in Russia and "Russian" Jews in Israel.
Assimilation is easiest to achieve, because it is part of a bevel of a culture taken as correct and works within it those who are different, so the speech deny that reality. Multiculturalism represents the real and express recognition of not only the differences but the validity of being different from each other and, consequently, the importance of finding mechanisms for a peaceful, respectful and productive coexistence of all from its own cultural horizon.
Dear Kiran, I am not sure whether "multiculturalism" and "assimilation" are "models". I think that "multiculturalism" is mainly a demographic expression that accounts for the cultures that exist in a "mixed" community. In fact, I understand that "multiculturalism" does not even mean that people are "trapped" in their culture forever in a sort of cultural ghetto. Assimilation is a description of how a person comes into another culture and adopts its characteristics. It is probably an individual thing, more that a community thing. Assimilation is usually necessary insofar as a foreigner needs to learn the language, enough of the cultural traits of his or her new community. etc. But those "negotiations" need not constitute a change from one culture to the other.
Best regards, Lilliana
I think that multiculture model is an ideal but it is hard to accomplish. The reason is that assimilation does not and can not honor multiculturism.
My opinion is that the two models are competing each other and does not complement each other
This question is very interesting. From the ecosystem perspective, I assume their feasibility would depend on which path of interaction takes the lowest energy cost with maximum outcome between/among different cultures. As the result, multiculturalism, assimilation, or their mix in a complex form are all reasonable.
Kiran Grover, one of the useful reference to question like yours, is Augie Fleras's The Politics of Multiculturalism (2009, published by Palgrave), which compares several goverments' policies in the management of their multicultural societies.
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