Multiculturalism -Success, Failure, and the Future - Literature review Example

A Report Based on a Scenario On Сritiсаl Мultiсulturаlism Submitted By: NAME: INSTITUTION: COURSE: INSTRUCTOR: DATE: © 2013 INTRODUCTION Multiculturalism refers to when a community or society contains several different cultures. The richness found in each of these cultures brings with it insurmountable benefits to the society as noted by Kymlicka (2012). Reza (2011) further defends the position of multiculturalism in the society by underlining its role in unifying members of a community. It is therefore because of this very same reason that multiculturalism is emphasized in the area of education. Proponents of multiculturalism in education underscore the importance of creating a ‘level playing ground’ for all students from all over regardless of ‘race, ethnicity, social-class, gender and cultural grouping. In fact Soliman (2013) observes that if all students are provided with equal educational opportunities, then the world at large stands to benefit tremendously. But in spite of all the good things associated with multiculturalism, critics have not been averse. In their views, multiculturalism is a ‘failed’ endeavor that should never be upheld (Abu, 2007). But proponents hold steadfast to the fact that multiculturalism is the ‘uniting force’ between all cultures of the world. The shove and pull between proponents and critics of multiculturalism has incidentally given rise to critical multiculturalism, which is the subject of this report. The foregoing illustration clearly underscores the importance of multiculturalism in virtually all spheres of life. The same is clearly exemplified in the scenario presented for this report. On the basis of the said scenario, multiculturalism is seen to be very pivotal in the field of education. Consequently, teacher Terry is faced with the inherent challenges of handling a multicultural History class. It is from this position that the present report finds it necessary to undertake a critical analysis of all the multicultural issues presented in the scenario. Factors influencing the course of class discussion in the scenario Several factors have been identified to be at play in influencing the course taken by the discussion in teacher Terry’s History class. Additionally, the identified factors are considered fundamental in the direction taken by the class discussion for a number of reasons. Since the class in the scenario is highly multicultural, the ensuing course of the class discussion is highly expected. Kymlicka (2012) explains this occurrence by stating that communities containing multiple cultures are bound to have diverse and varied opinions which are destined to differ and clash at the most opportune time. Yet Reza (2011) dispels this by implying that a multicultural society stands to benefit significantly from the rich allure of cultures if the spirit of multiculturalism is upheld. This notwithstanding, two major factors have been pinpointed to be more influencing to the cruel exchanges witnessed throughout the class discussion in the scenario. It is clear that the factor of ethnicity is very fundamental in directing the course of the class discussion here. This factor is shown by two competing cultures: the culture of the ‘immigrants’ represented by Ian and Peter; and the culture of the ‘indigenous’ community represented Camille (Abu, 2007). The second factor is probably that of gender, where Camille is molested on the basis of her ‘sexuality’. The picture brought out by these two factors contravenes the ideals of multiculturalism which dictate that a society could co-exist in perfect harmony with every culture exercising equal rights of existence (Soliman, 2013). But in the absence of multiculturalism, then the society will be in constant conflict as is the case in the scenario. Teacher Terry on the other hand could have taken alternative ways to forestall the current course of the class discussion. Alternative ways to initiate a healthy class discussion To help teachers handling multicultural classrooms like Terry initiate smooth class discussions on the issues of history, identity and power, Kymlicka (2012) has suggested the use model of ‘the five dimensions’ of multicultural education. According to this model, the five dimensions work in conjunction to mould a ‘formidable culturally educated society’. Firstly, teachers will need to transform themselves first before even thinking of teaching their students in the same direction. The first step to achieve this is for the teachers to integrate content from all the subjects equally across the curriculum. Reza (2011) observes that a good integration of content will largely contribute towards knowledge construction amongst teachers and students. In the views of Soliman (2013), the said knowledge acquisition is best achieved through ‘equity pedagogy’ when applied in multicultural education. According to this approach, teachers design their content delivery techniques in such a way that they are inclusive of learners from all cultures and across the genders. The approach also helps learners to develop more positive attitudes towards other races as indicated by Kymlicka (2012). Finally, it is the responsibility of all teachers to embrace the spirit of teamwork in the school and hence create an ‘equitable school culture and social structure’ (Soliman, 2013). It is my strong belief that if teacher Terry had adopted these dimensions, then his class discussion would not have taken a nasty turn. The ‘voices’ dominating the teaching of History When teaching the history of Australia or any other state in the world, the same ‘voices’ are echoed throughout. Studies done in this area confirm that the ‘voices’ of the majority always dominate and suppress those of the minority (Abu, 2007; Reza, 2011 and Soliman, 2013). The majority cultures therefore tend to isolate the minority cultures from all activities of the society. The force behind this isolation and exclusion is purely driven by the pursuit of ‘history, identity and power’ as noted by Kymlicka (2012). When this isolation and suppression do happen, then animosity is bound to occur. This is totally in contravention to the ideals of multiculturalism which advocate for the existence of peace and harmony in a unified society. Obviously, the scenario lacks the ideals of multiculturalism because one culture tends to dominate and suppress the other instead of fostering mutual understanding. From what the scenario portrays, Ian and Peter represent the ‘voices’ of the dominant culture (the immigrants) while Camille has the ‘voice’ of the minority culture (the indigenous). According to what multicultural education teaches, the representatives of the dominant culture should make an effort to accept and cooperate with other cultures, respecting their beliefs and individual rights (Soliman, 2013). This on a larger scale will bring out the ‘unity of purpose’ in every society in the world and together will result in progression as opposed to retrogression. Policies guiding multiculturalism in education Policies and practices have been evidently identified and laid down on paper to guide and govern the process of multiculturalism. Numerous reports indicate that multiculturalism operates within the confines of government measures that are designed to respond to the diverse cultures found in society (Abu, 2007). According to various reports in extant literature (Reza, 2011), the policies apply equally across all cultural diversities without any form of discrimination. Generally, three dimensions of multicultural policy as identified by the Commonwealth Government (Soliman, 2013) have been found relevant to the present scenario. According to the first dimension, multicultural policy is majorly concerned with the promotion of ‘cultural identity’. This implies that every individual has the right and freedom to belong to a certain cultural grouping, language and even religion without any form of coercion (Kymlicka, 2012). Teacher Terry should have dwelt on this point to inform his history class. The second policy relevant to teacher Terry’s class discussion is founded on the idea of ‘social justice’ (Soliman, 2013). This policy advocates that all members of a society should be given equal treatment and opportunities regardless of ‘race, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, gender or place of birth’ (Abu, 2007). Adopting this policy would have come handy in helping teacher Terry to have a healthier class discussion for all. The final policy addresses the principle of ‘economic efficiency’ found resident in the fact that governments must strive to tap every bit of technological knowhow from her citizens uniformly in disregard of their ethnicity (Soliman, 2013). Taken together, the three policies strive to achieve a unified state of high standing in terms of ‘social justice and economic efficiency’. Models of multiculturalism which are relevant to the participants in the discussion Several models of multiculturalism have been reported to exist across the globe. For the purposes of this report, two models have been isolated as being very relevant to the participants in the discussion cited in the scenario. The British model of multiculturalism has opposing views compared to the French model of assimilation. The divergent positions taken by these two models clearly represent the views held by Ian and Peter on one end and Camille on the other hand as indicated in the scenario. The British multiculturalism model for example is cited by Kymlicka (2012) as being very liberal on matters of cultural heritage. The French model of assimilation on the other hand is very restrictive and forces minority cultures to ‘melt-down’ and fit into the cultures of the majority (Abu, 2007). In this aspect, the former model becomes more preferable than the latter. In fact, few people find themselves adopting the French model of assimilation. The implication of this is that people prefer to be left alone to make their own decisions on matters of cultural affiliations. Based on this argument therefore, students involved in the class discussion ought to know that there is freedom of association necessary to enrich a country culturally (Reza, 2011). Immigrants and indigenous people alike have equal rights and all cultures and groups of people have to be respected. This will be important in facilitating ‘a peaceful co-existence in the society’ and thus shun the idea of exclusion. CONCLUSION Throughout this report, several issues about multiculturalism have emerged. Firstly, it has emerged that several factors are fundamental in dictating the course of class discussion especially when addressing the issues of history, identity and power. The factors of culture and gender are the most significant in this report. Luckily, the five dimensions of multicultural education play an important role in mitigating the effects of a nasty class discussion on the issues of multiculturalism as witnessed in the scenario. In a multicultural community, the report has demonstrated that the ‘voices’ of the majority are always in an effort to dominate and suppress that of the minority represented by the poor, women, and the oppressed. To forestall these negative effects in multicultural communities, concerned governments are required to formulate guiding policies on multiculturalism. Three such policies have been shown to function in this report. Moreover, the application of the British model of multiculturalism has seen the creation of cohesive societies in all spheres of our lives. REFERENCES Abu, E. T (2007) “I Was Born Here, but My Home, It’s Not Here”: Educating for Democratic Citizenship in an Era of Transnational Migration and Global Conflict. Harvard Educational Review 77.3: 285-316,391. Kymlicka, W (2012). Multiculturalism: Success, Failure, and the Future. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. Reza, H (2011). Managing Ethnic Diversity: Meanings and Practices from an International Perspective. Ashgate Soliman, I (2013) Interrogating Common Sense: Teaching For Social Justice (2nd edition). Pearson Australia Read More