Multiculturalism as a philosophy versus as a political policy

[jay gw]

Multiculturalism-
--is an i (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology)deology advocating that society should consist of, or at least allow and include, distinct cultural groups, with equal status.
--Multiculturalism contrasts with monoculturalism

Has multiculturalism been translated smoothly into public policy?

[drkitten]

Multiculturalism-
--is an i (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology)deology advocating that society should consist of, or at least allow and include, distinct cultural groups, with equal status.
--Multiculturalism contrasts with monoculturalism

Has multiculturalism been translated smoothly into public policy?


I don't think any ideology has ever been translated smoothly into public policy. Any ideology by definition has detractors as well as adherents, and usually the detractors include those who were in power prior to the development of the ideology itself.

I don't know why you would expect multiculturalism to be unique in this regard.

[Soapy Sam]

Seems to me that a culture is the operating system of a society.
You can probably run more than one simultaneously, but if the communication protocols are not agreed on , data will be scrambled.

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Has multiculturalism been translated smoothly into public policy?

http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/multi/reports/ann00-2001/part1_e.cfm
On October 8, 1971, Canada became the first country to adopt an official Multiculturalism Policy. The Canadian Multiculturalism Act, passed in 1988, reaffirmed multiculturalism as a fundamental characteristic of Canadian society.

Has it been a smooth translation? Yes, in the main. There are always some hiccups in trying to do sonething like this and the World is by no means a perfect place.

When it works it is sort of sweet; like the article in today's Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1160345410443
Summary -- "Muslim Somali mothers help out and cook for the Salvation Army's 614 Regent Park church, who nearly didn't have their traditional Thanksgiving dinner yesterday after a fire ripped through their building on River St. early last week"

It can work, [Rule8] it!

[Dancing David]

Multiculturalism-
--is an i (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology)deology advocating that society should consist of, or at least allow and include, distinct cultural groups, with equal status.
--Multiculturalism contrasts with monoculturalism

Has multiculturalism been translated smoothly into public policy?

The idea of multiculturalism has most of it's roots in comparative anthropology, enthnology and history. There is a lot more to it than an idealogy, culture shapes the thoughts, mores, values and cognitive perception of the people living within it.

Multiculturalism exists in most societies already, in the US for example we have cultures based upon SES (socio economic status) where there are conventions of belief and behavior based upon the relative possesion of wealth. There are the more obvious middle range cultures be they based upon an ethnic identity, rural vs. metropolitan, topography and employemnt. There are the micro cultures of trade associations, corporations and civic organizations. All vary in size and scale as well as distribution.

Two hundred years ago and more recently there have been cultures within the US culture like the 'Dutch' or predominatly german speaking populations with regions.

So multicultuarlism is usualy part of most societies to begin with, unless they are small, or insular.

The Constitution of the United States deals with it rather neatly, in that it allows for smaller units to have great autonomy over thier laws and customs. And it is also imporatant to remember that there is currently no monoculture except in row groups and cloning. While television, chain business and transportation have created greater similarity in the US and other societies, there are always sub cultures that exist already.