Presenting Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism has become the dominant approach for managing diversity in many Western and also non-Western societies in the twenty-first century. The starting proposition is that people have the right to live in societies where all are supported on equal terms to retain their ethnocultural and other heritage group characteristics, including the heritage language. Second, ethnocultural groups are recognized by others as having equal worth relative to other groups. Third, group members are open to sharing their group cultures with outgroup members. Fourth, intergroup differences are recognized and celebrated. Fifth, their confidence in their own identities and cultures leads them to be open and accepting toward outgroup members who have different group identities and cultures. This is referred to as ‘the multiculturalism hypothesis.’ There is a sixth component that underlies all the first five: the claim that the government should support multiculturalism in both the public and private sectors, including in education.