Multiculturalism as a Public Policy - Essay Example

The influence and impact of 1948 passenger ship Empire Windrush on modern British psyche and beyond Multiculturalism is a public policy approach formanaging cultural diversity in a multiethnic society, officially stressing mutual respect and tolerance for cultural differences within a country's borders. As a policy, multiculturalism emphasizes the unique characteristics of different cultures, especially as they relate to one another in receiving nations. The word was first used in 1957 to describe Switzerland, but came into common currency in Canada in the late 1960s. It quickly spread to other English-speaking countries. For centuries, Britain has maintained its name as one of the pioneers of man's civilisation. The continuous process of the country's growth is a never-ending process, which accounts for the present societal circumstance the Empire has. Its multicultural affinity to various regions in the world has opened up countless opportunities towards improvement of the living standards in Britain. At present, more than 5% of the British population originated from parentage that is predominantly non-British. These include the Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Russian, Africans and Americans (Schiavone, 2003). Also, the number of overseas workers continues to surge ahead. This openness to diverse cultures has paved way for the present status of Britain constituting of different mixtures of excellent methods of civilisation. In addition to that, it also gave way for the country's rich knowledge in different fields including international marketing. Truly, the cultural affinity of the country has led to knowledge cultivation that the country presently enjoys and utilizes towards providing a higher degree of citizen satisfaction. Incontestably, the modern Britain owes its current prominence to its history. Britain's rich history is indeed one of the major contributing factors to the country's high quality of life. Judging by its wealthy heritage, numerous historians have long predicted the respectability that previously awaited the country. Indeed, one of the strongest bases for such predictions is the Empire Windrush. The Empire Windrush is a gigantic ship that sailed from Britain to different parts of the world. It is a significant landmark in the multiculturalism background of modern Britain (Kurdi, 2000). The ship Empire Windrush brought the first group of approximately five hundred immigrants to Tilbury near London on June 22, 1948. The Windrush was en route from Australia to England via the Atlantic, docking in Kingston, Jamaica. An advertisement had appeared in a Jamaica newspaper offering cheap transport on the ship for anybody who wanted to come and work in the UK. There was plenty of work in post war Britain and industries such as British Rail, the National Health Service and public transport recruited almost exclusively from Jamaica and Barbados. Though African-Caribbean were encouraged to journey to Britain via immigration campaigns created by successive British governments, many new arrivals were to endure intolerance and extreme racism from certain sectors of indigenous British society. This was to mark African-Caribbean relations with the wider community over a long period. Early African-Carribean immigrants found private employment and housing denied to them on the basis of race. Housing was in short supply following the wartime bombing, and the shortage led to some of the first clashes with the established white community. Clashes continued and worsened into the 1950s, and there were riots in cities including London, Birmingham and Nottingham. The Second World War paved way for a number of number of outlets including science, technology, art, literature, culture and most of all socio-economic development in a distinct manner. It should be noted immigration changes the demography of a nation and why only demography It influences the local population in a diverse manner whereby the immigrants, though economically backward, generally, bring in their exotic culture and distinct thought process that ultimately intermingles into the society of the host nation. For example, we can consider the advent of the United States as a perfect illustration of immigrant society. Though the majority of the population was, and is, pro-British blood lined the assortment of various cast, creed and colour gave the country its modern shape and essence. On the contrary it should be remembered that it was not a very natural practice for foreign workers to plan for a long term settlement in Britain before the Second World War. Though the Government of Great Britain allowed its subjects to move freely within the parameter of the Empire, permanent immigration was not considered to be a very fruitful prospect for the immigrants. The role of the Empire Windrush was best portrayed on June 22, 1948. The ship arrived at Tilbury Docks, loaded with Caribbean passengers, most are Jamaican migrants. The day that it discharged its Caribbean passengers marked the significant historical contribution of the ship to the modern Britain. The image of the Caribbean's filing off its gangplank has come to stand for the manifold changes, which have taken place in Britain. Caribbean migrants have played a significant role of British society and, in the process, executed important transitions in various aspects of British life. Such changes and contributions are very visible in modern Britain (Santiago, 1999). African-Caribbean communities exist throughout the United Kingdom, though by far the largest concentrations are to be found in London, Birmingham and the broader West Midlands conurbation. Significant communities also exist in other population centres, notably Manchester, Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol, Leeds , Sheffield and Cardiff. In these cities the community is traditionally associated with a particular area, such as Chapeltown in Leeds or St. Pauls in Bristol. It is true that not everything could be termed as a positive impact in relation to the new immigrants. For example we can take into account the racial riots that took place in Notting Hill and Nottingham during the 1958. On the other hand, Sir Oswald Mosley, the pre-war Fascist leader, attempted to use his stance against immigration as a route back into parliament; he wasn't alone. When action was finally taken the Home Secretary Butler told the truth when he told the Commons 'only after long and anxious consideration and a considerable reluctance' had steps been taken to control immigration. In 1962 a quota scheme was introduced under which vouchers were issued to would-be immigrants, with not more than a quarter of vouchers going to any one country. Thought the ship, Empire Windrush mainly brought in Caribbean immigrants to the soil of the British Isle it should be remembered that the impact of the ship was not restricted to immigrants fro the West Indies only. This voyage influenced a long road of human right movement and its settlements. Practically, this incident of the ship Empire Windrush gave way to the later migrations from Turkey, India, Pakistan, different east European and African countries not to mention the Chinese. All these people contributed to the country's economy and society in their distinctive ways. Black literature developed and ultimately merged into the main steam evolving the region into a newer mutation. One such example could be the Nobel laureate write with Indian origin VS Naipaul's with hos works like The Middle Passage (1962), An Area of Darkness (1964), The Loss of El Dorado (1969) and the Overcrowded Barracoon (1972) found his distinctive voice within the parameter of the community which is in reality a country within a country and a race within a race not to mention a belief within a belief. There is no doubt that the presence of ethnic minorities in Britain and much more foreign travel have transformed the British diet for the better. Noticeably fish and chips have been overtaken by curry as the most popular British takeaway. For many years, Britons have got used to seeing black athletes like Linford Christie representing them internationally. And much of the famous "Cool Britannia" that mix of music and fashion which is admired internationally derives from different ethnic street styles. We are also seeing an unprecedented level of intermarriage between the races. It is noticeably more common to see mixed race couples in Britain than in the U.S. which has had a larger black population for longer. There can be no doubt that as more and more British either have a black person in their family or at least knows someone that has a black person in their family, ideas about the desirability of racial purity will have to be examined by even the most die hard conservative. But these are changes that are recent or not so old. But during the days of Empire Windrush while the immigrants were adapting to the phenomena the society underwent, they were also giving life to different institutions they brought with them. These included the churches, and the banking system using a cooperative method called pardner system. In unison, Caribbeans also adjusted British institutions, which were present during that time of recovery. They became involved in trade unions, local councils, and professional and staff associations. Mike Phillips (1998) summarized the impact of Empire Windrush to today's present concept and found the following influences: The now-familiar debate about identity and citizenship was sparked off when the first Caribbeans stepped off the Windrush. Alongside that debate came the development of arguments about the regions within the United Kingdom - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The British national self-image has been thoroughly remodelled in a very short time. Seen against the deadly agonies associated with ethnic conflicts in other European countries, Britain offers the example of a nation, which can live comfortably with a new and inclusive concept of citizenship. In a sense the journey of the Windrush has never ended. Historically, the Empire Windrush has significantly leveraged and widened the historical roots of British citizens. Considering the difference in the race and ethnicity of the conservative British and the Caribbeans which was merged by the ship's arrival, today's broadness in the racial attributes and liberal thinking of Britain accounts both to the natural characteristic of British and the arrival of the Caribbeans (Gutierrez, 1997). Though Caribbeans experienced tremendous discrimination at first, Britain has then realized the advantages the new race could bring them. Thus, through time, Caribbeans were welcomed, together with the societal reforms they implement towards the mobilization of Britain's recovery from the war. Certainly, this is the major contribution of the Empire Windrush to the modern Britain: multiculturalism. It was Britain's colonial relationship with the Caribbean that set the scene for inward migration. Caribbean people began arriving in Britain as early as the 17th century, very quickly after colonies were established in the region. Many arrived as slaves, usually in the domestic service of planter families returning to Britain from the Caribbean. They were joined in time by other Black people; African traders, freed slaves and war veterans, who lived in the major cities and seaports, particularly London and Bristol. Current research indicates most people who arrived from the Caribbean in the eighteenth century were seamen, labourers or domestic servants. Later immigrants in the nineteenth century included students, professional men, artists and entertainers. By the 19th century, a Black Caribbean man was almost universally assumed to be a sailor, popularly known as 'Black Jacks'; others lived by their wits, beggary, or by menial forms of employment, such as street sweeping. A revealing glimpse into contemporary attitudes comes from William Makepeace Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair, where, when a character is urged to marry Miss Swartz, a rich Black woman from the West Indies, he replies, 'Marry that mulatto woman I don't like the colour Sir. Ask the Black that sweeps opposite Fleet Street, Sir.' Caribbean people continued to journey to Britain throughout the 20th century. A steady stream of migrants settled in the seaports, alongside the African and Asian sailors who made up the bulk of the communities there. Nevertheless, their numbers were relatively insignificant. But it should be remembered that this was not the regular trend for migration as it started after the voyage of Empire Windrush. Currently, Empire Windrush is recognized as one of the most colourful pages of British heritage. Yet, theoretically speaking, it can be said that the Empire Windrush concept is still present in modern context. The presence of overseas workers consisting of Indians, Filipinos, Indonesians and other cultures performing various tasks resembles the concept of Empire Windrush. Employment opportunities in Britain invite many citizens of other nations. Thus, the significant impact of the Empire Windrush continues as more and more foreign workers come to Britain every year to pursue a career. Hence, the cycle of elimination of racism and improving societal systems continues to surge ahead towards the benefit of Britain itself. Notionally, Britain is a mixture of various bright ideas coming from different regions in the world. Thus, with the idea of discrimination being reduced as the Empire Windrush concept stays in the present through the presence of foreign workers, Britain more and more takes the shape of a promising land for all and a better place to live. Inevitably, the historical contributions of Empire Windrush and its presence in modern context only prove one thing: history repeats itself. And as this cycle continually reiterates, it is safe to say that Britain is likely to become a more favourable place for everyone. Though not intentionally, racism comes in play its part time and again in multi folds within the parameters of history and Great Britain is no exception. But it is evident that specific socio- economic factors trigger this idea of racism in the most logical possible manner. This is not new to history and the focal point of racial discrimination shifts from colour to religion, from religion to cast and from cast to beliefs depending upon the socio-economic needs of a given time at a given place. The abolition of racism follows the same logical pattern too. The needs speak though the mind of the leaders- be it for racism or against it. The chain of events set forward by the voyage of Empire Windrush is nearing a full circle and a mutual settlement of prosperity at the same time. Reference: Gutierrez, L. (1997). What makes up Britain London: Erris & Goodwill. Kurdi, H. (2000). History of the United Kingdom. California: Atlanta House. Santiago, L. M. (1999). Galleon trades. Surrey: Latino Books. Schiavone, A. (2003). Britain: life and heritage. Washington, DC: McSheriff, Inc. Phillips, M. (1998). Windrush - A Celebration. National Book Trust Read More