Is Multiculturalism Dead or Alive in Contemporary UK - Essay Example

Is Multiculturalism Dead or Alive in Contemporary UK? Multiculturalism seems to be of the more common and expected elements of current day society. In this world of globalization and of general peace , more and more diverse cultures seem to be interacting with each other and even living and coexisting with each other in single communities. Diverse cultures can now be found not just in local communities, but also in smaller units like in schools, and in families. In the past, there were limited opportunities for diverse cultures to interact with each other, especially as social, political, cultural, and ethnic tensions were often seen between different cultures, social groupings, and even political groupings. Since the end of the major wars and political conflicts, including the Second World War, the Korean War, and even the end of the Cold War, more across-the-border communication and interactions were seen between different nations, across Europe, across Asia, and across North America. With more economic, social, and political interactions between and among these many nations, migrations, and trade activities enabled the coexistence of different cultures in single geographical locations. In the UK, various cultures have also graced its borders with the migration of Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Afro-Caribbeans into its territories. With this migration, various religious, ethnic, and social groupings were then visible in the UK. Speculations on how multicultural the UK is, has been raised by various authors and scholars. With these speculations, this paper now seeks to answer whether or not multiculturalism is dead or alive in the United Kingdom. Analysis by various authors and scholars shall be considered for this paper in the hope of reaching a thorough and comprehensive answer to the current issue. This paper is being undertaken in order to ensure a scholarly and academic analysis of the current subject matter. In Britain today, the word multiculturalism is a code word in the popular culture describing various ethnic groups that live parallel lives in British society, often maintaining their own language and culture (Nagle, 2009). In countries such as Canada this term has positive connotations, but in Britain, with the rise of a home-grown Islamist threat, the connotation has become increasingly problematic. In the discussion, Modood (2008), talks about the different ideas, which help, further define the presence or absence of multiculturalism. These ideas include basic human rights; gender equality; ongoing immigration, super-diversity; and trans-nationalism. He discusses that the presence or absence of multiculturalism can be determined from the way human rights are distributed, endowed, or upheld for each member of society – regardless of their cultural leanings. In terms of gender equality, multiculturalism also arises from the issue of abuse and preferential treatment of women belonging to minority communities. For immigration in the UK, the ongoing process in this field helps to determine UK’s status in multiculturalism. Finally, in terms of trans-nationalism, the assessment of multiculturalism is based on the loyalties that various cultures have with the UK and the other cultures they interact with. Modood (2008) discusses that even with the conflicts seen in the northern towns and even with the 9/11 attacks, multiculturalism has not been dismissed by the government and by its citizens; instead the government has actually qualified multiculturalism. In considering the various aspects or ideas on multiculturalism, gender equality has been suggested by Modood noting the different abuses perpetuated on women, including clitorodotomy and forced marriages in some minority groups (Modood, 2008). Feminism has been considered a primary ideology in order to point out how progressive and superior the west is and how backward the rest of the global population is. The UK has also recognized the fact that many of the gender issues, like the above practices mentioned, can be addressed with the cooperation of communities involved. Imposing authoritarian policies on ethnic minorities while applying said practices can create stigmatized communities. These communities would feel like their distinct culture and practice is causing them to be singled out. Modood opposes such ‘singling out,’ and instead points out that multiculturalism is not about coercion and violence; Nor is it about undermining the rights of women (Modood, 2008). In the UK, there remains to be an ambiguity in the way this concept is carried out; however, gender equality and multiculturalism are not opposed to each other contextually. The government and UK society does recognize the equal rights of women in the different cultural, political, and economic sense. Putting such aspects or practices into context can however cause questions from both opponents and advocates of multiculturalism on gender equality to be raised. The issue of gender equality is difficult to gauge because even when differences in the male and female circumstances are presented, gender cannot always be attributed as the cause for the disparity unless both the male and the female gender are also not given the same equal opportunities. Nevertheless, it is important to note that even without distinguishing between the ethnic minority women and the majority white women there are already differences in the current circumstances of men and women in the UK. Based on statistics gathered from the Office of National Statistics (2009), more men than women are homeowners; employment rates are higher for men than women; women are outperforming boys in school; and about 2/3 of mothers are unemployed. The gaps between men and women have been narrowed down in the past fifty years. The differences between men and women, which were very much apparent in the past, were abandoned in favour of equal rights and opportunities in employment, in education, and in suffrage. As seen above however, there still are fundamental differences between men and women based on the specified circumstances. Reports and studies by the Gender Equality website (2006) specify the particular moves which were undertaken by the UK government in order to ensure gender equality. Laws, which have been passed, have helped protect gender equality in terms of the way they are paid, employed, and the way they access goods and services. These laws have been passed in order to ensure that individuals working the same or related job receive the same rate pay and benefits; to prohibit direct or indirect gender discrimination against individuals in terms of employment, education, access to facilities, goods and services; to entitle women to statutory leave with pay for up to 12 months; and to entitle fathers to statutory paternity leave and pay for up to two weeks following the birth of a child (Gender Equality, 2006). Based on news reports, despite the laws and policies on gender equality in place, the UK has not been successful in bridging the gender gap, with more women making less than men in terms of salary (Batty, 2008). Based on a global index, the UK has gone down in the world league standards on gender equality, and based on 2008 figures, it now ranks 13th out of 130 countries with regard to women’s pay and work opportunities, political power, health, and education (Batty, 2008). On a more specific note, women minorities in the UK have been exposed to even more discrimination as compared to their white counterparts. A report by Ward (2005) reveals that blacks and minority ethnic women in the UK “are poorer, less healthy, less educated, and significantly worse represented in the corridors of power than both white women and the rest of the UK population”. These minority women have felt the discrimination in their health, education, employment, and political participation, as well as in how they are treated in the criminal justice system. Inequalities highlight major disparities in the treatment of these minority women. Figures indicate that immigrant Pakistani mothers were twice as likely to die after giving birth, as compared to British-born mothers (Ward, 2005). More than two-fifths of minority women live in poverty, and they number more than twice that of the white women population. Their pension and benefits are also lower as compared to the white women. About 8% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women have occupational pension and only 1% have personal pension (Ward, 2005). This tension is particularly expressed in some of the debate that has occurred regarding Islamic communities. The various dress codes imposed by Islam—such as the wearing of hijab, niqab, or a chador—have drawn criticism from both left and right. Jack Straw, the former Justice Secretary, ignited a firestorm of controversy when he said he felt uncomfortable meeting with Muslim women who wore niqab, as he was unable to see their faces (Fortier, 2008). Some felt his comment was inappropriate, others welcomed it as an opening to discuss the issue. The fact that it touched such a raw nerve had a great deal to say about the issue of multiculturalism and gender equity in the U.K. The debate is underdeveloped and politically confused. Unlike countries such as Canada and the Netherlands, the debate in Britain is at a lower stage. The ethnic diversity seen in London has been highlighted by observers who claim that Britain has now become a transformative ‘diversification of diversity’ in relation to ethnic groupings and countries involved, as well as the variables of where, how, and with whom these people live (Vertovec, 2005, p. 1). In general, the UK can be considered as an already diverse society and culture with its significant history of migrants making it into the country, especially the city of London. New immigrants and the introduction of super-diversity in the past several years have managed to impact greatly on UK society (Vertovec, 2007, p. 3). With the rising global conflicts seen in the past 10 years, more and more migrants from turbulent countries have sought asylum and refuge in the UK. The entry of these migrants created major differences in the ethnic composition of British society; however, the acceptance of such groupings is considered a different discussion and consideration among the white British nationals (Sivanandan, 2006, p. 32). For the most part however, adjustments have been made in order to accommodate the peculiarities of these groups. In order to cut-through language barriers, multilingualism has been supported and recognized by policymakers and social scientists in the UK (Rampton, et.al., 1997, p. 224). About 300 languages are said to be spoken in London, largely based on a survey of London schoolchildren (Baker & Mohieldeen, 2000, p. 60). Diverse languages have been dependent on the social groupings common in the areas. South Asian languages have been commonly heard in Asian communities in London; other places manifested conjunctions in languages including Turkish alongside Somali, Yoruba speakers with Portuguese and Spanish speakers, English Creole with Cantonese and French language, and English with Turkish, Yoruba, alongside Sylheti speakers (Baker & Mohieldeen, 2000, p. 5). Schools have been challenged well in this regard – in ensuring that sufficient communication is made possible despite the multilingual make-up of their students. Initiatives in this regard have been recognized through different policies and programs and initiatives, including the Language Shop and the Language Line which both provide translation services in communities, neighbouring councils and health authorities for public sector clients (RLN, 2008, p. 4). In terms of religion, with the different migrants in the British society in the past 50 years or so, various religions are now being practised and manifested in the UK. With the entry of Asians in Britain, the Islam and Hinduism religions, among others now grace British society (Lewis, 2002, p. 18). But even as these religions have been respected and encouraged in terms of practice in the UK, their devotional traditions have not been as deep as the manner of practice in their native countries (Lewis, 2002, p. 22). In fact, in London, Muslim is considered to be one of the most heterogeneous religions with practitioners coming from various countries like Nigeria, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Malaysia. The practice of the Islamic faith has been plucked from their native homelands and into a diverse society. In the process, their beliefs and practices have been interspersed with other religions and other cultural beliefs. Such connection has been generally encouraging because “for a great many if not most, it is only in such a situation of overlapping diasporas that people will meet, for the first time, other fellow believers who have differing modes of belief and practice within the same faith” (Vertovec, 2005, p. 8). The UK in general has allowed multiculturalism to flourish by allowing the different ethnic minorities to practice their own faith and allowing the same protection offered to British Christianity to be made available to the immigrants. The factor of illegal migration to the UK has not deterred the core concepts and goals of multiculturalism in the UK. These illegal migrants have been encouraged to seek valid means of gaining visas and documentation for their protection against unfavourable terms of employment. (UKBA, 2007, p. 7). New citizens into the UK have also been welcomed. From the 1990s to the 2000s, about 40,000 to 140,000 have been granted citizenship. These policies by the UK government imply that it is making a major effort towards keeping multiculturalism alive. Undoubtedly however, there are issues associated with how multiculturalism is being handled in the UK. An article by Pilkington (2008) points out that it has become commonplace to read about cultural separatism of Muslim immigrants – separating them from the rest of British society because they pose major challenges to Britishness. British society has also not been very traditionally welcoming to the concept of multiculturalism with opponents expressing that it is a means of control – one which neglects racism and social inequality; these critics also claim that it is a threat to national culture (Pilkington, 2008). The concept behind one’s Britishness as seen by those who oppose multiculturalism is the fact that the UK is a welfare state. Some citizens do not feel any affinity to strangers from distant lands that can benefit in almost the same way as they can in terms of access to the services offered by their state – services which are being supported by taxes they pay to the government (Pilkington, 2008). An important issue to consider is multiculturalism after September 11, 2001. A number of disturbances in the north suggest that the pacific multiculturalism of yester-year may be dead. Some suggest that is the beginning of “the end of tolerance” and that more forceful methods of integration are on the horizon (Kundnani, 2001). The Parekh report had come out just the year earlier and urged people to view citizenship in a less individualistic manner (Parekh, 2000). Others have suggested that the focus of citizenship “should be on maintaining a single national conversation at a time when the viewing and listening public is becoming more fragmented” (Goodhart, 2004). Others warn that simply celebrating diversity will do nothing to challenge the root causes of racism (Phillips, 2004). The rise of Islamism influenced much of the response to the report which is now seen by many critics to be a dead letter. This is an important consideration to take into account. The above issues raised by opponents to multiculturalism have yet to be fully addressed and resolved by concerned authorities. Nevertheless, they are important concerns and valid points raised in the name of multiculturalism. Modood (2003) further discusses how the issue of multiculturalism has impacted greatly on Muslims in British society. British legislation and policies still seem to adhere to the policy that it is legal to discriminate against Muslims because Muslims are not actually recognized by law as an ethnic group (Modood, 2003). Even as other races are recognized as ethnic groupings, the Muslims have not been given equal courtesy; and this has been a source of tension and resentment for Muslims. Moreover, emerging trends have also highlighted the fact that Asian-Muslims in particular have been discriminated against in terms of privileges offered and economic opportunities (Casciani, 2004). In effect, “To many Muslim activists, the misplacing of Muslims into ‘race’ categories and the belatedness with which the severe disadvantaged of the Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have come to be recognized mean that race relations are perceived at best as an inappropriate policy niche for Muslims, and at worst as a conspiracy to prevent the emergence of a specifically Muslim socio-political formation” (Modood, 2003). The major point of contention being argued by those who oppose and even by those who seek multiculturalism is the concept of equality. Discussions often focus on equality in terms of individualism, cultural assimilation, recognition, and equality, in terms of public ethnicity (Modood, 2003). Those who support ethnicity emphasize that equality should be recognized in the sense that it should not make ethnic minorities apologise for their origins and to be ashamed of their roots. In effect, the attitude and the policies of the society and of the government must be adjusted in order to recognize their heritage and for such heritage to not be expected to disappear (Modood, 2003). Therefore, multiculturalism favoured and supported for the benefit of the people is basically founded on the right to assimilate to the majority culture – with the tolerance for differences; and on the right to maintain the difference and the unique practices in their culture (Modood, 2003). In conclusion, based on the above discussion, multiculturalism in the UK remains to be an ambiguous and much contested concept. In considering the policies set forth by the government, it is sufficient to say that such concepts help keep multiculturalism alive. These policies help protect the equal rights and opportunities of UK citizens and residents regardless of gender, race, political beliefs, and ethnicities. The implementation however of these policies cannot be judged as fully supportive of multiculturalism. Various issues on gender discrimination of ethnic minorities are still prevalent in UK society. Moreover, employment, housing, and access to social services seem to be favourable more to the white British population. Based on the current economic, social, and political status of ethnic minorities in Britain, multiculturalism may be adjudged as a dead practice. Various discussions on those who oppose the implementation of multiculturalism in the UK set forth that they do not feel any affinity for foreigners who are also strangers to them and they do not wish to share the privileges which they enjoy in their welfare government. Those who support multiculturalism emphasize that these ethnic groupings seeking recognition in UK do so based on recognition – recognition as ethnic minorities who do not want to feel ashamed of their identity, and who want to be respected for their equal right to co-exist alongside their majority white counterparts. All in all, the above arguments imply that in terms of general policies and government programs, there is a major effort to keep multiculturalism alive in the United Kingdom; however, on a more practical note and context, multiculturalism may be considered floundering or ‘dying.’ It does not have as much widespread support from the people and the government is struggling to uphold its principles and its basic precepts. If the government does not implement more solid and more effective methods in order to protect and enforce multiculturalism in the UK, it is a concept and a practice which will surely and slowly fade away. REFERENCE Ackroyd, P. (2000) London: The Biography, London: Vintage Publishers Baker, P., Mohieldeen, Y. (2000) The languages of London’s schoolchildren, in Multilingual Capital, P. Baker and J. Eversley (eds.), London: Battlebridge, pp. 5-60 Batty, D. (2008) UK slips further down global gender equality league, The Guardian, viewed 25 November 2010 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/13/gener-equality-pay-gap-europe Communicating in the public and voluntary sector (2008) Regional Language Network, viewed 25 November 2010 from http://www.rln-london.com/pdf/Guide_CommunicatingPublicVol.pdf Fortier, A-M (2008) Multicultural horizons: diversity and the limits of the civil nation. London: Taylor & Francis. Goodhart, D. (2004). “Too diverse? Is Britain becoming too diverse to sustain the mutual obligations behind the good society and the welfare state?” Prospect. Hansen, R., Weil, P. (2001) Towards a European Nationality: Citizenship, Immigration and Nationality Law in the EU, New York: Palgr Hansen, R. (2003) Migration to Europe since 1945: Its History and Lessons, University of Toronto, viewed 25 November 2010 from http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~rhansen/Articles_files/20031.pdf Kundnani, A. (2001) 'From Oldham to Bradford: The Violence of the Violated' in Institute of Race Relations (ed) The Three Faces of British Racism', London, IRR. Lewis, P. (2002) Islamic Britain: Religion, Politics and Identity among British Muslims, London: I.B. Tauris, 2nd edn Modood, T. (2008) Is multiculturalism dead? Public Policy Research, volume 13, issue 1, pp. 84–88 Modood, T. (2003) Muslims and European multiculturalism, Open Democracy, viewed 25 November 2010 from http://www.opendemocracy.net/people-migrationeurope/article_1214.jsp Nagle, J. (2009) Multiculturalism's double bind: creating inclusivity, cosmopolitanism and difference. London: Ashgate. Focus: Gender (2009) National Statistics, viewed 25 November 2010 from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/focuson/gender/ Overview of Gender Equality Issues in United Kingdom (2006) Gender Equality, viewed 25 November 2010 from http://www.gender-equality.webinfo.lt/results/uk.htm Parekh, B. (2000) The Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain, London: Profile Books Phillips, D. (2004). “Multiculturalism's legacy is 'have a nice day' racism.” Guardian. Pilkington, A. (2008) From Institutional Racism to Community Cohesion: the Changing Nature of Racial Discourse in Britain, Sociological Research Online, Volume 13, Issue 3 Rampton, B., Harris, R., Leung, C. (1997) Multilingualism in England, Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, volume 17, pp. 224-41 Salt, J. (2004) International Migration and the United Kingdom: Report of the United Kingdom SOPEMI Correspondent to the OECD 2004, London: Migration Research Unit, University College London Sivanandan, A. (2006) Attacks on multicultural Britain pave the way for enforced assimilation The Guardian Main Paper, p. 32 Statt, D. (1995) Foreigners and Englishmen: The Controversy over Immigration and Population, 1660-1760, Newark: University of Delaware Press UK Border Agency (2009) Prevention of Illegal Working, viewed 25 November 2010 from http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/preventingillegalworking/currentguidanceandcodes/summaryguidance0208.pdf?view=Binary Vertovec, S. (2005) The Emergence of Super-Diversity in Britain, University of Oxford, viewed 25 November 2010 from http://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/files/pdfs/Steven%20Vertovec%20WP0625.pdf Vertovec, S. (2007) New complexities of cohesion in Britain: Super diversity, transnationalism, and civil integration, Commission on Integration and Cohesion, viewed 25 November 2010 from http://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/files/pdfs/Non_WP_pdfs/Reports_and_Other_Publications/Vertovec%20-%20new_complexities_of_cohesion_in_britain.pdf Ward, L. (2005) Ethnic minority women face 'massive inequalities', The Guardian, viewed 25 November 2010 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/feb/17/race.gender Zaiceva, A. & Zimmerman, K. (2008) Scale, Diversity, and Determinants of Labour Migration in Europe, Institute for the Study of Labour, viewed 25 November 2010 from ftp://repec.iza.org/RePEc/Discussionpaper/dp3595.pdf Read More