Crisis of Multiculturalism - Essay Example

Crisis of Multiculturalism Introduction If one takes a close look at the social environment, one can not help noticing that it plays a significant role in the process of development of the inner potential of a person to its fullest. Indeed, if it had not been for the presence of other people around, a considerable number of featured that are regarded as characteristic to the mankind would not have evolved. Nevertheless, it must be noted that with the development of technology in general and means of transportation in particular, people of the world became more mobile and were able to leave their original societies and migrate to a different one. There is no doubt that such phenomenon had important influence on the host society as it was exposed to a different culture. This paper will analyze the issue of multiculturalism as well as provide a brief account of why according to UNIP this social endeavour has failed. The definition of multiculturalism It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the concept in question is a relatively new one. Indeed, the very word for it emerged only in the second half of the previous century when two countries, known for their approval of immigration, started to be active proponents of the new notion (Rattansi, 2011, p. 7). In broad terms, multiculturalism is the peaceful as well as mutually beneficial coexistence of different cultures in one society that is comprised of people who come from various ethnic backgrounds. With this in mind, it may be particularly important to recollect another important term, namely diversity. The latter characterizes the nature of the social structure that includes people of different races and ethnicities (Lott, 2010, p. 11). That is why these are the two key terms that will be used in the course of the analysis. The question of segregation Whenever multicultural policies are implemented, there is inevitable one question that is raised: will the people who belong to different groups be segregated? (Finney, 2009, p. 8). It first the latter seems like a negative process that is deeply opposite to the very nature of multiculturalism. Indeed, in theory a person who is willing to integrate into a different country would like to live among people who already settled there in order to increase the pace of assimilation. Surprisingly enough, the reality is quite the opposite: those who decide to migrate to another country tend to live in small areas that are dominated by their compatriots (Vertovec, 2010, p. 128). As a result, little ghettos emerge tearing the fabric of the social environment apart. Racism and multiculturalism It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the concept that is fundamentally opposite to multiculturalism is racism. That is why the latter should be carefully examined as well. Thus, the reports shows that while policies that promote multiculturalism have been active for a considerable amount of time, there has not been any decline of racism in the world (Lentin & Titley, 2011, p. 14). On the contrary, many political leaders as well as civic activist have been able to use the failure of multiculturalism to support their racist points of view (Darder, 2004, p. 3). Surprisingly, the concept which was designed to end racism actually contributed to its popularity and armed the proponents of it with new evidence that can hardly be ignored. The existence of super diversity At first, when the ideas about multiculturalism has only been articulated, those who advocated it hoped which increasing the diversity of the society. They believed that this is likely to have a positive impact on the social environment. However, as slightly less than half a century passed both the proponents and the opponents of multiculturalism point out that their initial goal, namely diversification was achieved. Moreover, many state that some countries, for example the Great Britain, walked this path so far that one can witness super diversity of this social environment. While the latter concept is being discussed in the academic society, many agree that it brought more negative than positive outcomes. The failure of multiculturalism in the eyes of UKIP Reduced economic power There are many opponents of multiculturalism and UKIP is one of the few that were able to articulate and defend its position regarding this topic. The first point that they state focuses on the negative effect that the phenomenon in question has on the economic power of a country (Ivison, 2010, p. 56). Indeed, as new immigrant come, many are not able to find a job while others work illegally. So, the tax payers experience some kind of a burden upon them the ear more in order for the government to distribute this money to the immigrants. As a result, the economy is focused on survival and not on progress as it used to be in the times when there were not policies that promoted multiculturalism. The crisis of identity UKIP was able to point out that multiculturalism challenges the concept of identity. Of course, the society should not be closed to other people and their cultures; however, there is an independent and fully formed British culture that can hardly be compatible with something that is brought from abroad (Farage, 2015). For example, is it possible to talk about the emergence of British Jew within the framework of multiculturalism? The latter would approve of this approach and suggest that this would be the next step in the development of both nations. However, it is clear that this mixture can hardly be seen as a valid representative of the two components. That is why a person who belongs to such group is likely to experience the crisis of identity. Introduction of foreign law One would make no mistake suggesting that sometimes nations that come to the host country bring not only their culture with them, but also their laws. A good example is the case of the Muslims: they are willing to integrate into the contemporary British society; however, they want to comply with their traditional law, Sharia, as well (Nichols, 2012, p. 265). Keeping in mind the growing number of Muslims in the Great Britain, one might suggest that sooner or latter multiculturalism would encourage the government to think about introduction of Sharia law which would cause a great deal of protest. In order for this not to happen, the path of multiculturalism should be abandoned as it leads to the consequences that will ultimately undermine the fundamental elements of the social environment. Multiculturalism and extremism When an immigrant comes to a new country, one is judged by many factors and those of Arab descent are in a rather vulnerable position as they are thought to be related to Islamic extremists. Nevertheless, it would not be a mistake to argue that many people who come from the Middle East are somehow connected to terrorism in a direct or an directly way; moreover, some might use multiculturalism as a pretext to enter a country and perform violent acts. The shooting of Charlie Ebdo shocked Europe and shed light on the negative side of multiculturalism: the latter made it easier for the terrorists to use their ethnic background to immigrate into other countries (Lewis, 2006, p. 84). Of course, one should not draw the direct connection between immigrant and terrorists; however, the framework in question makes it easier for them to cross the boarders. Does multiculturalism create the fifth column? The leader of UKIP as well as many other politics over point out that multiculturalism is responsible for generating a treat to the national security (Modood, 2006, p. 48). The conservative part of the society is known for the rejection of the foreigners; so, this kind of thinking can be explained by prejudices. However, the reality shows that the increase of the number of people who come from a different region does have a negative impact on the security of a country. With this in mind, one should note that no country will be willing to place its citizens under so much risk. That is why the practice of multiculturalism should be regarded as one that may have positive outcomes in the short run, but leads to negative ones in the long term perspective. The Anti-Christian nature of multiculturalism It would not be a rough generalization to make that when it comes to implementing programs of multiculturalism, the immigrants are often represented by the people who come for the East and the host countries are located in the West. Of course, Australia may be seen as an exception from this; however, culturally it belongs to the Western civilization. Anyway, UKIP together with other opponents of multiculturalism often argue that the immigrant bring values that are incompatible with the Christian way of life (Kilpatrick, 2012, p. 90). This does not mean that the beliefs of the latter are worse; they are just different. Nevertheless, this difference has a negative impact on the social life in general. Lack of desire to integrate into the society Finally, the reality of implementation of the multiculturalism programs revealed a surprising, yet rather disturbing phenomenon: many people who came to the host country did not make any or only the slightest effort to integrate into the social environment by learning the language or participating in the local life (Cornwell, 2000, p. 6). In other words, many viewed the principles of multiculturalism as an excuse for them to stay within the framework of their own culture and do not make any steps towards their host environment. There is no doubt that such approach towards integration is likely to have negative impact on the society in general as there will be two processes carried out that have completely opposite goals. That is why multiculturalism should be regarded as a phenomenon that contributes to lack of stability of the social environment. Conclusion Having examined all the evidence, one is able to come to the logical conclusion: multiculturalism surely experiences a crisis nowadays. In spite of the fact that it was originally designed to help the world to harmonize the relationships between different parts of the population, the consequences that can be witnessed now suggest that this efforts has failed. UKIP just like many other political forces all over the world point out a considerable number of aspects that can be used to prove the negative influence of multiculturalism. Some of them put emphasis on the economic life, other deal with the religious side of the question, but many argue that those who come to the host country are simply using multiculturalism as an excuse for not integrating into the society. References Cornwell, G 2000, Global multiculturalism: Comparative perspectives on ethnicity, race, and nation. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, MD. Darder, A & Torres, R 2004, After race: Racism after multiculturalism, New York University Press, New York, NY. Farage, N 2015, Why multiculturalism has failed Britain, France and every other country. Retrieved April 19, 2015, from http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/552478/Farage-on-Friday-Ukip-leader-on-multiculturalism Finney, N & Simpson, L 2009, 'Sleepwalking to segregation'?: Challenging myths about race and migration, Policy Press, Bristol. Ivison, D 2010, The Ashgate research companion to multiculturalism, Ashgate, Farnham. Kilpatrick, W 2012, Christianity, Islam, and atheism: The struggle for the soul of the West, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. Lentin, A & Titley, G 2011, The crises of multiculturalism racism in a neoliberal age, Zed Books, London. Lewis, R 2006, Multiculturalism observed: Exploring identity, Asp / Vubpress / Upa, Antwerp. Lott, B 2010, Multiculturalism and diversity: A social psychological perspective, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester. Modood, T 2006, Multiculturalism, Muslims, and citizenship: A European approach, Routledge, London. Nichols, J 2012, Marriage and divorce in a multicultural context: Multi-tiered marriage and the boundaries of civil law and religion, Cambridge University Press, New York, NY. Rattansi, A 2011, Multiculturalism: A very short introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Vertovec, S 2007, Super-diversity And Its Implications. Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 1024-1054. Vertovec, S 2010, The multiculturalism backlash: European discourses, policies and practices, Routledge, London. Read More