The definition of cultural pluralism has been constantly changing. He was described not only as a fact, but also as a social goal. It differs from multiculturalism, although they are often confused. In the latter case, there is no need for a dominant culture, while cultural pluralism is diversity with the preservation of one dominant.
If the dominant culture is weakened, societies can easily move from pluralism to multiculturalism without any intentional steps taken by the government or government. If communities act separately from each other or compete with each other, they are not considered pluralistic.
Cultural Pluralism as an Ideology
Cultural pluralism can be practiced both collectively and individually. A striking example of pluralism is the USA of the 20th century, in which a dominant culture with strong elements of nationalism also included small groups with their ethnic, religious and social norms. In 1971, the Canadian government referred to cultural pluralism, in contrast to multiculturalism, as the “essence” of their national identity. In a pluralistic environment, groups not only coexist side by side, but also consider the qualities of other groups as traits worth having in a dominant culture. Pluralistic societies have high hopes for the integration of their members, and not for their assimilation. The existence of such institutions and practices is possible if minorities are accepted by a larger society within the framework of pluralism and sometimes require the protection of the law. Often such integration is carried out so that the minority culture gets rid of some of its ethnic characteristics that are not compatible with the laws or values of the dominant culture.
History of Cultural Pluralism
The idea of cultural pluralism in the United States is rooted in the transcendentalist movement and was developed by pragmatist philosophers such as Horace Cullen, William James and John Dewey, and later supplemented by some thinkers such as Randolph Bourne. One of the most famous articulations of cultural pluralistic ideas can be found in the 1916 Bourne essay, which was called Transnational America. The philosopher Horace Cullen is widely known as the creator of the concept of cultural pluralism. Cullen's 1915 essay, “Nations, Democracies, and the Melting Pot, ” was written as an argument against the concept of “Americanization” of European immigrants. He later coined the term "cultural pluralism" in 1924, after the publication of "Culture and Democracy in the United States." In 1976, this concept was further explored in Crawford Young's book, The Politics of Cultural Pluralism.
Jung's work on African research underscores the flexibility of defining pluralism in society. More recent proponents of this idea are anthropologists such as Richard Schweder. In 1976, in his article for the Journal of Sociology and Social Security, he proposed a redefinition of cultural pluralism, in which he described it as a social condition in which communities of different origins live together and function in an open system.
Big and small cultures
Culture is the knowledge, beliefs, relationships, behavior, values, music and art of a particular society. But, according to Edward B. Taylor, culture is not only knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, etc., but also all the abilities and capabilities of people in their society. Pluralism introduces into social anthropology smaller groups that are in a "wider" society, which retain their unique identity, values and religion, which, in turn, are accepted by a wider cultural and ethnic group if they are consistent with the laws and values of a wider society. This also applies to various groups in society that retain their differences, coexisting peacefully with the dominant group. These two definitions of pluralism mean only that in a larger culture there is a small religious-ethnic group that does not contradict the law of a larger group.
Examples
One example of cultural pluralism is the introduction of the Chinese calligraphy class in the United States. For example, China is a pluralistic society in which Chinese calligraphy is generally accepted, and this tradition is accepted by the United States, which allows Americans of Chinese descent to study it in school. This is a typical example of cultural pluralism in education.
Another example is the adoption of Indian yoga classes in various countries and the introduction of Latin American salsa in some Asian countries. The idea of such pluralism first appeared in the 1910s and 1920s and became widely popular in the 1940s. If you want to know how cultural pluralism manifests itself in education, look at American schools.
The issue of immigration and nationality once arose in the United States, and it was then that Horace Cullen and Randolph Born first came up with the concept of cultural pluralism, while William James and John Dewey developed and popularized it.
Differences from Multiculturalism
Cultural pluralism is not the same as multiculturalism, although they are often confused. Both include adopting a small culture broader. But the difference is that they are accepted in different ways. Again, within the framework of pluralism, a smaller culture is adopted by a wider ethno-political group, which gradually assimilates it. While in multiculturalism, a smaller culture is accepted as a larger one in such a way that the first only respects the second, but does not consider it part of its heritage.
Cultural pluralism and multiculturalism have different concepts. Currently, the concept of cultural pluralism is being adopted worldwide, and the number of pluralistic countries is gradually growing.
Melting Pot
A "melting pot" is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society, becoming more homogeneous, assimilating various cultural and ethnic elements, "fusing" them together into a harmonious whole with a dominant culture. This term is especially often used to describe the assimilation of immigrants in the United States. This expression was first used in the 1780s. The exact term melting pot came into common use in the United States after it was used as a metaphor for the fusion of nationalities, cultures, and ethnic groups in the 1908 game of the same name.
Cultural pluralism as a scientific principle and ideology has replaced the concept of assimilation. The desirability of assimilation and the model of the melting pot were revised by some proponents of multiculturalism, who proposed alternative metaphors for describing modern American society, such as a "mosaic", "salad bowl" or "kaleidoscope" in which different cultures mix, but still retain their own characteristics. Others argue that assimilation is important for maintaining national unity and should be encouraged. Assimilation is a rejection of the old language or customs that should be accepted in society.
The concept of "salad bowl"
The salad bowl concept suggests that integrating many different cultures in the United States is more like a salad than a melting pot so familiar to everyone. Canadian cultural pluralism is a "cultural mosaic, " as it is commonly called in this country.
Each ethno-religious group retains its own qualities. This idea offers society a multitude of individual, “pure” cultures in addition to a dominant mixed culture, similar to the modern American one, and this term has become more politically correct than a melting pot, since the latter suggests that ethnic groups may be unable to preserve their characteristics and traditions from for assimilation.
