Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

The Challenges of Multiculturalism

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The Challenges of Multiculturalism

The world of ours is embellished with variety of thoughts, feelings, perceptions and ideologies. And the same variety, many believe, is the beauty of it. However, maintaining the same variety, the challenge for the current phase of human evolution is to co-exist with harmony and peace.

No reason can stand solid for killing innocent fellow human beings; not even the differences in views and opinions. In real sense they are bound to differ in their thinking, as human beings are born with different perceptions. Every individual is bound to be different in some way or the other from others. That is what forms his\her personality. Differences in thoughts can never harm you unless they are pursued with extremist sentiments and ultimately guided to violence and terror. If others differ from you, it means you exist. They are supporting you in building you identity. There is no need of getting sick of that. And no one can ever give you the right to kill others just because they belong to a different religion, ideology or sect as long as they do not mean to harm you.

The same stands correct for groups and institutions as well, and may even be applied to religions and cultures. But, unfortunately, this concept has been vehemently ignored by the people and the violation of the same concept has led to the killing of millions of people. The differences among the people and the groups of people seem to be getting deeper instead of disappearing. The globalization process that has been expected to bring people together has not been able to maintain a harmonious multi-cultural world. The people still because of their cultural, religious and ethnic differences seem to abhor others and even get ready to launch tyrannical missions against each other.

Definitely, immigration along with the developments in communication and transportation has made it possible for the people of different cultural backgrounds to get closer to each other, which has given rise to the concept of multiculturalism – different cultures co-existing in harmony at least theoretically. Multiculturalism definitely depicts and demands higher human values, but it is difficult to manage.

There are various challenges that a multicultural society has to face. Among them acceptability is one of the most important ones. Further, the society wherein multiculturalism has to exist always generates a sort of fear of loss of national identity. This loss of national identity sometimes takes the form of political struggle through political platforms, while at other times it may take the form of violent measures. And on certain occasions it is also possible that the political parties themselves turn violent in the pursuit of their motto.

The concept of multiculturalism has not been able to implement itself thoroughly in the world. The multiculturalism has not been able to form a global ethics or a global code of conduct. It has been lost somewhere in cultural relativism. The cultures or the negatives in the cultures are accepted with the claims of cultural relativism. If the same inclination towards cultural relativism is maintained it would be very difficult for today’s world to form common values, laws or systems, which are very necessary to avoid clashes among the cultures and civilizations. Unfortunately, our today’s world is moving right towards the same kind of clashes.

On the other hand this is going to strengthen the phenomenon of ethnocentrism. Though many sociologists believe that ethnocentrism, to a certain extent, is unavoidable, as every individual of group of individuals have to think from their own cultural and social backgrounds and may have a perspective of others in relation to their own cultural norms and values; however, the intensity and sense of extremism in this regard can prove detrimental for world peace and for the concept of co-existence. 

As the concept of ethnocentrism says that it is judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one’s own culture, the ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture, especially with concern to language, behavior, customs, and religion. These ethnic distinctions and subdivisions serve to define each ethnicity’s unique cultural identity. Ethnocentrism may be overt or subtle, and while it is considered a natural proclivity of human psychology, it has developed a generally negative connotation.

Anthropological studies reveal that People born into a particular culture that grow up absorbing the values and behaviors of the culture will develop a worldview that considers their culture to be the norm. If people then experience other cultures that have different values and normal behaviors, they will find that the thought patterns appropriate to their birth culture and the meanings their birth culture attaches to behaviors are not appropriate for the new cultures. However, since people are accustomed to their birth culture, it can be difficult for them to see the behaviors of people from a different culture from the viewpoint of that culture rather than from their own.

It is really fine that the different cultures in the world sustain their identity and even be proud of their historical and cultural backgrounds but they are never entitled to subjugate and devalue others cultures and values. Nonetheless, when there is the discussion of a multicultural society, there are some necessary safeguards against ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. In a multicultural society, there is a requirement of common values that do not harass human beings and violate their rights, even if the same is suggested in a particular culture.

The developed countries of the world today experience a process of multiculturalism, wherein they are facing the problems generated by extreme ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. However, none should substitute multiculturalism as it is the evolution human beings have made in their social lives. Definitely, it is time consuming and yet there is a long way to go to achieve it. For the time being states marked with multiculturalism have to introduce hard and fast rules and vigilant checks against any sort of attempt to strengthen violation of it. However, the developed nations of the world must never strive to go against it, not because the deprived nations benefit from it but because it is favorable for all the human beings. Further, this will prove them more evolved.

 

 

Dilawar Sherzai is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at email.urya@gmail.com

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