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Immigration is a common occurrence in all countries across the world and it is the foundation of many countries, such as the United States. Without immigration, the world would seem stagnant and unable to understand other cultures in the correct fashion. How easy it is for an immigrant to join a community when they immigrate to another country is based on multiple societal and institutional measures in that country. A country that embraces other cultures is a Multicultural society (Song, 2017). In a society such as this, the institutions entail diverse measures to include cultures into their society. On the other hand, Assimilation involves a society in which they do not look to include foreign cultures into their existing one, they would much rather the person who is immigrating to their country conform to their way of life instead. These concepts both play into national identity, citizenship, and nationalism and spark debates about finding “common ground” among all groups in a community.
To understand the differences between Multiculturalism and Assimilation, you must first start with the history of both subjects across the world. Unlike Assimilation, which has been the standard for most countries since the beginning of civilization, Multiculturalism is a relatively new concept that has yet to be totally accepted by many countries across Europe (Song, 2017). A common way to describe multiculturalism is that it is a way of talking and thinking about the differences in society, and how societies deal with their own differences (Nye, 2007). The idea of tolerance is important in the multicultural context and one of the best definite examples of Multiculturalism can be first seen in the United States during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s (Song, 2017). The idea of becoming a country that essentially is a “melting pot” was a new way of thinking and reputed the European idea of following the heritage of the country. As this idea became more prevalent in the United States, it was exported to Europe via American culture influence (Song, 2017). Both of these ideas are good ideas relative to where you are from. A native-born American citizen may find multiculturalism essential to a good society, meanwhile a native-born German may find it to be conflicting with their culture and believe assimilation is the correct choice.
The controversy on whether an immigrant will be able to fit into society is not a new question. There a few distinct differences between these types of integration, assimilation is essentially the opposite ideal of Multiculturalism because it entails no room for immigrants to allow for their culture to have any prevalence in its new country (Nye, 2007). There have been endless attempts across the world to force minority groups to assimilate to the culture of the majority. A fantastic example of assimilation in a historical context is the force used by European colonial empires to force the indigenous people they overtook to suddenly abide by their rules and convert to their religion (Timsit, 2019). Europe has historically been unfavorable in the context of including other cultures’ traditions with their own. The idea of assimilation has been around since the beginning of time and cultures have always had the tendency to want immigrants and outside cultures to assimilate to theirs (Timsit, 2019). Unlike multiculturalism, assimilation has endless examples of being engrained in societies.
The concept of a society being either a multiculturalist community or assimilationist has both its pros and cons. Many countries across the world have become more open to inviting other cultures into their communities and implementing policies to protect those groups (Bevelander, 2013). Multiculturalism has many benefits for a country in the sense that it allows for people to learn how to understand each other and embrace one another’s cultures. In a society that embraces and protects others which are different from the majority, there becomes more understanding and less isolation from the world. The migration and settlement of people across boundaries is the product of change and produces change, at all levels of society (Bevelander, 2013). It is hard to take the first step in understanding other people unless you allow for the integration of their own beliefs alongside of your own. On the other hand, some may speculate that if you are coming to a country that shares different values than your own and you are aware of those, then it is not your right to enforce your ideas upon those who are the majority (Nye, 2007). Multiculturalism includes not just the acceptance by the population of the country but also the policy makers (Bevelander, 2013).
Some diverse measures that can be taken by a government that pushes for a multicultural society are policies such as implementing policies in education such as consideration for dress codes and social services, health promotion campaigns in multiple languages, and cultural exceptions to law. These simple changes are what can help integrate an immigrant into a society, but a lot of European countries have created a backlash against these types of programs. An argument that is used against multiculturalism is that it refuses to acknowledge the social problems connected with ethnic minorities and immigrants (Vertovec, 2010). According to Daily Mail columnist, Melanie Phillips, the brainwashing that has occurred throughout the country is due to multiculturalism and it has caused refusal to teach Muslims and other immigrants British culture and values which has caused a divisive culture of separateness (Vertovec, 2010). According to Phillips, multiculturalism causes the moral paralysis of victim culture (Vertovec, 2010). This type of rhetoric has become popular among newspapers and journalists throughout Europe.
Multiculturalism is a process, and with any process, there are roadblocks that don’t allow for the total embrace of immigrants and other cultures. Over the recent decades, it has become a growing consensus that multiculturalism is not successful in European cultures. In 2010, leaders from France, Britain, and Germany had all conceded that multiculturalism had failed in their countries (Chin, 2017). The beginning of the large movement of immigration after the second world war showed that Europe’s willingness to accept diversity was going to be an ongoing struggle (Chin, 2017). Assimilation essentially goes against any multiculturalism in society and pushes the idea that if you are willing to immigrate to a certain society, then it is your duty to fit in (Chin, 2017). There has become a widespread perception that multiculturalism is “dead” and according to Chancellor Merkel, of Germany, it has ‘utterly failed’ (Banting, 2013). Many European commentators worry that multiculturism has over-nurtured what is known as parallel societies, and the British prime minister is one of these people. (Banting, 2013). The British prime minister argued that ‘under the doctrine of multiculturalism, we have encouraged different cultures to live separate lives from one another (Banting, 2013). Many European officials are claiming multiculturalism as a failure and claim that it is also responsible for high dependence on welfare, poor educational outcomes for their immigrant children, political radicalism, and social isolation (Banting, 2013). The chair of the Commission for Racial Equality in Britain, Trevor Phillips, stated this issue in a more forward manner saying that ‘under the baleful influence of multiculturalism, Britain is sleeping walking to segregation’ (Banting, 2013). Recent debates have made it clear that Europe is dropping multiculturalism and adopting a new approach to diversity, which is commonly referred to as civic integration (Banting, 2013). Civic integration works on the premise that they would integrate immigrants into the social, economic, and political mainstream. This also entails that the newcomers acquire the language of the country they are living in and learn about its history and norms. Across Europe, there has been a widespread demand for evidence of integration at different stages of the process to gain citizenship (Banting, 2013).
Assimilation can cause many conflicts in a community and allow for hatred to bloom among the current population. Assimilation has many pros and cons just like multiculturalism. To begin, for an immigrant to assimilate into a new society, they start to lose their own family traditions and it reduces diversity among the population. Forcing a minority group or immigrant to assimilate into a society can cause the younger generations who are entering into the school system to be disadvantaged because of different learning styles (Chin, 2017). On the other hand, assimilation can open more doors in the job sector for immigrants because it allows for them to blend into society better. An immigrant who is able to assimilate and learn the language associated with the culture should, in turn, should be able to become more successful in that society (Banting, 2013). Assimilation can also allow for people to overcome their natural differences by integrating into society through the same culture and values as the majority, thus making them a part of the larger population. France, unlike other countries in Europe, does not have mandatory civic integration courses, but it does have an assimilationist sense of national identity that is not multicultural (Singer, 2010).
The resistance of becoming a multicultural society is not an isolated problem in one country but is an overwhelming issue that has plagued the entire continent of Europe. The Muslim community has become one of the biggest targets for the opposition of multiculturalism. In recent years, many countries in Europe have established laws and policies that demand assimilation by immigrants (Banting, 2013). Currently, Denmark is trying to introduce laws to regulate the lives of its Muslim community living in the “ghetto” so that they may assimilate into the Danish culture (Timsit, 2019). The continuous rise of Muslim residents in Denmark has caused policymakers to implement new laws in order to integrate them into their society. Currently, there are 22 new measures put forth by the Prime minister of Denmark, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, that are aimed at assimilating the Muslim communities (Timsit, 2019). Young immigrants across Europe are a primary target for most countries trying to assimilate their populations. For instance, Germany has created mandatory language tests be carried out on migrant children as early as kindergarten and children trying to seek asylum are put into integration courses to learn about German culture and ideals before entering the country (Timsit, 2019). Civic integration courses were once only voluntary for migrants seeking to enter countries across Europe but in recent years, they have become mandatory for newcomers to Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (Timsit, 2019).
Across Europe, not only has there been policies implemented to assimilate migrants, there has been a large backlash against multiculturalism and its “negative” effects on the norms in each society. The phrase “Multiculturalism is dead” has become a common conception throughout Europe. Throughout the 1990s, in the Netherlands, there were violent attacks against policies aimed at assisting ethnic minorities (Timsit, 2019). In May of 2001, riots broke out between British Pakistanis and Bangladeshi youths against the white youths in 3 different British cities and reports regarding these riots point at the separation of educational arrangements, places of worship, and social networks that led these youths to lead parallel lives thus causing conflict (Timsit, 2019). Multiculturalism has become seen as a failure among many Europeans, with many stating that there is “too much diversity” and that is causing conflict between cultures (Timsit, 2019). Britain has been at the forefront of the battle to forget about a multicultural society and assimilate with most of their public officials insisting that it be dropped. In April of 2004, Trevor Phillips, the chair of the Commission for Racial Equality proclaimed that “Multiculturalism should be ditched, because it suggests separatism among the people when there is a need for a British identity instead” and responses such as these have been provoked by public debates regarding this topic and tactics of condemnation (Timsit, 2019). The most common complaint about multiculturalism is that it has led to societal breakdown because it is promoting ethnic separation and a lack of interest in social integration into society.
The implications of policies can make or break society in terms of whether they can become multicultural or force their newcomers to assimilate. All over European countries, there has been a universal panic about immigrants and ethnic diversity. In the Netherlands, a backlash has occurred in policy and in public communication, with migrants at the root of it and being blamed for not meeting their responsibility to integrate and for practicing so-called ‘backward religions’ (llie, 2007). Populist politicians and some sections of the media have characterized immigrants as a threat to security, the welfare system, and social unity (llie, 2007). They claim that immigrants decline to integrate and that governments have lost authority over them (llie, 2007). Since the late 1980s, there has been massive convergence of refugees and asylum-seekers, especially from former Yugoslavia and Africa (llie, 2007). As a result of these composite and continual inflows, the Netherlands has moved from a sufficiently high level of ethnic homogeneity to an astonishing degree of assortment (llie, 2007). In 1983, they created the Ethnic Minorities Policy which was seen as a welfare policy for defined segregated social masses (llie, 2007). It can be seen as a prolongation of some aspects of pillarization, which handsomely financed new ethnic and religious minority communities for their own places of worship and media, and certain types of educational amenities on the same basis as pre-existing parallel institutional agreements (llie, 2007)
Currently, European countries are experiencing vivid debates about immigrants assimilating and their processes for integrating into society. European countries tend to lean more toward integration policies that favor the labor market for immigrants (Timsit, 2019). Many European leaders debate what constitutes good integration policies and each has their own observation on what works best. The assimilation process can vary for the different situations each person is in. For example, for first-generation immigrants, the largest gap they face in the assimilation process is their language barriers, civic involvement in the community, perceived discrimination, occupations, and outcome (Chin, 2017). Second-generation immigrants also still have some of these same issues and a significantly higher rate of non-citizenship as opposed to native-born citizens. Assimilation is now being seen as an important way of reducing anti-immigrant sentiment in the native populations across Europe. The Muslim population is the center of attention for the assimilation debate. The economic downfalls of many European countries tend to fuel racism and intolerance thus making assimilation for the Muslim community important to be able to avoid the brute force of hate (Chin, 2017).
From the perspective of an American citizen, the idea of multiculturalism is an amazing way to understand each other and learn from one another. In my opinion, multiculturalism is more inclusive in every manner and is important. For an immigrant to move from their home to another country it can be quite a culture shock. The preservation of cultures in a diverse society is important a can bring a lot of prosperity to a community.
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