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Multiculturalism is a belief, ideology, movement, or policy that has several interpretations, but essentially advocates the peaceful coexistence of different cultural, ethnic, and/or racial groups within a single society interacting with one another on a mutually respectful, equal basis. Generally, nativists and those favoring assimilation oppose multiculturalism in any form, fearing its threat to national unity. Whereas proponents view multiculturalism as the foundation of a truly democratic society, opponents consider it as quicksand that will swallow up the core culture of the country.

Although a fairly new term coming into widespread public use in the 1980s, multiculturalism is actually a reformulation of the older concept of cultural pluralism, a term coined by Horace Kallen (1882-1974), a philosophy professor and immigrant from Eastern Europe. In the early 20th century, educator John Dewey and social worker Jane Addams both expressed concern about the loss of the cultural values of immigrants through assimilation. Kallen gave formal voice to their advocacy for cultural pluralism (the differences in language, religion, and value orientations) in an essay appearing in the Nation in 1915. Not until the early 1970s, though, did the concept gain widespread support, epitomized in the American Jewish Committee's creation of the Institute on Pluralism and Group Identity. This organization held numerous conferences and workshops and published dozens of working papers, articles, and books.

In the 1970s, multiculturalists first advocated adapting school curriculum materials in U.S. history to include the contributions of non-European peoples. In an inevitable progression, next came efforts to reform all curriculum areas, from the early grades through college, as an all-inclusive recognition of U.S. diversity and to inculcate in students a greater awareness and appreciation for the cultural impact of non-European civilizations. The intent of this movement was to advance an expanded American identity that incorporated previously excluded groups into an integral component, both in heritage and in present actuality.

Some multiculturalists subsequently abandoned this integrative approach in favor of the maintenance of separate group identities. In doing so, they not only rejected a common bond of identity among the distinct racial and ethnic groups, but in advocating minority nationalism or separatist pluralism they also rejected compliance with the dominant culture as well. Not surprisingly, this position angered those already suspicious of unassimilated minorities and triggered in many a condemnation of multiculturalism as a threat to societal cohesion.

Bibliography:

1) Hollinger, David A. 2006. Postethnic America: Beyond Multiculturalism. Rev. ed. New York: Basic Books.

2) Kivisto, Peter. 2002. Multiculturalism in a Global Society. New York: Blackwell.

3) Okin, Susan Moller. 1999. Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women? Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

4) Parrillo, Vincent N. 2008. Diversity in America. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

5) Phillips, Anne. 2007. Multiculturalism without Culture. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

6) Taylor, Charles. 1994. Multiculturalism: Examining the Politics of Recognition. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

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