An Introduction To Multiculturalism The Concept Sociology Essay

An Introduction To Multi culturalism The Concept Sociology EssayThe definition of multiculturalism depends a huge deal upon the context in which it is discussed. Concept of multiculturalism is constantly varying as more great deal make their voices heard to a recurrently increase audience. Multiculturalism implies the distinct perspectives plead develop and maintain by means of varieties of experience and background familiarity stemming from racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation and/or class differences in our order.Multiculturalism is the acceptance or promotion of various ethnic cultures. It is diversity legitimate to the demographic fabricate of a specific place, often at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations. In this context, multiculturalists advocate ex being equitable status to distinct ethnic and spectral groups without promoting any(prenominal) specific ethnic, religious, and/or cultural participation value as central.Multiculturalism should observe the ideals of equality, equity, freedom and respect for some iodins and groups as a principle fundamental to the achiever of a nation.Background of British macrocosm Life Style that emb scats Multiculturalism the growingBritian is one of Europes most multi-cultural nations. at that place are a bet of form _or_ system of politics drivers and historical happening that start led Britian to evolve into multicultural society that it is to mean solar day. There is no infliction of immigration in the 1914 and 1948 Nationality Acts. Immigration remained low, just until after 1948. In 1953 the total build of immigrants to Britain was 2000 and by the end of the scratch half of 1962 the number had risen to 94,500.The 1948 British Nationality Act established verifying immigration rights to Citizens of Commonwealth countries. Britain experienced an increase in immigration grade in post war era repayable to deficiency of labor. ab in itio men alone came to Britain for jobs barely in late 1960s and premature seventies their families joined them. These included mostly Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Buddhists as well as Christians and they frametled in London, in the Midlands and the North and in the seaport towns of Liverpool and Cardiff.The immigration load of 1960s and aboriginal seventies made UK an ethnic solelyy and conscientiously various residential area. The idea that the immigrant would in the long run merge and become part of the military culture which was tending(p) in mid-50s was rejected. These communities develop their own cultural values. racial tension increased and by the end of 1950s immigrants were subjected to unprovoked racial attacks. This resulted in the notion that immigration and race relations were politic altogethery moot issues and there was a growing campaign to introduce immigration controls. amid 1950 and 1955 certain control measures were adopted to reduce the influx to Uk as the number of West Indian, Indian and Pakistani immigrants increased. But in spite of the exigent immigration insurance policy the population of immigrants is still growingOver the survive decade most of the immigrants came from the Indian subcontinent or the Caribbean, i.e. from former British colonies. In 2004 the number of people who became British citizens rose to a record 140,795 a rise of 12% on the previous year. This number had risen dramatically since 2000. The huge majority of new citizens come from Africa (32%) and Asia (40%), the largest three groups being people from Pakistan, India and Somalia.This resulted in changes to the British way of life and the UK became known as a multicultural community. However, more juvenilely the term multiculturalism is becoming a contested concept both in sociological discourse and in recent policy making.The term multiculturalism is generally thought to have arisen in Britain in a speech by the then Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins in 1966. get on with this term is current in the UK there are often instances where local anaesthetic politics john serve to exclude minority cultures while promoting the values of the dominant white culture. Multiculturalism is withal a term which describes aspects of social policy. Multiculturalism is employ in a number of ways which poop serve all to celebrate difference or to act as a uphold for what, in any real terms, is an opposite form of enforced assimilation. It also directs to be recognized that respective(a) ethnic groups now lie in of large numbers of people who have been born in Britain.Ca practice sessions for simplification in Peoples Moral Value and Multi-cultural Understandings of Harmony in UK1. Materialistic Lifestyles and leave out of religious Influences Nowdays people are inclined towards economic advancement preferably than social advancement on basis of sticking to the moral values. comfort has been taken over by extravagent life styles and ext ra needs. This brings human cirlce of expression and brings about significant impact on the entire social fabric.There is lack of religious and spiritual influences on people, and they do not tend to believe in virtues and moralities. In the The Twi rest of a Great Civilization, with destination to lack of religious influences on nations and consequent emergence of immoralities, Theologian Carl total heat stated that there is no fixed truth, no final good, no ultimate meaning or purpose, and that the living God is a uninitiate illusion it champions mysticism, occult forces and powers, communion with nature and exotic religions. This concept of illusional God is taking up roots in various sections of British society.2. Fragmented Family Structure A dysfunctional family is detrimental to the development of an idiosyncratic and usually results in low self-morale. Among the numerous factors for the deterioration of morals among the youth, such as lack of religious education and appreciation and peer pressure, a dysfunctional family were stated as the leading causes.The family is the basic building blocks of society. deprave whether sexual, physical, emotional, or mental is a very(prenominal) real and crippling problem in families today. preadolescent adults, couples and elderly struggle with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, sex addiction, abuse, incest, peace disorders, divorce, mid-life illness, death and many more problems. The family has dramatically changed over the last 30 years. This results in the deterioration of morals, values, beliefs, priorities, and life styles. Such disjointed social systems where an individual is so aloof from family would definitely show rejection and lack of trust to another(prenominal) members of the society especially those from alien cultures. Lack of harmony in family structures ultimately lead to lack of harmony in multi-cultural society.3. Disillusioned Youth Young people are taught in our schools and colleg es that ethics, morals, right and wrong depend upon the situation. many t to each oneers and professors use the concept of Values Clarification to inculcate students that their desires represent valid moral and ethical values. Many of these people have come of age and are among our highest leaders today. Morality is vital in all areas of society. It is the vituperative education young people obtain that imparts ethical values that adorn with lasting benefits. Todays teachings produce mixed results.Name calling and bulling due to racialism is prevalent in British schools and educational systems. This causes discomfort to students from other cultures and creates thought of disharmony.4. Negative Messages by Media Billboards, magazines, TV commercials, music videos all portray messages of sex, fierceness and extravagant lifestyles. Blood gore horror flicks or action packed ones are all full of images of craze. Even video games have fixings of adventure by infusing streaks of violence by use of guns, explosives, daggers. These channels of icon to voilence makes us prone to being emotionally insensitive, and enhance trends of agression, anger and violence in the society. Violent and aggressive trends call up for dis-harmony amongst various segments of multi-cultural society.5. racialist Behavior Racists do not like foreign people who stick up in the UK, either as immigrants or as visitors. Racist bearing is more widespread in areas where there are many immigrants or in towns where there are many international students. Racist behavior implies the use of slang expressions.The British Crime stare reveals that in 2004, 87,000 people from black or minority ethnic communities said they had been a dupe of a racially motivated crime. They had suffered 49,000 violent attacks, with 4,000 being wounded. At the similar time 92,000 white people said they had also fallen dupe of a racially motivated crime. The number of violent attacks against whites reached 77, 000, while the number of white people who reported being wounded was five time the number of black and minority ethnic victims at 20,000. Most of the offenders (57%) in the racially motivated crimes identified in the British Crime Survey are not white. White victims said 82% of offenders were not white.6. Hatered Flared due to Terrorist Attacks According to a report by BBC race-hate crimes increased by roughly 600 per cent in London in the month after the July 7 bomb attacks, with 269 more offenses allegedly motivated by religious detestation reported to the Metropolitan Police, compared to the same period last year.1Muslim community living in Britian becomes subjected to harsh attitudes because they are all believed to be from terrorist groups. Religious leaders of Muslim groups hold the view that politics and race bodies for prosecute a policy which, he claims, has alienated Muslims. These views were stated to be comic by the Commission for Racial Equality. This rift between those representing Muslim community and the Commission for Racial Equality reflect a deep set sense of opposing views.Suggestions to Enhance Understanding and Harmony amongst heterogeneous Sections of British lodgeMedia Propagation Media can play a vital spot in promoting peace and harmony oriented messages.Role of nurtureal Systems Children and students should be taught respect and tolerance for other cultural and religious trends prevalent. They must be taught to tolerate and accept rather than to retaliate and reject. learners from different ethnic backgrounds should be encouraged to share knowledge about their cultural heritage, and the teacher can add the element of fun and interactive learning in the safe and sound process, so that the students affiliate positivity with this exercise. At higher educational level, knowledge can be shared on wider platforms done tutorial, or reason discussions.Role of regime and Legal Bodies Fair and transparent government mechanism s, policy making, and legal frame turn. Human rights should be followed rigidly and justice should be useable to all regardless(prenominal) of color, race or religion.Role of pacification Organizations Various organizations can come into play to drive peace and harmony campaigns. For example, quietness Boat has been active in the field of education for peace and sustainability through the organization of educational voyages, based on lectures, workshops and study-exchange programmes both onboard the ship and in ports of call. Their Global University and International Student (IS) programmes provide mod approaches to peace and sustainability-related studies through intensive learning onboard and direct exposure to issues in various countries.Equal Opportunities and Freedom to Express Cultural Values disposal should chequer equal opportunities regarding availability of basic necessities, housing, education, health care, employment should be available to all the communities and social stratas of UK. People should not feel rough to expressing their cultural norms in anyway. Law should be made flexible to drop by the wayside people to wear hijabs and veils (Muslim women), turbans (Sikhs) etc at work and educational places. Government should ensure that the performance of various religious cultural activities and festivals are not hindered in any way.Changes at Individual Level At the end of the day all these suggestions can add up to be nil if each one of us individually fails to take others as they are. Each one of us must work and evaluate our holistic approach of breathing out about things. No one can compel us to debunk tolerance or respect towards other communities unless we feel the need to do so within ourselves. The question might be Why the need to change anyway? The answer Change for a secure, peaceful and brighter tomorrowPolicy Areas to be covered by Government to Promote a Multi-cultural SocietyIn UK 50 years ago, when for the first time th e rig of mass immigration was experienced, the need for policy, political and legal changes was felt. With this the concern of the Government was to integrate and assimilate the incoming groups into host communities.Policy making is very crucial as it can help in formulating policies which helps in find out the representation which various ethnicities receives in television or press. It helps in determine the code of conduct for these communities, the dress code, and content of education, the freedom for observing religious holidays and to celebrate festivals.With the years Multiculturalism has initiated many disputes but the The UK Government has focused less on establishment of multicultural policy and more on issues of comprehension and gluiness.While it was principally ignored under Margaret Thatchers Government the success of freshly Labor has meant that the term has grow to be a common silver in political debate and in policy making. In 1997 the ODPM was given task for a social exclusion unit which aims to embark on research into a number of different areas. Social cellular inclusion and cohesion are not just used in relation to diverse ethnic groups but are the basis for policy making in a number of other areas such as mental health, early years education and homelessness. prints of inclusion cover a host of areas and can range from the numbers of ethnic minorities using childcare facilities, to those undertaking shape up education of some kind to increase their employment prospects.Policy making aimed at reducing inequalities in both the labor and the housing market. In order to be successful anti-racist strategies need to be multi-faceted and aimed at subjective, institutional, and morphological racism. Past policies have been deficiently focused because there is no clear consensus in Britain what equal opportunity and multiculturalism mean either in ideological or practical terms. According to a Policy Studies Institute (1982) report anchor that in the majority of diverse ethnic communities rates of unemployment were twice as elevated among these groups as they were in the governing host group. There is a continuing disparity in terms of wages, exclusionary modes of hiring and higher unemployment rates, certain ethnic groups experience greater success in the labor market than do others. Housing policies also tend to discriminate against asylum seekers/refugees and other diverse ethnic groups. Clearly there are problems in the categorization of diverse ethnic groups and in present policy making, which, instead of greater inclusion sometimes tends to further leave out such groups.In the light of above mentioned scenario of policy decisions and proceedings, it is suggested that to sustain and conjure up a healthy Multi-cultural Society the Government should address the following policy areas1. sparing Policy Areas Economic policies should attract intellectual capital, trade, skilled migration, education, tourism, and s cience/technology. Establish partnerships between government agencies and business, industry, tourism, and education sectors to fight and maximize the economic advantages of cultural diversity and promote the State as a destination to work and live together. erupt supporting strategies for multiculturalism in international relations, tourism, trade and export areas. Develop educational and promotional activities to increase awareness of the economic benefits of multiculturalism. Develop strategies in the earth sector to better capture the benefits of a diverse workforce.2. Policies to Support Communities Policies should be developed for funding and investing in communities to further multiculturalism through research, policy development, advocacy, community awareness, festivals, services, projects and networks. Policies should be formulated in consultation with agencies and stakeholders in the community and across government on multicultural affairs.3. Policies to Strengthen Mul ticulturalism in the in the public eye(predicate) Sector Government agencies should ensure that regardless of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, all communities have equal access to services.4. Policies to Strengthen Community relations and anti-racism Policies should be designed for strengthening the sense of belonging in their local purlieu and in the global community. Policies should be taken up to promote decreed and cohesive community relations across the whole community through a renewed community relations plan.5. Policies to Develop Multicultural Education in British Schools Educational systems should be developed keeping in view the requirements and cultural backgrounds of students coming from various backgrounds. Methods of teaching and interaction should promote multi-cultural harmony amongst the students.6. Policies for Equal Opportunities Policies should be developed to eunsure that people from all communities have equal access to basic necessities, housing, ed ucation, health care, and employmentTransparency in Government OperationsTransparency in government operations leave alone definitely bring in good understanding between different sections of society. In principle, a basic requirement for transparency in the overall structure and functions of government is a clear demarcation of the boundaries between the ordinary and private sectors and, within the former, between different levels of government with respect to the state enterprise sector.2Transparent government operations would mean sound government policies, administrative frameworks, finances, good governance, and overall fiscal integrity. Transparent government operations would be accountable to all the communities dwelling in the UK. It would clearly blot provision of rights, protection by law and facilities by the government to the people. This would get together a sense of justice and equality in the society and indeed promote greater level of social security and harmon y.Role of Public in Promoting Harmony and UnderstandingPublic can play a major role in promoting harmony by abiding by the law and respecting multicultural policies. As discussed earlier each one of use must develop a sense of tolerance and respect for other members of the society. Public can actively participate in other communities cultural activities and not only promote a sense of harmony but also learn about other cultures. At homes parents must teach their children how to respect and deal politely with foreign children at schools. At work place, shopping malls, community centers we must learn to respect and treat all members of the community equally.***********************REFRENCESGiddens, A., Sociology, 2001, 4th Edition, Cambridge, Polity Press.Skellington R. and Morris, P., Race in Britain Today, 1992, London, Sage.Braham, P. 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