Feasting on Culture and Identity: Food Functions in a Multicultural and Transcultural Malaysia

A plethora of studies have indicated the importance of intercultural sensitivity (IS) in today’s highly interconnected, global world. Despite that, in Malaysian context, very limited reliable instruments are available to measure intercultural sensitivity. A study using Malaysian dataset by Tamam (2010) found a three-factor model of the Chen and Starosta’s five-factor model of Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS); however, the model was exploratory and has yet to be validated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to further validate the intercultural sensitivity three-factor model within Malaysian collectivistic and multicultural context. Using survey as a means of data collection, 1000 undergraduate students at three higher education institutions completed self-administered questionnaires. The three-factor model found earlier was subject to Confirmatory Factor Analysis using Analysis of Moments Structures (Amos) software. The results showed that the intercultural sensitivity three-factor model showed a good fit thus indicating that the three-factor model is a viable alternative to the original model. In conclusion, the three-factor model is a valid and reliable instrument to measure intercultural sensitivity within Malaysian collectivistic and multicultural context.

Purpose: This study aims to show a creative approach to uniting the diversity of cultural and religious identities in musical harmony for efforts to build social harmony between multicultural and multireligious societies. Methodology: With an art-based qualitative analysis approach, this study analyzes elements of religious, cultural, and musical identities in the traditions and songs of the Maluku Protestant Church (GPM). Findings: This study found that GPM Songs have offered a new treasure in the tradition of religious songs by creatively and harmoniously combining elements of the cultural identity of the Maluku people who embrace all different religious identities through the shared language of pela-gandong, ain ni ain, kalwedo, in musical harmony for efforts to build and maintain social harmony in multicultural and multireligious societies. Implications: The findings of this study provide a new insight that can be applied to preserving peace in multicultural societies, namely that diverse cultural and religious identities can be harmonized through musical harmonization. Originality and Value: This study contributes to the discourse of music, rituals, and tradition studies, as well as multicultural and multireligious identities, and offers a new insight into creative diplomacy by using musical harmony in church song for social harmony.

This paper aims to examine the significance of xenophobia and hate crimes in multicultural societies. It begins with outlining the general discussions about multiculturalism, xenophobia and hate crimes. It identifies hate crimes that related to xenophobia in multicultural society and introduces hate crime laws in Australia. While Australian multicultural policy has its roots in government responses to the post settlement issues facing migrants, through the 1980s and 1990s policy was articulated more broadly as an element of Australia's nation building narratives. Today all Australian States and Territories have active policies and programs dealing with multiculturalism. As other multicultural societies, Australia confronts with challenges in building a multicultural society. One of them is xenophobia and hate crimes related to race, ethnic, religions. A number of common law countries have introduced legislation designed to respond to the problem of prejudice-related crime, commonly referred to as hate crime law. Whilst the heavier penalties imposed by hate crime laws are designed to denounce, and thereby deter, prejudice-related violence, it is apparent that these laws are meant to do more than punish and deter. They aim to condemn, not just criminal conduct per se, but also racism, homophobia, religious intolerance and the like. In this way Australia seek to make a broad moral claim that prejudice is wrong and to thereby reinforce pro-social values of tolerance and respect for marginalized and disadvantaged groups. This paper argues that hate crime laws are necessary in order to prevent hate crimes related to multiculturalism and suggests that Australian hate crime laws can be implied to sustain multiculturalism in Korea.

The article is devoted to the problems and trends of the development of interethnic relationships at the regional level. The assumption that migration process has direct influence upon them is proved. The hypothesis of the research is that the interethnic relationships of "traditional" ethnic communities for the region fundamentally differ from the interethnic relationships of the ethnic communities formed by the new migrants. For the first ethnic communities, ethnicity is not so important while the civil identity is more relevant and over-ethnic integrated images are developed. That results in the reduction of interethnic tension. For the other ethnic communities, ethnic and cultural barriers are strong, ethnicity is relevant for them. Furthermore, the language curtain and social distance strengthen interethnic tension for these ethnic communities. In our opinion, the basic threat is that the efforts of public authorities for the harmonization of interethnic relationships are mainly bending to the first ethnic communities. The public authorities attempt to save and develop the ethnic culture to form tolerance. Meanwhile, the major interethnic tension is associated with the migration process, a negative perception of migrants and a number of sociopsychological problems. Main factors having the influence on the negative perception of migrants and interethnic tension are analyzed. The conclusions are based on the research conducted by the author in 2011, relying on the questionnaire and expert survey, on the research conducted from 2008 till 2015, on the analysis of national population census and analytical reviews about migration situation. The results of the study can be used by the public authorities of the region developing ethnic policy, migration policy in formulation forecast of socio-economic development and social tension. © L. S. Krestyanova, 2016.

The Hate Crimes Project in the United States, the expanded use of criminal legislation creating enhanced punishment for bias-motivated crimes, is now over twenty-five years old. Today, virtually every state expressly criminalizes bias crimes. Over this quarter century, states have employed different forms of bias crime laws, some focusing on the animus exhibited by the perpetrator of a crime against a member (actual or perceived) of a racial, ethnic, religious, or other included Group, others focusing on the perpetrator's discriminatory selection of his or her victim. Now is therefore a propitious time to begin to evaluate the societal gains and risks associated with bias crime, law enforcement. This paper sets out a framework from which to understand bias crime law, and then considers and addresses many of the issues raised by opponents of the bias crime program. The paper considers four issues in particular. First, opponents have argued that the enhanced punishment of bias crime calls greater attention to racial and ethnic differences in society, therefore exacerbating, not helping, social divisions. Second, those opposed to expanded prosecution for bias-motivated crimes have argued that the bias crime enforcement unconstitutionally, or in any event unwisely, punishes thought and expression, not criminal acts. Third, bias crimes opponents have argued that the potential for selective enforcement of bias crime statutes exists, harming the most disadvantaged members of society and ironically those whom bias crime laws are intended to help. Fourth, opponents question one of the prime justifications for the enhanced punishment of bias crimes - that these crimes cause a greater harm than similar crime without bias motivation - claiming that the bias motivation of the perpetrator per se is not the cause of the harm. Bias crimes per se, the argument goes, should not receive enhanced punishment, rather only crimes, any crimes, that cause these great harms. Finally, the paper offers some observations as to the most general challenge that may be asserted against bias crimes laws: the argument that these laws don't work, that is, that these laws do not prevent or even appreciably reduce levels of bias in society, or even levels of bias crimes. The paper argues that in some ways there is no real answer to this question of whether bias crime laws work but I further argue, in the classic words of the late Alexander Bickel, that no answer is what the wrong question begets. Instead of asking questions about reduction of certain types of crime or ever more so, certain types of social attitudes, we do better to ask whether bias crime laws punish that which society rightly condemns. Taking that path, we are led toward the implications of using bias crime law as a window into a society's self-perception as a multi-cultural society. The extent to which this will end bigotry in society will inevitably be an inquiry that is more aspirational than empirical.

This study explores the portrayal of cultural displacement and efforts to preserve cultural identity in Li-Young Lee’s poem Persimmons using Michael Riffaterre’s Semiotics of Poetry. Cultural displacement—caused by language barriers, institutional isolation, and cultural misrepresentation—poses serious risks to identity continuity in multicultural societies. The poem serves as a powerful literary example of how immigrant experiences reflect both trauma and resistance. Using qualitative textual analysis, this study applies Riffaterre’s concept of matrix, model, variants, hypogram, and textual interpretants to uncover how the poem conceals deeper cultural meanings beneath language conflict and metaphor. Findings reveal that Persimmons portrays cultural displacement through linguistic confusion, memory loss, and institutional punishment, symbolized by the misinterpretation of the persimmon fruit. However, the poem also emphasizes the preservation of cultural identity through sensory memory, family traditions, and symbolic reclamation. The persimmon functions as a hypogram—a hidden sign of heritage—representing emotional and cultural continuity. This research contributes to literary semiotics and postcolonial discourse by demonstrating how poetic language can resist cultural erasure and affirm identity within multicultural contexts. Ultimately, the study shows that the poetry like Persimmons serves not only as a personal expression but as a powerful mode of cultural preservation and resilience.

This study explores the dynamic process of cultural inheritance, identity reconstruction and social integration experienced by Chinese families in Malaysia during the process of transgenerational migration. Through in-depth interviews with 15 Chinese families in Malaysia spanning three generations, this paper analyzes the inheritance and changes of Chinese culture in these families in a multicultural context, as well as the differences between different generations in cultural identity, language use and identity construction. The study found that over time, the cultural identity of Chinese in Malaysia gradually shifted from a strong Chinese cultural identity to a more diversified identity, showing the complexity of cultural integration and identity reconstruction. This study not only enriches our understanding of the Chinese community in Malaysia, but also provides a new perspective for the broader study of transgenerational migration.

Inter-ethnic relations between Albanians and Macedonians in Macedonia have been rather problematic since the times of former Yugoslavia. After independence, the new constitution of the Republic of Macedonia instead of improving it has further downgraded the position of Albanians and other minorities living in the country. The non-fulfilment of Albanians’ core demands led to an armed conflict in 2001. The Ohrid Agreement has in addition to ending the armed conflict, also provided for a range of legislative and policy measures to improve the position of the Albanians by ensuring equality and minority protection. However, 16 years after the Ohrid Agreement, inter-ethnic relations in Macedonia still remain burdened by prejudice and stereotypes, rather than cooperation and mutual prosperity. The main aim of the paper is to analyse the state of inter-ethnic relations in Macedonia, with special focus on relations between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians. The paper also offers an analysis of main factors that contribute to inter-ethnic tensions in the country and explores possible scenarios in the future. The most relevant part of the paper analyses the causality between inter-ethnic and interstate relations. The paper claims that similarly to most of the countries in the Western Balkans, inter-ethnic and interstate relations are basically the components of the same equation. The paper concludes that in Macedonia, Kosovo rather than Albania is much more relevant for the causality between inter-ethnic and interstate relations in Macedonia, and it also offers several reasons to support such thesis. Accordingly, the overall inter-ethnic relations between Macedonians and Albanians in Macedonia heavily depend on inter-state relations between Macedonia and Kosovo and vice versa.

Globally, school classrooms are becoming more and more multicultural, since migration is a phenomenon that has an impact on a planetary level. In Latin America and the Caribbean, different migration flows have occurred in the last 10 years, as a result of natural disasters, political instability, and the search for optimal wages, among other reasons. The migrant population carries with them their cultural identity, which is reflected in the classroom. In the Chilean case, there are schools with a high percentage of Latin American migrant students, which implies an intercultural pedagogical challenge. In the context of learning reading comprehension, data emerge that place migrant students on the SIMCE Reading test with lower scores than local students. Reading performance may have causes in the access gap as an educational level. However, despite the origins of this inequality, there is an immediate need to intervene didactically in the classroom to enhance reading comprehension in multicultural contexts. The preliminary results of a larger research that had as one of its objectives to design and validate the content of a didactic proposal to enhance multimodal reading comprehension by integrating intercultural competence in school contexts with the integration of migrant students are reported. This study uses the quantitative method with a non-experimental and cross-sectional design. Twelve class sessions were designed with their didactic material. Fifteen expert judges validated the proposal. The instrument used was a validation guideline built ad hoc for the research. For the analysis, the agreement of the judges was calculated using the relevance index, Aiken’s V and Lawshe’s content validity ratio. It was possible to obtain a coherent and consistent didactic proposal, which would allow it to be implemented in multicultural school contexts. A didactic proposal is obtained that addresses both the guidelines of intercultural competence and the didactics of language for the understanding of multimodal genres, considering the cultural identity of the students. It is considered that both perspectives in multicultural contexts can be approached at the same time without losing the development of understanding.

This article considered the literary representation of young South Africans coming of age within a post-apartheid, multicultural context and forging for themselves a modern identity across a divide between, and also within, cultures. They identify themselves with the global West, but also subscribe to indigenous African values, whilst recognising how they themselves have been damaged by corrupted cultural practices. Postcolonial theories of identity-formation – Said’s argument that post-imperial cultures are all hybrid and heterogeneous, Bhabha’s interstitial ‘third space’ where postcolonial identities are produced through processes of negotiation and translation, Hall’s theory that cultural identity is based on differences and discontinuities rather than on fixed essences, De Kock’s notion of a ‘cultural seam’ or site where cultures both differ and converge and difference and sameness are sutured together, Nuttall’s notion of entanglement, and Clingman’s theory of the transitive self – are used for understanding how young South Africans are shown in recent writing as having been shaped by traditional cultural practices and also damaged by cultural malpractices. Texts chosen for discussion are Adam Ashforth’s Madumo, about witchcraft, Russell Kaschula’s short story,‘Six teaspoons of sweetness’ and Gcina Mhlope’s short story, ‘Nokulunga’s wedding’, both of which deal with ukuthwala [forced marriage abduction] and, finally, Thando Mgqolozana’s novel, A man who is not a man, which deals with the consequences of a botched traditional circumcision. The article argued that self-reflexive critical and imaginative engagement by young people with the cultures that have formed – and deformed – them is a mark of the true coming-of-age of postcolonial and post-apartheid writing.

The article discusses the issues and trends of interethnic relations on the regional level. We suppose that migration processes have a direct influence upon them. Our hypothesis is that interethnic relations between the communities that traditionally reside in a specific region are fundamentally different from those established by recent migrants. For the former, the role of ethnicity is less important while the priority is given to the civil identity, which leads to the formation of supraethnic integrative images, mitigating interethnic conflicts. For the latter category of communities, the ethno-cultural boundaries are still strong, ethnic identity is prioritized and interethnic tension is aggravated by language and social barriers. We believe that when the regional authorities are seeking to harmonize interethnic relations, they are making a fundamental mistake by focusing on the first category of ethnic groups and ignoring the second. Interethnic tension mostly results from migration and the negative public perception of migrants, which causes a number of social and psychological problems. Our analysis explores the key factors shaping the attitude towards migrants and thus, creating interethnic tensions. We carried out a questionnaire survey in 2011 and also analyzed the results of the surveys conducted between 2008 and 2015, censuses and analytical reports on migration. Regional authorities may bene t from the results of our research by modifying their national and migration policies. This study may also be useful to other governmental agencies engaged in social and economic forecasting, especially concerning social tensions in the region.

This chapter presents a detailed analysis of current and historical interethnic relations in France. Kamiejski, De Oliveira, and Guimond apply several theories in exploration of the variables related to the development of the existent ethnic tensions in this region. Policy models are also evaluated and considered as means of engendering harmony in the future. Discussion of the most recent and largest immigrant group to France, the Maghrebians, reveals several factors associated with increasing tensions including the large degree of assumed difference in values, religion, and culture. The authors recognize that France has set the stage for positive interethnic relations with its policy of a neutral state and equality of all citizens. However, evidence contrary to this policy is noted in recent political and media activities which, as the authors demonstrate through research, serve to reinforce differences and exacerbate ethnic tensions. Emphasis is placed on several theories that explain attitudes toward immigrants and these are applied to the development of current ethnic tensions in France. Kamiejski, De Oliveira, and Guimond present five factors that they believe, and research has concluded, to be applicable: Threat, relative deprivation and gratification, SDO, national identity, and acculturation orientation. The Social Identity Model of Collective Action is applied to the recent riots in France that the authors attribute to social activism. Kamiejski, De Oliveira, and Guimond conclude by offering suggestions to improve interethnic relations, such as the use of the contact hypothesis to reduce prejudice. Analysis of various forms of policy and the associated implications on interethnic relations is presented and a solution specific to the situation in France is offered. Cheryl Jorgensen

Multiculturalism and higher education in Malaysia

This research to describe social attitude integration and ethnic prejudice in multicultural society. The research took place in Yogyakarta Municipality and Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta Special Province, based on consideration that the location resided by families of multicultures (heterogen), prone to interethnic conflict and brawl. Data gathering technique were interview and observation, respondents were 50 people of each location, whole was 100 respondents. Data analysis was qualitative-descriptive technique. The research showed that 79 percent respondents having social integration attitude, 21 percent having ethnic prejudice. The prevention against widening and deteriorating conflict, flaring up, social brawl are to enhance understanding, consiousness, and benefiting pluralism or various cultures as potensial resources, strength for joint progress. Social dialogue facility and communal activity by government and community need to be done. To the Directorate of Social Protection for Social Disaster Victims (PSKBS), General Directorate of Social Protection and Assurance, The Ministry of Social Affairs, need to hold a program on enhancing communal capacity (family) through socialization, education, and training of social harmony management (social integration) to prevent social conflict, set up interethnic community forum that can fill pluralism value so that families and community resilience can be realized.

The national development of any multicultural society is associated with a number of problems and challenges, because such a society is a set of different cultures that exist in one space and means the ability of people of different national, religious and cultural backgrounds to live in a single territory. In this regard, the problem of interaction of cultures is relevant, as well as questions about the role and place of individual cultures in a multicultural society, the degree and mechanism of their interaction. The issue of multicultural interaction is an important aspect of domestic research. Kazakhstan requires a reflexive understanding of not only the traditions of Kazakh culture, but also the phenomenon of multiculturalism in Kazakhstani society. In the post-Soviet period, our country has experienced severe emotional and psychological stress that has affected all aspects of society. These changes have led to a change in the attitude of the Kazakh people to other nationalities. The issues of tolerance and multiculturalism are especially relevant in the context of growing interethnic tension, ethnophobia and intolerance in the socio-economic and spiritual life of modern Kazakhstan. Thus, the problem of multiculturalism is associated with the search for practical and theoretical solutions to the problems facing the world community today. The active process of globalization raises the issue of conformity. The policy of identity is a response to the special effects of globalization: conflicts can arise between people who claim to live in a global world and those who live in a local culture. The relationship between global and local initiatives cannot be characterized by mergers or prohibitions. However, the diversity of society and culture will not disappear with globalization. Accordingly, the conflict between people who think in the global world and those who identify themselves with the local subculture is a conflict of multiculturalism and identity. As we all know, the core of identity is traditional and national culture, which is the most difficult test of globalization. Dialogue and cultural continuity are the main means of preserving identity. Elements of multiculturalism can be noted in Kazakhstan today. It can be attributed, first of all, to a multina-tional community, in which some subjects are divided according to the strength of their national traditions, cultural identity.