Multicultural Ideology Research Articles

Claudio Goulart and His Artistic Critique of the Ideology of Multiculturalism

Claudio Goulart and His Artistic Critique of the Ideology of Multiculturalism

Formation of Inter-Ethnic Solidarity of The Kazakhstani Society Based on The Implementation of The Multiculturalism Concept in The Student Environment

The article presents the results of a sociological study on the problem of modern inter-ethnic relations among students based on the concept of multiculturalism. The purpose of this study is to identify the attitudes of urban students towards the implementation of the ideology of multiculturalism, and the implementation of interethnic communication; to identify possible strategies for their behavior in a situation of interethnic tension and conflict in the context of the implemented state policy in the field of interethnic relations. The survey showed that Kazakhstani students have a high level of interethnic tolerance and are ready to enter into interethnic relations, which confirms the existence and implementation of the ideas of multiculturalism. The ideas of multiculturalism in the higher education system of Kazakhstan are implemented through various mechanisms that allow for preserving ethnic diversity and strengthening interethnic harmony, which contributes to the formation of interethnic solidarity in society.

‘Am I both or not?’: The role of perceived societal norms of multiculturalism in negotiating bicultural identities

AbstractThe present study explored the role of perceived societal norms of multiculturalism in the engagement of cultural identity styles (hybridising‐HIS and altenating‐AIS) and, in turn, their impact on bicultural identity consolidation and cultural identity conflict. We examined 293 Chinese Americans' perceptions about the extent to which culturally diverse groups are in contact with one another (multicultural contact); whether diversity is valued and appreciated (multicultural ideology); and whether there are policies and practices that support and accommodate diversity (multicultural policies and practices) in the United States. Results from a path analysis showed that multicultural ideology was negatively associated with AIS and cultural identity conflict. Multicultural contact was positively associated with HIS and bicultural identity consolidation. Multicultural policies and practices had no significant associations. The findings underscore the important role of perceived societal acceptance of multicultural ideology and perceived norms of multicultural contact in managing cultural identities. Furthermore, the study highlights that perceived multiculturalism norms as societal‐level factors combined with individual‐level cultural identity styles can influence the identity outcomes of multicultural individuals. Further research into the role of perceived societal norms for both majority and cultural minority individuals in identity integration is warranted.

PLURALITAS BUDAYA BERAGAMA MAHASISWA; PENDEKATAN KURIKULUM PENDIDIKAN AGAMA ISLAM

Pluralism is both a hope and a challenge for some groups, especially in terms of detailed differences. While religious differences have become a long topic of discussion resulting in a formulation of harmony between religious communities, what is more detailed is the differences in religious culture within Muslims. This research describes the religious cultural model of students at STAI Muhammadiyah Probolinggo based on the Muhammadiyah and NU religious groups. The object of this research is students at the Probolinggo Muhammadiyah college whose student population is dominated by representation of two large community organization groups in Indonesia, namely Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama'. Data was obtained from direct observations and student answers in the mid-semester exam for the multicultural PAI course regarding students' attitudes towards viewing differences in other religious cultures. The results of the analysis found that students who have different religious cultures from other groups have a tolerant attitude but still have an ethnocentric attitude. So, through the multicultural Islamic Religious Education curriculum, it is necessary to thoroughly instill the ideology of multiculturalism and pluralism in students as a form of higher education's efforts to direct students to become agents of change in a peaceful and humanist civilization.

The colour of wealth concentration: the defence of economic privilege and multicultural ideology in postcolonial Mauritius

ABSTRACT Ideologies play a key role in the maintenance of inequality. Yet, as the case of the Franco-Mauritians, the white elite of Mauritius, shows, ideologies are also often challenged. Following struggles between elites and other social groups, ‘new’ ideologies may even emerge. A closer look at the transition from the colonial to postcolonial period in Mauritius provides relevant insights into the dynamics of such struggles, including how, in ambiguous ways, outcomes may foster the maintenance of inequality. It shows that the emergence of multiculturalism as an ideology enhanced (political) equality, yet also allowed Franco-Mauritians to maintain their wealth base

Mixed Japanese identities and multiculturalism

In this article, we unpack how ideologies of ethnonationalism and multiculturalism in the Australian and Japanese contexts present tensions in self-identity and national belonging for youth of mixed Japanese and Australian background. With the aim of furthering our understanding of multiculturalism and its place in Australia, we investigate the complex ways in which these individuals are positioned in-between such ostensibly antithetical ideologies in their transnational lives to provide unique insight into a little studied community in Australia. To do so, we draw on interview data conducted with youth aged 18 to 25 who live in Australia or Japan and are the child of one ethnically Japanese and non-Japanese parent. Our findings demonstrate that multiculturalism in Australia encourages a sense of belonging and community by attributing meaning towards the ubiquity of ethnic, racial and cultural differences in urban Australian spaces. However, feelings of inclusivity or belongingness which derive from a sense of multiculturalism are often overshadowed by discourses of ethnonationalism, such as ‘whiteness’ or ‘Japaneseness’, which contradict and unsettle their mixed identities as people of Japanese and Australian backgrounds.

A socio-ecological perspective on psychological well-being in a culturally diverse context: The role of perceived national multicultural norms

The research examined perceived national norms for multiculturalism, Multicultural Contact (MC), Multicultural Ideology (MI) and Multicultural Policies and Practices (MPP), as associated with well-being in a community sample. One hundred and twenty-five British Indians and 250 British Whites completed an online survey with measures of Normative Multiculturalism, belonging, and psychological well-being (positive affect, flourishing, and life satisfaction). A multi-group mediational model was tested with direct and indirect (via belonging) paths to well-being. Results demonstrated significant direct and indirect associations of MC on well-being for Indians and indirect associations for Whites. MPP produced the same indirect pathways, but only for Indians. MI was not significantly related either to belonging or well-being. The findings are discussed in relation to broader theorizing on multiculturalism and their practical implications in the British socio-political context.

Theory of “Cultural Memory” by J. Assmann and Reflection of Multiculturalism: Myth, Memory and Remembrance in Cultures of “Axial Age”

The paper discusses various aspects of the concept of “cultural memory” coined by Jan Assmann and related both to the problem of determining the categories of culture that became the first objects of philosophical reflection in the era of the Axial Age and to the issues of the modern crisis of the ideology of globalism and multiculturalism. Using the example of some categories of an archaic myth that have not lost their cultural and social relevance at present, the variability of the genesis of philosophy in various civilizations of the epoch of the “Axial Age” is demonstrated - both those in which it arises as an independent form of worldview and those where this process stops at the stage of a highly speculative myth. Special attention is paid to the cultural and social aspects of memory and recollection of the past as forms of spiritual “resistance” to external cultural influences and the preservation of religious and ethnic identity, which is equally relevant both during the genesis of philosophy and in modern post-industrial society during the crisis of globalist ideology and the philosophy of multiculturalism.

Multiculturalism between ideology and practice: Immigrant self-narrations of community activism in Toyota, Japan

ABSTRACT From 1990, a revised immigration law offered foreigners of Japanese descent (nikkei) the right to work for unlimited duration in Japan. Many nikkei came from Latin America to take on blue-collar jobs in the country’s factories. Homi Danchi, a working-class housing complex in Toyota, Japan, has since become known for its Brazilian immigrant community. Drawing on in-depth interviews, this study analyzes the self-narrated biographies of three Brazilian immigrants who actively participate in community activism in Homi. Applying Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice and his critique of the “biographical illusion,” this article examines how the abstract ideology of Japanese-style multiculturalism (tabunka kyōsei) is understood and practiced at a local level. It argues that our narrators’ practical desires to recreate multicultural community in Homi reapply abstract multicultural values to a local context, thereby implicitly acknowledging multiculturalism’s symbolic capital and limiting the extent of activism to Homi. Applying the symbolic capital of multiculturalism to everyday practice, in turn, makes activism meaningful and imagines a community of fellow actors, albeit to the exclusion of outsiders. Multiculturalism thereby becomes a question not primarily of coexistence, but of community-building. We also underline the role that narration of one’s own history plays in mediating between individual experience and community belonging, contributing to methodological debates about Bourdieu’s biographical method.

Вовлеченность россиян в использование информационно-коммуникационных технологий и межкультурные установки: роль моно- и межэтнических дружеских онлайн-контактов

The involvement of Russians in information and communication technologies using (IICTU) affects not only business relations and the search for information, but also friendly contacts in the online space. In this regard, it is important to understand the role of IICTU and on-line intra- and inter-ethnic friendships in the intercultural attitudes of residents of the multicultural Russian society. We conducted a socio-psychological survey in 2019–2020, the sample included 337 residents of eight regions of Russia. Using structural equation modeling and mediation analysis, we found that IICTU of Russians predicted the intensity of online intra- and inter-ethnic friendships. On-line inter-ethnic friendly contacts had a direct positive effect on the attitudes supporting multicultural ideology and social equality and a negative direct effect on the intolerance of Russians. The more intensively Russians communicate with inter-ethnic friends in the virtual space, the more significant their readiness to accept cultural diversity, social equality and tolerance. This result allows us to speak of a universal role of intercultural on-line friendships for positive intercultural attitudes. Additionally, such contacts mediated the relationship of IICTU with intercultural attitudes. Friendly intra-ethnic contacts in the network were positively associated with attitudes supporting both multicultural ideology and intolerance. We can say that the creation of networks that include representatives of only one ethnic group and intensive communication of its members can potentially contribute to the intolerance of Russians. In general, the results of the study showed the importance of developing virtual space for intercultural communication.

Adaptation and social interaction among Africans in Hong Kong: The role of assimilation and integration

AbstractPromoting cross‐cultural adaptation and social interactions among diverse cultural groups in multicultural societies has long been a focus of social and cross‐cultural psychologists. However, such research is scant in an East Asian context where acculturation and intercultural encounters are now taking place. This study examines how acculturation expectations and strategies of assimilation and integration of the host majority (Hongkongers; N = 476) and immigrant groups (Africans; N = 215) shape adaptation and social interaction in the sociocultural context of Hong Kong. The mediation roles of perceived discrimination and multicultural ideologies were tested in these relationships. The results revealed that integration strategies are linked with psychological adaptation, whereas assimilation is linked with sociocultural adaptation difficulties for the immigrant group. For the host majority group, assimilation expectations were related to increased sociocultural adaptation difficulty, while a negative relationship emerged between integration expectations and sociocultural adaptation difficulty. Additional mediation analyses demonstrated that perceived discrimination and multicultural ideologies explain a significant proportion of variance in acculturation orientations and the intention to avoid interactions with the respective cultural groups. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings for Africans and Hongkongers relationship are discussed. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

The Effect of Multicultural Attitudes and Perceived Intergroup Threat on Attitudes Towards Immigrants in Portugal: A Polynomial Regression With Response Surface Analysis.

Supported by the Intergroup Threat Theory (ITT), this study analyzes the effect of multicultural ideology on attitudes towards immigrants mediated by realistic, symbolic, and zero-sum threats. With a sample of Portuguese participants (N = 404)), polynomial regression analysis with response surface methodology was used to test the effects of multicultural attitude (MA) and perceived intergroup threat (PIT) on attitudes towards immigrants (ATI). This study also tested a model in which positive MA leads to a lower PIT, and consequently to more favorable ATI. Four hypotheses were proposed; all of which were confirmed. The results further showed that the direction of discrepancy between MA and PIT can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the complex role of multicultural ideology in predicting ATI. Findings, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Gish Jen’s Mona in the Promised Land: envisioning nation as a polycultural community

ABSTRACT This paper proposes to examine Gish Jen’s novel Mona in the Promised Land from polycultural/transcultural perspective. Polyculturalism dismisses the notion that individuals’ relationships to cultures are categorical and proposes that they are rather partial and plural; that cultural traditions are not independent, sui generis lineages but rather interacting systems is another assumption of the framework. Individuals are open to influences from multiple cultures and thereby become conduits through which cultures can affect each other. A polyculturalist rubric provides a better understanding of multiple cultural identities in literary works. Moreover, the concept brings into sharp focus how cultures are changed by contact with other cultures, enabling richer psychological theories of intercultural influence. Although polyculturalism and transculturalism provide an alternative framework to traditional paradigms, this is not to lose sight of the fact that they are extensions and improvements on colorblindness and multiculturalism. Multiculturalism has had its own history of reinventions from exclusionary multiculturalism to liberal multiracialism, critical multiracialism etc. that sought to supplement its limitations. The paper examines, with reference to Mona in the Promised Land, how different scientific paradigms about culture proffer different ideologies and policies and how polyculturalism or transculturalism with their policy of interculturalism provide a valuable complement to the traditional ideologies of colorblindness and multiculturalism.

Who benefits more from intergroup contact? Moderating roles of multicultural ideology on the relationship between intergroup contact and dehumanization of foreign residents

Who benefits more from intergroup contact? Moderating roles of multicultural ideology on the relationship between intergroup contact and dehumanization of foreign residents

Changes in Israeli Migration Policy: Causes and Stages

Migration policy has always been one of the State of Israel’s main activities. In the first years of its existence Israel undertook the “melting pot” concept in the migration matters. However, people coming from the East in the late 1940s – early 1950s had difficulties in getting adapted to their new homeland. By the 1970s it became clear that The Melting Pot concept failed and should be changed. Finally, it gave way to the multiculturalism ideology. The mass immigration from the USSR/CIS to Israel, which took place in the 1990s, led to changes not only in the original concept of the “melting pot”, but also in the whole immigration policy and, above all, in absorption programs. The author seeks to analyze the causes and stages of those changes. The author also gives heed to the fact that along with immigration, from the very first years after the creation of the state, there was an emigration process. Over the years of Israel’s existence, the position of the Israeli officials on this issue has also changed radically.

Multiculturalism in modern mass media: analysis of stereotypes

The article aims to consider multicultural discourse through the prism of media coverage. Contemporary media are characterized from the political engagement perspective, and that of its resources and media presentation of news related to multicultural issues. The study adopts a content analysis method of media resources and displays ways of presenting the information. Finally, the study tests hypotheses that explain acculturation and intercultural relations in multicultural societies. The current cultural situation is characterized by the global development of media resources, the acceleration of creating and distributing global communication tools via national and transnational media. The results showed that perceived security, intercultural contacts, adoption of a multicultural ideology, acculturation strategies, and expectations significantly impact mutual acculturation and relations of the host population, migrants, and other social categories of society. Therefore, efforts through the media to improve relations between representatives of different cultures, communities, and population segments should aim at increasing the basic sense of security and adopting a multicultural ideology. In addition, there is a need to understand the essence of tolerance, respect for ‘the other’ and recognition in multiculturalism and the role of the media in shaping ways of relating to other people and peoples.

National differentiation and imagined authenticity: The Hmong New Year in multicultural Laos and the United States

By comparing changes in New Year’s celebrations among Hmong in two diasporic communities in Laos and the U.S., this paper examines the temporal and spatial aspects of cultural authenticity in the context of different nation-states and homelands. While the Hmong community in Laos has experienced considerable reduction and impoverishment of their New Year’s over time, their co-ethnics in the United States have expanded it into an elaborate and commercialized festival. Such modifications of this cultural tradition reflect differing levels of economic development and the multicultural ideologies of these two nation-states. Because both diasporic Hmong communities realize that their New Year’s has dramatically changed from the past, neither claims to have retained the “authentic” tradition. Instead, they produce discourses about imagined authenticity which presume that a more “authentic” version of their New Year’s existed not only temporally in the past, but also continues to be spatially located in distant ethnic or natal homelands.

Validation of the Revised Multicultural Ideology Scale (MCI-r) in the UK.

As worldwide migration continues to grow, valid and reliable instruments are needed to assess the psychological processes that influence the successful management of intercultural relations in different sociopolitical contexts. In this study, we test whether the original Multicultural Ideology Scale (MCI) required a revision to remain 'fit for purpose' in the current culturally plural context of the UK (MCI-r). Specifically, six subscales are proposed to underlie the construct of a multicultural ideology: Cultural Maintenance, Equity/Inclusion, Social interaction, Essentialistic Boundaries, Extent of Differences, and Consequences of Diversity. With data from 300 UK nationals, we tested the psychometric properties of the MCI-r using various confirmatory factor analysis techniques to estimate the scale's factor structure followed by convergent and discriminant validity tests. The results indicated that a 4-factor solution (Cultural Maintenance, Equity/Inclusion, Social interaction, and Consequences of Diversity) fitted the data best. All four subscales demonstrated adequate internal consistency as well as convergent and discriminant validity. All four subscales were also negatively correlated with a right-wing political orientation, whilst especially Social Interaction and Consequences of Diversity were positively associated with intergroup contact frequency across domains (work, family and friends and/or acquaintances). Finally, UK participants with personal migratory experiences reported a stronger belief in positive consequences of multiculturalism and more support for Social Interactions between members of different ethnic groups. Overall, findings provide first insights into the applicability of the MCI-r as a reliable and valid tool for the assessment of multiculturalism within the present UK context.

Social dominance and anti‐immigrant prejudice: A cross‐national and prospective test of the mediating role of assimilation, multiculturalism, colour blindness, and interculturalism

AbstractDecades of research have shown that social dominance orientation (SDO) is one of the most important predictors of anti‐immigrant attitudes. However, the mechanisms through which SDO can explain prejudice have been studied insufficiently. Using rich and diverse samples from France and from the province of Québec in Canada, the present research provides a cross‐national (N = 1,852) and prospective (N = 534) analysis of a theoretical model in which the dimensions of SDO are indirectly predicting anti‐immigrant prejudice via the intergroup ideologies of assimilation, multiculturalism, colour blindness and interculturalism. Results showed that interculturalism, a hierarchy‐attenuating ideology was found to be a robust mechanism to explain the subtle effects of SDO‐E on anti‐immigrant prejudice whereas assimilation, a hierarchy‐enhancing ideology was playing a more important role to explain direct and blatant effects of SDO‐D on prejudice. The two most studied diversity approaches, multiculturalism and colour blindness, were largely redundant once interculturalism was considered. This pattern occurred in both France and Québec hence, favouring the context‐independent pathway.

Adult Children’s Recollections of Their White Parents’ Moral Memorable Messages about Racial Difference

ABSTRACT A new lens for exploring family socialization about racism and racial differences, the crux of the study is college students“ (N = 181) recalled moral memorable messages (MMM) from their White parents about racial outgroups. Among those who recalled a message, the most common theme was ‘Equal Treatment,’ and included subthemes consistent with both colorblind and multicultural ideologies. ‘Racism is Real and Wrong’ prescribed uncovering and working against one’s own and others” racist acts. Adult children’s message agreement and identification with the message’s sender were both significantly greater for these two themes than for the “Racial outgroups are unequal and unwelcome” theme, which included displays and prescriptions of racist behavior. Implications are discussed in relation to existent theorizing, and for use in future research on family communication about racial difference.