Is there a future for multiculturalism?

 

The question has been buzzing around for a while now and the think tank Theos has produced a response: Multiculturalism: a Christian Revival by Jonathan Chaplin. It is available on their website www.theosthinktank.co.uk

 

The book argues that there is not only a future for multiculturalism, but also that its future is necessary. The debate that marked the launch of the book wasn’t so convincing for the following reasons:

 

Has there ever really been a heyday for multiculturalism? What we like to think of as multicultural engagement can be interpreted as a method for suppressing religious fundamentalisms or extremism, a legal mechanism for managing our intolerances.

 

Is multiculturalism genuinely ‘multi’ or in reality is it a political tool used to manage the differences between Christianity and Islam? This means that other cultures are sidelined, ignored or sucked into an all embracing culture called ‘multiculture’.

 

Is or was multiculturalism simply the next step on a journey to understand how different groups of people learn to live together in the light of culture change and globalisation? Using the multicultural tag we can avoid having respect for others because we are conditioned to tolerate. To tolerate means to put up with, hardly a recipe for welcome and hospitality. Respect means to value others. It builds citizenship. Tolerance avoids engagement respect welcomes it.

 

Stemming from the 1960’s is multiculturalism a further expression of freewill breaking from traditionalist behaviours? It can be argued that multiculturalism has filled a gap created by the breakdown of ‘British values’. The values which it is claimed were born from a Christian-Jewish heritage are values shared across humanity.

 

So what of the future?

 

As with all philosophies and their practical outworking there are positive and negative aspects to multiculturalism. We live in a multicultural society which is ever changing and presenting new opportunities to enjoy the wealth of experience human diversity brings. Alongside that we also live with fears about difference and how we might be changed, or lose what is precious about our own identity. Multiculturalism has been used as a way of creating segregation: keeping people different so that I can stay the same. However it can be used as a way of helping me enjoy what others offer and share my own history, tradition and culture.

 

The ‘rights’ agenda brings multiculturalism under the equalities umbrella. Human rights are not the same as the energy and commitment required to ensure multiculturalism benefits all cultures. We need to be careful not to get sucked into the jargon of concepts, where power can be exploited, and where for example we can be so scared of offending our neighbour that we fail to talk with them.

 

Multiculturalism matters to faith based social action. Through the sharing of our common humanity, the different approaches we all take to meeting need, living together and managing community life we discover what it means to live in a healthy multi- cultured society. Faith based social action has an enormous part to play in making this happen at local and national level. People from all faiths and none, involved with faith based social action commit to building a future that celebrates multiculturalism.