We took a look at multiculturalism, the definition of which was presented as, "of multicultural". Using the definition of multicultural, provided by Kati, as a lens through which to challenge the concept of multiculturalism.
MULTICULTURAL: part of the notion of cultural diversity: seen through the lens of cultural diversity, cultures become epistemological objects, objects of knowledge that tend to be compared as pre-given contents and customs (H. Bhabha, The Location of Culture).
Our group discussed the challenge of multiculturalism as a cultural policy. Most countries have some sort of policy regarding multiculturalism, but these policies are all different, and all enacted differently. All countries allow immigration. The flow of people between countries is high, and major metropolises are host to people of all different cultural backgrounds.
To point out the differences between cultural policy within different countries, we used the image of a 'cultural mosaic' and a 'cultural melting pot'
The concept behind a 'melting pot' is that many different cultures are put into a pot (which is to represent the country in which those cultures exist, for example the USA). All of these cultures are then melted down, adding their own individual flavor to the stew, but essentially creating a product that is considered American.
A 'cultural mosaic' on the other hand operates on the same sort of principle. The country in question is the mosaic (for example Canada), and the different cultures make up each distinct piece of the mosaic. People within Canada are therefore encouraged to keep their own cultural identity, but are still considered Canadian.
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