Multiculturalism and Literature
Multiculturalism and literature intersect in significant ways, reflecting the diverse cultural identities that exist within societies. The concept of multiculturalism challenges the traditional "melting pot" theory, which suggested that different cultures should merge into a single, homogeneous identity. Instead, multiculturalism celebrates the preservation of distinct cultural differences, allowing each group to maintain its unique heritage while contributing to a richer societal tapestry. This perspective is particularly evident in the literary works of marginalized voices, such as African American and American Indian writers, who critique the homogenizing tendencies of the melting pot ideology.
In multicultural societies, like the United States and Canada, literature serves as a means of expressing varied cultural experiences and fostering appreciation for diversity. Multiculturalism encourages positive interactions among different groups, promoting inclusivity and respect for all cultural identities. Despite its many advocates, multiculturalism is not universally embraced; some groups call for a singular national culture, leading to ongoing debates about identity and belonging. Literature plays a crucial role in these discussions, as it captures the complexities of multicultural dynamics and highlights the importance of understanding and valuing cultural differences. Overall, multiculturalism in literature acts as both a reflection and catalyst for broader societal conversations about diversity, identity, and community.
Subject Terms
Multiculturalism and Literature
Overview
Sociologists first used the phrase “the melting pot” to describe the inclusion of many cultures in one homogeneous group. The melting pot theory, however, was soon challenged as incorrect as a description and as biased in its intent. Various groups decided that they wanted to maintain, rather than diminish, their cultural distinctions. African American and American Indian writers in the 1960s and after especially rejected the idea that the United States and Canada were or should be melting-pot societies. Their rejection was reinforced by immigrants or children of immigrants in the 1980s and 1990s who produced literature that is critical of the theory. A major objection is that melting implies the merging of cultures and the loss of differences. Another objection is that the melting pot’s idea of merging into one culture does not allow for the creation of new social systems to which all contribute. Instead, the melting-pot model continues the dominance of white, Anglo culture over smaller cultural groups, thus submerging differences. In the cases of distinct cultural groups and immigrant communities, merging into one culture means the loss of one’s unique history, heritage, and cultural products.
A response to this concern has been pluralism. Pluralism is descriptive of differences but does not necessarily connote anything positive in difference. The word “multiculturalism” is often used by scholars and popular writers to indicate that a variety of cultures that maintain their differences within a social group is functional for the total group. More specifically, the maintaining of this variety is perceived as a counteraction to melting, merging, or dominance. Multiculturalism is considered a means by which differences can be appreciated, with each distinct culture contributing toward the whole. The concept of multiculturalism is adverse to the notion of a melting pot, and it is more positive about difference than pluralism. Multiculturalism values diverse identities of peoples and presumes the possibility that diverse groups can interact positively.
The United States and Canada are largely examples of multicultural societies. The two countries’ multicultural status is explained in general literature such as Vincent Parrillo’s Diversity in America (1996) and Stephen Castles and Mark Miller’s The Age of Migration (1993). Neither country is unique in being multicultural. Nations such as Israel or Brazil or Jamaica all acknowledge how different cultural groups within them can be positive for the larger societies. American culture is dispersed globally, and with that dispersal there is recognition of the value of varieties of social groups, each with their own cultures, offering alternative cultural products within the same social order. Multiculturalism and its practical effects are the consequence of categories besides ethnicity. Multiculturalism allows for difference among such groups as age groups, sexual preference groups, class and economic stations, religious orientations, professional and work obligations, and educational statuses. Each group may develop a culture that offers unique values, lifestyles, and artifacts (material products). As Roosevelt Thomas argues in his book Beyond Race and Gender (1991), multiculturalism cannot be limited to the cultures that are produced by groups with different historical and geographical backgrounds.
Multiculturalism as a Positive Value
Some groups in the United States and Canada do not value multiculturalism: Their ideologies promote the alternative of one unified culture as the only means toward empowerment. All external groups are considered alien to their values. Thus the controversy of whether a melting-pot model or a multicultural model is better for the health of a nation is extended to groups. Within groups the value of the multicultural model is debated. African Americans, for example, are faced with competing ideologies of integration and of separatism. In Canada, the province of Quebec has attempted to continue its French Canadian heritage, language, religion, and values partly through restricting the use of the other major language of the country, English, and partly through demanding that Quebec have a special political status within Canada. In Canada and the United States, American Indian groups have sometimes rejected multiculturalism, especially through legal claims to ownership of lands that were taken by white settlers and national governments. Multiculturalism in North America, therefore, is one interpretation of the larger societies’ cultural pluralism, but is not necessarily valued by parts of the populations of those societies.
In the book Valuing Diversity: New Tools for a New Reality (1995), authors Lewis Griggs and Lente-Louise Louw argue that there are very practical reasons for encouraging multicultural attitudes when pluralism is present. These include resolving conflicts in organizations as participants learn to appreciate cultural differences, the development of leadership that is open toward the varieties of persons and cultures present in groups and organizations led, the provision of a group environment that promotes sensitivity toward differences and results in better functionality, an acknowledgement of the reality of pluralisms through encouraging specific learning about what is different from each group participant’s own culture, and the strengthening or empowering of groups and organizations by showing members the value of their diversity. Such policies allow each participant to feel positive about contributing from his or her cultural perspective.
Voices of Diversity (1994), by Sandra Slipp and Renee Blank, shows how a group’s multicultural attitudes can positively affect specific life areas such as the workplace. Multiculturalism, therefore, is not only a theoretical perspective for scholars as they interpret groups and societies. Multiculturalism is a very practical attitude and approach that is encouraged by many economic, social, and political leaders seeking to increase the functionality of businesses, educational, social, and governmental groups.
As the culture of the United States has continued to grow into the twenty-first century, texts continue to focus on the concepts of cultural diversity and multiculturalism. Jack David Eller's Culture and Diversity in the United States (2015) gives a broad overview that includes discussions of race, class, and ethnicity, among other topics. The book specifically discusses concepts such as multiculturalism and pluralism to provide a comprehensive awareness of the diverse cultural makeup of the United States. Additionally, young-adult and children's literature have increasingly sought to illustrate the importance of multiculturalism from a young age.
Bibliography
Burkey, Richard. Ethnic and Racial Groups: The Dynamics of Dominance. Benjamin Cummings, 1978.
Eller, Jack David. Culture and Diversity in the United States. Routledge, 2015.
Epstein, B. J. "Why Children's Books That Teach Diversity Are More Important Than Ever." The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2017, theconversation.com/why-childrens-books-that-teach-diversity-are-more-important-than-ever-72146. Accessed 24 Sept. 2019.
Henderson, Mae. Borders, Boundaries, and Frames. Routledge, 1995.
Hollinger, David. Postethnic America. Basic Books, 1995.
Leach, Joy. A Practical Guide to Working with Diversity. AMACOM, 1995.
Slipp, Sandra, and Renee Blank. Voices of Diversity. AMACOM, 1994.