Multiculturalism

How it is used

Used in two senses: descriptively, for a culturally diverse society, and normatively, for policies such as those Canada adopted from 1971. It has both supporters and critics in political debate, so present the different positions neutrally in academic writing.

Example sentences

1. In 1971, Canada became the first country to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy.

2. The essay compares multiculturalism and assimilation as responses to migration.

Common collocations

• policy of multiculturalism
• multicultural society
• debates on multiculturalism
• critics of multiculturalism

Related terms

• assimilationThe process by which a minority or migrant group gradually adopts the culture, language and customs of the majority society and becomes less distinct from it.
• ethnicityA shared cultural identity based on things such as common ancestry, language, religion, traditions or a sense of shared history.
• migrationThe movement of people from one place to another to live, either within a country or across national borders, for reasons such as work, family, education or safety.
• cultural relativismThe principle that a culture's beliefs and practices should be understood in their own context rather than judged by the standards of another culture.

More terms: Migration, Race and Ethnicity

• race
• minority group
• discrimination
• stereotype
• diaspora