V4 Summer School
Krakow, July 16, 2008
Multiculturalism.
Paradigmal Changes
In 21st Century.
PhDr. Michal Vašečka, PhD.
Masaryk University, Brno (www.fss.muni.cz)
Center for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture, Bratislava
(www.cvek.sk)
Structure of the Prezentation
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1. Multiculturalism as a „fuzzy“ term and its
functional usage
2. Multiculturalism as an ideology of modern
democratic society and its criticism
3. Multiculturalism and its reflexivity - nation,
ethnic group, and nationalism in modern era.
4. Multiculturalism in European context
5. Accomodation of migrants, multiculturalism and
citizenship policies in V4
6. Paradoxes of globalized era and multiculturalism
Multiculturalism as a „fuzzy“ term
and its functional usage
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Multiculturalism as a:
type of societal situation,
scientific theory,
political goal,
vision, or ideal,
set of practical and educational strategies that leads to this ideal.
Multiculturalism as an:
ideology,
concept,
principal,
discourse.
Multiculturalism as a:
value,
attitude,
problem,
challenge
Multiculturalism as a „fuzzy“ term
and its functional usage
Multiculturalism and its functions:
 To fight social inclusion
 To prevent discrimination
 To secure social cohesion of modern
societies
 To offer and secure human dignity to all
segments of society
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MULTICULTURALISM AS AN IDEOLOGY OF THE
MODERN DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY
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Multiculturalism presupposes existence of different
groups that consider themselves different, whose
members have a desire of self-expression and have an
interest in preserving differences of the group.
Multiculturalism considers each group to be equal.
Differences of existing groups are rooted inside of
societal structures.
Multiculturalism insist on relativism: no life style can be
considered as a superior over other life styles. It is
important to understand it in relations, but it cannot
go beyond a legal system and societal acceptance.
Diversity should not be only passively perceived fact, it
should be supported and included into the life of a
society.
Criticism of multiculturalism
Is multiculturalism compatible with liberaldemocratic concept of the state?
 Does multiculturalism secure civic integration?
 Multiculturalism does not distinguish between
types of minorities
 Concept of multiculturalism is primordial.
 Ethnicity as it used by multiculturalism is
quasi-scientifical category of 20-th century
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Reflexivity of multiculturalism.
Nation and nationalism in modern era.
Difficulties to define what we mean by a nation (PACE)
 Western model – Eastern model
 Kultursnation – Staatsnation (Meinecke)
 Civic – ethnic model
 Primordialism – constructivism (Gellner)
 Definition cultural and voluntaristic
 Background of national mobilization in 19. century (A. Smith)
 Nation as an imaginative community (Anderson)
 Ethnicity and social cohesion (Vertovec)
 Nation as a „core“ group of the society (Alexander)
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Multiculturalism in European context?
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Assimilationism of European nations
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Germany: Differentiated incorporation
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France: Civic - political integration aiming at
assimilation
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Britain: Hierarchical group pluralism
Recent developments in EU
Integration and Inclusion Policies
Shift from multicultural policies to individual civic
integration (case of Netherlands)
 Shift from acceptance of ethno-cultural groups to
ideological and religious groups
 Significant differences in integration policies
among EU-27 prevail
 Different approaches to the „core“ part of a nation
in EU-27 – citizenship policies as a major challenge
of EU countries
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Multiculturalism and
Nationalized Citizenship in V4
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Multiculturalism in V4?
Modern national states create a „cocktail“ of civic
and ethnic traditions
V4 countries are rather ethnically defined with
many differences in constitutional codifications of a
nation
Citizenship in V4 is a mixture of ius soli and ius
sanguini principles, but understood rather in ethnic
terms - ex-patriots policies
Lack of thinking in terms of post-national citizenship
V4 constitutional codifications
of a nation
1. Civic Codification (Czech republic)
 2. Patriotic mixture of ethnic and civic
codifications (Poland)
 3. Civic codification combined with
externally focused ethnic codification
(Hungary)
 4. Ethnic codification that defines
sovereignty of a „volk“ as a participation
and cooperation between ethnic majority
and minorities (Slovakia)
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Paradox of the globalized era and
multiculturalism
Appearance and strengthening of new and
particular identities, fragmentarization of class
identities, „imaginative community“ is facing
serious challenge
 Multiculturalism as we know it will not survive
these structural changes
 But – banal nationalism and tribal understanding
of citizenship are preventing to move toward
post-national citizenship
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Need of re-definition of national
identities
Need of transfer from ethno-cultural to legalpolitical definition
 Need of redefinition of the core solidarity based
on ethnicity to core solidarity based on modern
citizenship
 Racist Paradox as an Explanation of Recent
Problems in the Processes of Minority
Integration.
 Challenge – how to „sell“ constitutional
patriotism (Jurgen Habermas) to people who are
locked in the cage of banal nationalism?
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