Volume 24, Number 2, November 2014
Political ideologies
Does multiculturalism make
society less cohesive?
Jessica Hardy
This A2 article examines both sides of the debate on the effects of multiculturalism.
In recent years, multiculturalism has come under attack from politicians of the right such as David
Cameron and Nigel Farage as leading to a dangerous decline of community and shared values.
However, it can also be argued that, in today’s globalised world, the celebration of difference is the
key to the creation of unity. Supporters of multiculturalism argue that according respect and equal
treatment to different cultural groupings is essential to creating a cohesive society.
Segregated communities
Conservatives have argued that multiculturalism has led to different cultural groups being encouraged
to live separate lives. An often cited example is Bradford, where the white and Asian communities live
alongside but often quite separately from each other. In 2011 David Cameron controversially
connected multiculturalism to extremism, arguing that ‘We have failed to provide a vision of society to
which they feel they want to belong. We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving
in ways that run counter to our values.’ He went on to argue that there needed to be a greater sense
of British identity: ‘Everyone coming here must be ready to embrace core values.’
Conservative critics of multiculturalism argue that human beings are naturally flawed and insecure.
They feel hostility towards strangers and are drawn to others who are similar to them in appearance,
culture, religion and so on. They argue that multiculturalism will make society less cohesive as it
recognises and celebrates difference, which they see as unnatural. Conservatives argue that stable
societies are homogeneous and have developed organically over centuries. This can be damaged by
the arrival of groups who do not share the same heritage and norms. Immigrants will not identify with
the history and institutions of the state, and as a result national unity will decline.
Conservatives also argue that by treating all traditions and beliefs equally, the identity of the host
nation will be damaged and the indigenous population will feel threatened and insecure and react with
hostility. Former French president Nicholas Sarkozy attacked multiculturalism in a television interview
in 2011, arguing ‘We have been too concerned about the identity of the person who was arriving and
not enough about the identity of the country that was receiving him.'
Nigel Farage has gone further in attacking multiculturalism. ‘In scores of our cities and market towns,
this country in a short space of time has frankly become unrecognisable,’ Farage told his party
conference in 2014. ‘Whether it is the impact on local schools and hospitals, whether it is the fact in
many parts of England you don’t hear English spoken any more. This is not the kind of community we
want to leave to our children and grandchildren.’ Farage has been accused of xenophobia as a result
of this speech and others.
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Coexistence
However, Richard Kelly and Robert Crowcroft argue in an article in Retrieving the Big Society (edited
by Jason Edwards; Wiley Blackwell, 2012) that it is possible for conservatism and multiculturalism to
coexist. They argue that during the 2011 riots, ethnic minority communities such as the Sikh
community in Southall were very effective in defending law and order and supporting the police, and
that such tight-knit groups could play an important part in Cameron’s ‘Big Society’.
Economist and philosopher Amartya Sen has argued that ‘The positive phase of multicultural
integration in Britain has been followed by a phase of separatism and confusion.’ While he is certainly
not a conservative critic of multiculturalism, he argues that in recent years successive UK
governments have linked multiculturalism too closely to religious identity (rather than other forms of
identity) and this has led to divisions in society. Government support for faith schools is cited as an
example. He argues that multiculturalism must (and can) be about integration and not separation.
Diversity and tolerance
The celebration of diversity is at the heart of multiculturalism. Supporters of multiculturalism such as
Ken Livingstone argue that it has great benefits to both the individual and society as a whole. The
recognition of the specific needs of particular cultural groups is seen as the key to a successful
society. The individual can only participate fully in society as a citizen if they feel rooted and secure in
their own identity. If their identity is undervalued, lacks cultural recognition or is seen as inferior to that
of the ‘host’ nation, the result will be extremism, isolation, ghettoisation and prejudice. The aim of
multiculturalism is to provide a sense of equality, that no culture is superior to another.
Liberal multiculturalists argue that there is a division between private and public life. In the private
sphere of the home, you are able to express and explore your cultural identity. In the public world of
the citizen, you must share the values of the state. This could include, for example, speaking English
and supporting democracy and the rule of law. This interpretation of multiculturalism sees no clash
between ideas of a cohesive society and the celebration of difference.
Supporters of multiculturalism argue that it encourages tolerance and understanding. They cite the
poor levels of support for UKIP in London (consider the May 2014 elections). One recent study
showed that living in a diverse neighbourhood reduces rather than increases prejudice. This study
discusses the idea of ‘passive tolerance’. This is the idea that ‘simply living in an area of high diversity
rubs off on you, making you more tolerant of ethnic diversity’ (see this Guardian article).
Professor Tariq Modood has argued that studies show that all ethnic minorities want to live in mixed
neighbourhoods and ethnic minorities are more likely to describe themselves as British than white
people. He sees multiculturalism as ‘about creating a new, ongoing “We” out of all the little, mediumsized and large platoons that make up the country’.
International case studies
Attitudes to multiculturalism in France are an interesting contrast to those in the UK. Assimilation and
integration of immigrants is stressed along with the use of the French language. Citizens are
encouraged to see themselves as French citizens first while other aspects of their identity must come
second. For example, there is a ban on wearing a headscarf to school and in any public place. This
ban is linked to the strong tradition of secularism in France. Nicholas Sarkozy argued that ‘If you come
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to France, you accept to melt into a single community, which is the national community, and if you do
not want to accept that, you cannot be welcome in France.’
Canada is often seen as the home of multiculturalism. Relationships between different groups in
Canada have remained peaceful, and there has been far less of the tension found in parts of Europe.
Canadian multicultural policy developed as a way of recognising the two distinct language groups in
Canada: the French speakers of Quebec and the English speakers of the rest of Canada.
Multiculturalism was seen as the ideal way of reducing tensions by promoting the idea that all people
should have the right to their heritage.
Looking ahead
In recent weeks there has been increasing concern about young Muslims going to fight for Islamic
State in Syria and Iraq. Critics will argue that extremist ideas have been allowed to flourish in the UK,
and that multiculturalism is partly responsible for this. With the rise of UKIP and the general election
next year, the debate over whether multiculturalism damages social cohesion will no doubt continue.
Learn more
Read more about multiculturalism in the UK:

www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/kenlivingstonetodefendmulticulturalismistodefe
ndliberty426123.html

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10931854/Multiculturalisminreverseasteenage
rsbuckthetrendtowardsintegration.html
You could also investigate other multicultural nations such as these:

India

the Philippines

Australia

the USA

Germany
Jessica Hardy is head of politics at St Francis Xavier College.
This resource is part of POLITICS REVIEW, a magazine written for A-level students by subject experts.
To subscribe to the full magazine go to www.hoddereducation.co.uk/politicsreview
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