multiculturalism

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

both a social fact (the coexistence of multiple cultural groups within a single state) and a political philosophy and policy approach that recognises and affirms cultural diversity as legitimate and valuable, rejecting the assimilationist expectation that minority communities should abandon their distinctiveness to conform to a dominant cultural norm; as policy, multiculturalism involves the accommodation of minority cultural practices in law and public institutions, public funding for minority cultural organisations, and anti-discrimination protections; it has been influential in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, but has faced significant political backlash since the 2000s, with critics arguing it impedes integration, enables parallel communities, and fails to build the common values necessary for social cohesion