Multiculturalism
Michael H. Prosser
Is an appreciation of diversity, which may range beyond ethnic or racial identities to diverse lifestyles or health challenged individuals; openness and acceptance of alternative lifestyles; people of different backgrounds living constructively together, cooperating, and getting things done together; and cultures sharing power. Cultural power sharing promotes ideal multiculturalism as the opposite of such negative ‘‘isms’’ like racism, ethnocentrism, sexism, and xenophobism, which stress the fragmented relationship of negative prejudice and power, and racial, cultural, sexual, and domestic/foreign imbalances.
Within larger groupings of society, ideal multiculturalists consist of people in multicultural organizations genuinely committed to a diverse representation of their membership; sensitive to maintaining open, supportive, and responsive environments; working toward and purposefully including elements of diverse cultures in their ongoing operations; and authentic in their responses to issues confronting them with equal power sharing as a primary goal. Gudykunst and Kim identify a model for multi cultural human development: ‘‘If strangers successfully overcome the multitude of challenges and frustrations that invariably accompany the process of cultural adaptation, they develop a mental and behavioral capacity more adaptable, flexible, and resilient than that of people who have limited exposure to the challenges of continuous intercultural encounters’’ (Gudykunst and Kim, 1992: 253).
Multiculturalists are uniquely a heritage of the late twentieth century, shaped as much by intercultural and international travel and ex change, computers, Internets, and satellites as by their own personality traits. Peter Adler notes that these new people cannot be defined by the languages they speak, though they are more and more likely to be bilingual or multi lingual, nor by their professions, places of residence, or cognitive sophistication. Instead, they are recognized by their developing inclusive outlooks and worldviews, by how they see the universe as a dynamically moving process, by their reflection on the interconnectedness of life and their cultural ecology in their own thoughts and actions, and by how they remain open to new experiences. Adler suggests that the universal character of multicultural persons is an abiding commitment to essential similarities between people everywhere, while paradoxically maintaining an equally strong commitment to their differences. He stresses their psychocultural adaptiveness, always undergoing personal transitions; maintaining indefinite self boundaries; and continuously living in a state of creative tension (cited in Prosser, 1989: 70–3). Thus, the ideal multicultural society serves as a symbol of acceptance and protection for all, including those who least have power.
Multicultural persons often find themselves working in multinational organizations with a dominant home country or cultural base where the major organizational decisions are made, or in international organizations where power is shared more evenly among cultural groups. Geert Hofstede suggests that since power sharing is an important ingredient of effective multicultural relationships, there are common challenges in managing multicultural, multi national, or international organizations. These include the necessity to create their own strong and unique subcultures, especially with considerable cultural diversity in the organizations themselves; choosing partner cultures very carefully, while deciding how much power and decision making is to be shared; organizing international headquarters sensitively with organizational rewards facing outwards rather than inwards to the center; forming well con structed international teams, for example, with members who themselves have the potential of exemplifying ideal multicultural characteristics; and deciding whether to accept or try to change local cultural habits in host countries and cultures which affect the constructive aspects of the organizations (Hofstede, 1984: 273–6).
Contemporary ethical issues for multicultural persons and multinational and international organizations are significant. Among the strongest cross cultural sets of ethics developed since World War II has been the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with officially accepted principles by all nations joining the United Nations, but honored often only in the breach. Because ethical principles typically are culture specific, multiculturalists tend to form their ethical perspectives either from the viewpoint of their own cultures, or seek to accommodate the opposite culture’s ethical precepts. Dean Barnlund states that current ethical questions which influence intercultural/ multicultural encounters are entirely new, and call for a metaethic to be used by people from different cultures when ethical dilemmas arise (cited in Gudykunst and Kim, 1992: 264–5). Such a metaethic remains still only an outline.
Gudykunst and Kim stress that the final goal of all multicultural persons is to build community, for the good of the whole, with a full recognition of cultural diversity, and initiated both by societies and individuals, whether at a domestic or international level. To this end, these authors recommend those seeking truly multicultural lives to attempt to live their own lives by following seven community building principles: be committed, be mindful, be unconditionally accepting, be concerned for themselves and others, be understanding, be ethical, and be peaceful (Gudykunst and Kim, 1992: 267–8). The end goal of the ideal multicultural person would seem to aspire toward becoming a ‘‘citizen of the world,’’ acknowledging with Socrates that ‘‘I am neither a citizen of Athens, nor of Greece, but of the world.’’
Bibliography
Gudykunst, W. B. and Kim, Y. Y. (1992). Communicating with Strangers: An Approach to Intercultural Communication, 2nd edn. New York: McGraw Hill.
Hofstede, G. (1984). Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work Related Values, abridged edn. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Prosser, M. H. (1989). The Cultural Dialogue: An Introduction to Intercultural Communication. Washington, DC: SIETAR International.
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