British Home Secretary Suella Braverman jetted across the Atlantic to deliver a “keynote address”, on 26 September 2023, to a small audience of the converted at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-wing libertarian think-tank in Washington DC. Her speech referred to the “misguided dogma of multiculturalism”, immigrants who failed to integrate, and criticised an “outdated” UN Refugee Convention. As anticipated, there were mixed responses to her views, which invited enthusiastic expressions of support from those on the political right, only to be counterbalanced by the equally strong disapproval of their counterparts on the left. Ms Braverman’s views did not necessarily reflect official government policy, and contrary opinions were shortly expressed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel.
Any discussion of multiculturalism must recognise that there is no universally accepted definition for the term and that it is often used as a pretext to critique multi-ethnic immigration, even though it may also include native-born minority nations and indigenous communities. Even the word culture may mean different things to different people, referring to either a whole way of life; a body of beliefs, customs, and practices that help define peoples’ lives; or a group of cultural activities that includes art, literature, music, dance, and even culinary traditions. In public debate and in political discourse, multiculturalism has come to refer to a system to recognise and support ethnic, linguistic, religious, and cultural diversity, especially concerning migrants who happen to be people of colour or Muslims, whatever their skin colour.
Following the Second World War, labour shortages in Western Europe led to waves of planned immigration from the Caribbean, North Africa, Turkey, the Middle East, and South Asia, followed in some instances by processes of chain migration from regions in provider countries from where the bulk of new arrivals came. From the 1970s onwards, political refugees escaping despotic rule and wars added to the numbers. Immigration to Western Europe differed from proactive immigration to New World-to countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand-which were geared towards accepting new migrants. Native populations in European countries at times resented visibly different immigrants within their borders, who spoke unintelligible languages and practised unfamiliar religions, thereby unintentionally provoking racial tension and periodic outbreaks of violence.
In some receiving countries, a commitment to multiculturalism in response to diverse cultures replaced an earlier colour-blind “melting-pot” approach to immigration by which new arrivals were encouraged to assimilate within the dominant culture of the host nation, to subscribe to its laws and education system, and to engage with its other public institutions. Early attempts at multiculturalism can be traced back to the US, with such initiatives as the teaching of Spanish in elementary schools in New Mexico in 1957, and with “inclusive” revisions to school textbooks by the National Educational Association in the early 1960s. In the political sphere, multicultural policies originated in Canada in 1971, followed by Australia in 1978, and were adopted in the UK and the Netherlands from the 1980s onwards.
In recent years, multiculturalism has been considered part of the problem rather than as a means of integrating immigrants within their host countries. Multiculturalism can prove to be a divisive force if not well-managed, perpetuating the marginalisation of certain communities and promoting inner-ethnic resentment instead of uniting diverse cultures within a cohesive society. Back in 2010, German Chancellor Angela Merkel believed that multiculturalism had “failed, utterly failed”, a sentiment that was echoed later that year by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and in 2011 by British PM David Cameron. This disenchantment grew as increasingly assertive migrants expected special rights, privileges, and exemptions in public spaces and in state institutions, as part of a process of cultural accommodation under multiculturalism. For example, some Muslim communities expected freedom for their women to wear the hijab (headscarf), niqab (face veil), and burka (whole body garment) in public spaces, the option to educate their children in Islamic schools, the ready availability of halal food, dedicated prayer rooms in the workplace, and official recognition of religious holidays, Sharia law, and Islamic marriage. At the same time, such events as the Satanic Verses affair in 1990, the Gulf War of 1990-1991, and the Iraq War of 2003 radicalised some Muslims and fostered anti-state activism and terrorism.
National identity is a somewhat fluid concept that can evolve with changing circumstances, and can sometimes be enriched by the contributions of migrants. In the meantime, migrants should be encouraged to engage with public life in their host nations, even when cultural diversity is promoted within the family and the immediate local community. Migrants who become citizens of Western European liberal democracies should be expected to become proficient in the official language of communication, to uphold national legal and political institutions, and to respect the social customs and traditions of their adoptive countries. Recent attempts to integrate immigrants have led to the introduction of tests of language and citizenship in many Western European countries, while a smaller number have prohibited public displays of religious affiliation in clothing and even disallowed the construction of dedicated places of non-Christian worship.
There are no easy solutions to the concerns raised by multiculturalism. The bigger problem is the human condition, which makes it difficult for people of different ethnicities, nationalities, religions, and cultures to coexist sensibly and responsibly, under conditions of mutual toleration and respect. The debate will inevitably continue as nationalist sentiments grow stronger and increasingly dominate politics, in Western Europe and elsewhere, just as alternative options are considered in the pursuit of national unity, harmony, and prosperity.
Ashis Banerjee