This document discusses the concepts of diversity, multiculturalism, and collective identity. It defines diversity as differences between people in areas like race, gender, religion, etc. Multiculturalism goes deeper by focusing on inclusion, understanding, and respecting unequal power structures in society. Collective identity refers to a sense of belonging within a group and conforming to its norms and expectations. The document explores how collective identity can shape an individual both positively, as seen in Auden's poem about an ideal citizen, and negatively if it restricts independent thought. Overall it examines how diversity, multiculturalism, and collective identities influence workplaces and societies.

1. CHALLENGING OLD
CONCEPTION OF
CITIZENSHIP

2. DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURALISM
• MANY PEOPLE USE THE
TERMS DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURALISM INTERCHANGEABLY, WHEN IN FACT,
THERE ARE MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO.
• DIVERSITY IS DEFINED AS THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PEOPLE. THESE DIFFERENCES
CAN INCLUDE RACE, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, RELIGION, BACKGROUND,
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AND MUCH MORE.
• DIVERSITY, WHEN TALKING ABOUT IT FROM THE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
(HRM) PERSPECTIVE, TENDS TO FOCUS MORE ON A SET OF POLICIES TO MEET
COMPLIANCE STANDARDS.

3. • MULTICULTURALISM GOES DEEPER THAN DIVERSITY BY
FOCUSING ON INCLUSIVENESS, UNDERSTANDING, AND
RESPECT, AND ALSO BY LOOKING AT UNEQUAL POWER IN
SOCIETY. IN A REPORT CALLED “THE 2007 STATE OF
WORKPLACE DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT REPORT1,” MOST
HR MANAGERS SAID THAT DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
IS
• NOT WELL DEFINED OR UNDERSTOOD AT WORK,
• FOCUSES TOO MUCH ON COMPLIANCE, AND
• PLACES TOO MUCH EMPHASIS ON GENDER AND ETHNICITY

4. THE ADVANTAGES OF A DIVERSE WORKPLACE
AND MULTICULTURALISM AT WORK AND THE
COMPLIANCE ASPECT OF DIVERSITY.
• POWER AND PRIVILEGE
• DIVERSITY FOCUSES ON THE “OTHERNESS” OR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS
AND HAS A GOAL OF MAKING SURE, THROUGH POLICIES, THAT EVERYONE IS
TREATED THE SAME.
• WHILE THIS IS THE LEGAL AND THE RIGHT THING TO DO, MULTICULTURALISM LOOKS
AT A SYSTEM OF ADVANTAGES BASED ON RACE, GENDER, AND SEXUAL
ORIENTATION CALLED POWER AND PRIVILEGE.
• IN THIS SYSTEM, THE ADVANTAGES ARE BASED ON A SYSTEM IN WHICH ONE RACE,
GENDER, AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION IS PREDOMINANT IN SETTING SOCIETAL RULES
AND NORMS.

5. • THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT POWER AND PRIVILEGE IS THAT IF YOU HAVE IT,
YOU MAY NOT INITIALLY RECOGNIZE IT, WHICH IS WHY WE CAN CALL IT
INVISIBLE PRIVILEGE

6. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES:
RACE PRIVILEGE
• LET’S SAY YOU (A CAUCASIAN) AND YOUR FRIEND (AN AFRICAN AMERICAN) ARE
HAVING DINNER TOGETHER, AND WHEN THE BILL COMES, THE SERVER GIVES
THE CHECK TO YOU. WHILE THIS MAY NOT SEEM LIKE A BIG ISSUE, IT ASSUMES
YOU (BEING CAUCASIAN) ARE THE PERSON PAYING FOR THE MEAL. THIS TYPE OF
INVISIBLE PRIVILEGE MAY NOT SEEM TO MATTER IF YOU HAVE THAT PRIVILEGE,
BUT IF YOU DON’T, IT CAN BE INFURIATING.

7. SOCIAL CLASS PRIVILEGE.
• WHEN HURRICANE KATRINA HIT NEW ORLEANS IN 2005, MANY PEOPLE FROM
OUTSIDE THE STORM AREA WONDERED WHY SO MANY PEOPLE STAYED IN THE
CITY, NOT EVEN THINKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT SOME PEOPLE COULDN’T
AFFORD THE GAS TO PUT IN THEIR CAR TO LEAVE THE CITY

8. GENDER PRIVILEGE.
• THIS REFERS TO PRIVILEGES ONE GENDER HAS OVER ANOTHER—FOR EXAMPLE,
THE ASSUMPTION THAT A FEMALE WILL CHANGE HER NAME TO HER HUSBAND’S
WHEN THEY GET MARRIED.

9. SEXUAL ORIENTATION PRIVILEGE.
• IF I AM HETEROSEXUAL, I CAN PUT A PICTURE OF MY PARTNER ON MY DESK
WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK. I CAN TALK ABOUT OUR
VACATIONS TOGETHER OR EXPERIENCES WE’VE HAD WITHOUT WORRYING WHAT
SOMEONE MIGHT THINK ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP. THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR
MANY GAY, LESBIAN, AND TRANSGENDERED PEOPLE AND THEIR PARTNERS.

10. • OFTENTIMES THE PRIVILEGE WE HAVE IS CONSIDERED INVISIBLE, BECAUSE IT CAN
BE HARD TO RECOGNIZE ONE’S OWN PRIVILEGE BASED ON RACE, GENDER, OR
SOCIAL CLASS.
• MANY PEOPLE UTILIZE THE COLOR-BLIND APPROACH, WHICH SAYS, “I TREAT
EVERYONE THE SAME” OR “I DON’T SEE PEOPLE’S SKIN COLOR.”
• IN THIS CASE, THE PERSON IS SHOWING INVISIBLE PRIVILEGE AND THUS
IGNORING THE PRIVILEGES HE OR SHE RECEIVES BECAUSE OF RACE, GENDER, OR
SOCIAL CLASS.
• WHILE IT APPEARS THIS APPROACH WOULD VALUE ALL PEOPLE EQUALLY, IT
DOESN’T, BECAUSE PEOPLE’S DIFFERENT NEEDS, ASSETS, AND PERSPECTIVES ARE
DISREGARDED BY NOT ACKNOWLEDGING DIFFERENCES

11. • ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT OF POWER AND PRIVILEGE IS THE FACT THAT WE
MAY HAVE PRIVILEGE IN ONE AREA AND NOT ANOTHER.
• FOR EXAMPLE, I AM A CAUCASIAN FEMALE, WHICH CERTAINLY GIVES ME RACE
PRIVILEGE BUT NOT GENDER PRIVILEGE. IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE IS THAT THE
IDEA OF POWER AND PRIVILEGE IS NOT ABOUT “WHITE MALE BASHING” BUT
UNDERSTANDING OUR OWN STEREOTYPES AND SYSTEMS OF ADVANTAGE SO WE
CAN BE MORE INCLUSIVE WITH OUR COWORKERS, EMPLOYEES, AND MANAGERS.

12. • WHAT DOES IT MEAN? IT MEANS WE CAN COMBINE THE UNDERSTANDING OF
CERTAIN SYSTEMS THAT ALLOW FOR POWER AND PRIVILEGE, AND BY
UNDERSTANDING WE MAY BE ABLE TO ELIMINATE OR AT LEAST MINIMIZE THESE
ISSUES.
• BESIDES THIS, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS WE CAN DO FOR OUR ORGANIZATIONS
IS TO HAVE A DIVERSE WORKFORCE, WITH PEOPLE FROM A VARIETY OF
PERSPECTIVES.
• THIS DIVERSITY LEADS TO PROFITABILITY AND THE ABILITY TO BETTER SERVE
CUSTOMERS.

13. • WHEN MANY PEOPLE LOOK AT DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURALISM, THEY THINK
THAT SOMEONE’S GENDER, SKIN COLOR, OR SOCIAL CLASS SHOULDN’T MATTER.
SO DIVERSITY CAN HELP US WITH POLICIES TO PREVENT DISCRIMINATION, WHILE
• MULTICULTURALISM CAN HELP US GAIN A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PEOPLE.
• HOPEFULLY, OVER TIME, RATHER THAN LOOK AT DIVERSITY AS ATTAINING
NUMERICAL GOALS OR COMPLYING WITH THE LAW, WE CAN COMBINE THE
CONCEPTS TO CREATE BETTER WORKPLACES.
• ALTHOUGH MANY BOOKS DISCUSS LAWS RELATING TO DIVERSITY, NOT MANY
ACTUALLY DESCRIBE WHY DIVERSITY IS NECESSARY IN THE WORKPLACE

14. HERE ARE A FEW MAIN REASONS:
• IT IS THE LAW.
• WE CAN BETTER SERVE CUSTOMERS BY OFFERING A BROADER RANGE OF
SERVICES, SUCH AS BEING ABLE TO SPEAK A VARIETY OF LANGUAGES AND
UNDERSTANDING OTHER CULTURES.
• WE CAN BETTER COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER (SAVING TIME AND
MONEY) AND CUSTOMERS.
• WITH A MULTICULTURAL PERSPECTIVE, WE CAN CREATE BETTER IDEAS AND
SOLUTIONS.

15. • PROMOTING A MULTICULTURAL WORK ENVIRONMENT ISN’T JUST THE LAW.
THROUGH A DIVERSE WORK ENVIRONMENT AND MULTICULTURAL
UNDERSTANDING, ORGANIZATIONS CAN ATTAIN GREATER PROFITABILITY
• A STUDY BY CEDRIC HERRING CALLED DOES DIVERSITY PAY? (HERRING,
2006) REVEALS THAT DIVERSITY DOES, IN FACT, PAY.
• THE STUDY FOUND THOSE BUSINESSES WITH GREATER RACIAL DIVERSITY
REPORTER HIGHER SALES REVENUES, MORE CUSTOMERS, LARGER MARKET
SHARES, AND GREATER RELATIVE PROFITS THAN THOSE WITH MORE
HOMOGENEOUS WORKFORCES.

16. • OTHER RESEARCH ON THE TOPIC BY SCOTT PAGE, THE AUTHOR OF THE
DIFFERENCE: HOW THE POWER OF DIVERSITY CREATES BETTER GROUPS, FIRMS,
SCHOOLS, AND SOCIETIES (PAGE, 2007) ENDED UP WITH SIMILAR RESULTS.
• PAGE FOUND THAT PEOPLE FROM VARIED BACKGROUNDS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE
AT WORKING TOGETHER THAN THOSE WHO ARE FROM SIMILAR BACKGROUNDS,
BECAUSE THEY OFFER DIFFERENT APPROACHES AND PERSPECTIVES IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SOLUTIONS.

17. • OFTEN PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT DIVERSITY IS ABOUT CHECKING A BOX OR ONLY
PROVIDING WINDOW DRESSING TO GAIN MORE CUSTOMERS, BUT THIS ISN’T THE
CASE.
• AS PUT BY ERIC FOSS, CHAIRPERSON AND CEO OF PEPSI BEVERAGES COMPANY,
“IT’S NOT A FAD. IT’S NOT AN IDEA OF THE MONTH. IT’S CENTRAL AND IT’S
LINKED VERY DIRECTLY TO BUSINESS STRATEGY” (HOLSTEIN, 2009).

18. • A STUDY BY THE LATE ROY ADLER OF PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY SHOWS SIMILAR
RESULTS. HIS 19-YEAR STUDY OF 215 FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES SHOWS A STRONG
CORRELATION BETWEEN FEMALE EXECUTIVES AND HIGH PROFITABILITY (ADLER).
• ANOTHER STUDY, CONDUCTED BY PROJECT EQUALITY, FOUND THAT COMPANIES
THAT RATED LOW ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ISSUES EARNED 7.9 PERCENT PROFIT,
WHILE THOSE WHO RATED HIGHEST WITH MORE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES RESULTED IN
18.3 PERCENT PROFIT (LAUBER, 2011).
• THESE NUMBERS SHOW THAT DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURALISM CERTAINLY IS
NOT A FAD, BUT A WAY OF DOING BUSINESS THAT BETTER SERVES CUSTOMERS AND
RESULTS IN HIGHER PROFITS.

19. • AS MANAGERS, WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THIS AND DEVELOP POLICIES THAT
RECOGNIZE NOT ONLY THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY BUT THE IMPORTANCE
OF NURTURING MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING IN THE WORKPLACE.
• MANY EMPLOYEES, HOWEVER, MAY BE RESISTANT TO A DISCUSSION ON
DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURALISM. MUCH OF THIS MAY HAVE TO DO WITH
THEIR OWN POWER AND PRIVILEGE, BUT SOME RESISTANCE MAY BE RELATED TO
THE DISCOMFORT PEOPLE MAY FEEL WHEN FACED WITH THE REALIZATION THAT
CHANGE IS A NECESSITY AND THE CULTURAL MAKEUP OF THE WORKPLACE IS
CHANGING.
• SOME PEOPLE MAY FEEL “WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY” AND ARE LESS
WILLING TO CHANGE TO THE NEW WAYS OF DOING THINGS.

20. • PERHAPS ONE OF THE BEST DIVERSITY STATEMENTS BY A FORTUNE 500
COMPANY WAS MADE BY JOSE MANUEL SOUTO, THE CFO FOR VISA IN LATIN
AMERICA.
• HE SAYS, “A DIVERSE WORKFORCE IS CRITICAL TO PROVIDING THE BEST SERVICE
TO OUR GLOBAL CLIENTS, SUPPORTING OUR BUSINESS INITIATIVES, AND
CREATING A WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT THAT PROMOTES RESPECT AND
FAIRNESS.”

21. COLLECTIVE IDENTITY
• COLLECTIVE IDENTITY REFERS TO THE SENSE OF BELONGING AMONG
INDIVIDUALS IN A GROUP. EVERYONE BELONGS TO A GROUP AND HE ADAPTS
HIMSELF AND IS SUBJECTED TO ITS CULTURE AND NORMS.
• THIS SENSE OF BELONGING IS CRUCIAL IN THAT ONE’S MEMBERSHIP PROVIDES
FOR HIM HIS IDENTITY, AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN SURVIVAL. W.H. AUDEN’S
POEM THE UNKNOWN CITIZEN AND BESSIE HEAD’S SHORT STORY THE DEEP
RIVER EXPLORE HOW COLLECTIVE IDENTITY COULD AFFECT THE INDIVIDUAL, IN
BOTH GOOD AND BAD WAYS

22. • IN AUDEN’S POEM, COLLECTIVE IDENTITY IS DEFINED BY EXPECTATIONS SET BY
THE COMMUNITY AND WHICH MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW.
• THE POEM PRAISES AN UNKNOWN CITIZEN FOR CONFORMING TO THESE
EXPECTATIONS.
• HE IS ONE “WHOM THERE WAS NO OFFICIAL COMPLAINT/ AND ALL THE REPORTS
ON HIS CONDUCT AGREE/ THAT, IN THE MODERN SENSE OF AN OLD-
FASHIONED WORD, HE WAS A SAINT.”

23. • THE SOCIETY, CALLED THE “GREATER COMMUNITY”, BY WHICH THE UNKNOWN
CITIZEN LIVED IN, DICTATED HIS ACTIONS. HE WORKED IN A FACTORY UNTIL
RETIREMENT.
• HE WAS A UNION MEMBER AND “PAID HIS DUES.” HE WENT OUT TO DRINKS WITH
FRIENDS, BOUGHT THE PAPER EVERYDAY, HAD INSURANCE POLICIES AND A
HEALTH CARD, AND PAID IN INSTALLMENT BASIS.
• HE OWNED HOME APPLIANCES THAT WERE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE’S.
• EVEN HIS REACTIONS TO ADVERTISEMENTS AND OPINIONS TO ISSUES WERE
THAT OF THE MAJORITY, ALSO KNOWN AS “PROPER OPINIONS”.

24. • THE UNKNOWN CITIZEN’S DAILY HABITS ARE COMMON, AVERAGE AND
EXPECTED.
• IN WARTIME YEARS, WHEN IT IS CONSIDERED THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY
CITIZEN TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE SENSE OF OTHER CONCEPTS THAT HIS
SOCIETY INVENTED (DEMOCRACY AND PATRIOTISM) THE UNKNOWN CITIZEN
JOINED THE ARMY.
• FINALLY, HE WAS “MARRIED AND ADDED FIVE CHILDREN TO THE POPULATION.”

25. • MOST OFTEN, THE COLLECTIVE IDENTITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL DEFINES HIS
PERSONALITY, BELIEFS AND VALUE SYSTEMS.
• HE GOES THROUGH LIFE WITH A SET OF GUIDELINES AS TO HOW TO FULFILL THE
SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS OF THE GROUP AND HOW TO FACE EVERY SITUATION
AND DECIDE ON EVERY PROBLEM THAT ARISES.
• HOWEVER, SOMETIMES THE USUALLY CONSISTENT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
INDIVIDUAL AND HIS SENSE OF COLLECTIVE IDENTITY IS CHALLENGED BY
UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES.

26. • IN SEBEMBELE’S STORY, FOR EXAMPLE, HE FALLS IN LOVE WITH HIS FATHER’S
WIFE AND EVEN BEARS A CHILD WITH HER.
• THE CONFLICT IN SITUATIONS LIKE THESE IS ON WHETHER TO FOLLOW ONE’S
CONSCIENCE AND NOT TO DISRUPT THE COLLECTIVE IDENTITY OF THE GROUP
OR TO FOLLOW ANOTHER VOICE WHICH TELLS THE INDIVIDUAL TO BE
COURAGEOUS, FOLLOW HIS HEART, AND OPT FOR A CHANGE EVEN IF IT WOULD
CAUSE THE DISAPPROVAL OF OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COLLECTIVE GROUP

27. • THIS CHALLENGE USUALLY PRESENTS ITSELF WHEN STRONG FEELINGS GOVERN
THE INDIVIDUAL AND WHAT IS AT STAKE WITH THE DECISION CONSIDERED
“WRONG” BY THE COMMUNITY IS PERSONAL HAPPINESS.
• THE FINAL LINES OF AUDEN’S POEM ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN
REFERENCE TO THE UNKNOWN CITIZEN: “WAS HE FREE? WAS HE HAPPY?” IT
SHOULD NOT MATTER, ACCORDING TO THE POEM.

28. • COLLECTIVE IDENTITY DO BECOME A BURDEN WHEN IT COMES TO PERSONAL
FREEDOM AND HAPPINESS, SUPPOSEDLY BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS EVERY ONE ARE
ENTITLED TO ENJOY IN LIFE. AUDEN DOES NOT GIVE A CLUE AS TO WHETHER THE
UNKNOWN CITIZEN WAS HAPPY WITH HIS LIFE OR NOT AND WHETHER HE FELT HE
WAS FREE OR DICTATED UPON BY THE EXPECTATIONS OF HIS GROUP.
• WHEN THE POET ANSWERS THESE QUESTIONS BY SAYING “THE QUESTION IS
ABSURD”, HOWEVER, ONE CANNOT HELP BUT NOTICE THAT THERE IS A NOTE OF
IRONY IN THE LINES.
• IN THE CULTURAL IDENTITY OF THE PEOPLE AND THIS CHANGE WOULD EVENTUALLY
LEAD TO THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR THE MONEMAPEES. PLACING
IMPORTANCE TO THE COLLECTIVE IDENTITY OF ONE’S SOCIAL GROUP IS GOOD
WHEN THE AIM IS TO KEEP THE BALANCE AND HARMONY WITHIN THE GROUP BUT IT
BECOMES A NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTE WHEN IT ENCUMBERS THE FREEDOM AND
HAPPINESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBER.

29. MULTICUTURAL DIVERSITY
• THE TWO PRIMARY THEORIES OR MODELS OF MULTICULTURALISM
AS THE MANNER IN WHICH DIFFERENT CULTURES ARE INTEGRATED
INTO A SINGLE SOCIETY ARE BEST DEFINED BY THE METAPHORS
COMMONLY USED TO DESCRIBE THEM—
• THE “MELTING POT” AND
• THE “SALAD BOWL” THEORIES.

30. THE MELTING POT THEORY
• THE MELTING POT THEORY OF MULTICULTURALISM ASSUMES THAT VARIOUS IMMIGRANT
GROUPS WILL TEND TO “MELT TOGETHER,” ABANDONING THEIR INDIVIDUAL CULTURES AND
EVENTUALLY BECOMING FULLY ASSIMILATED INTO THE PREDOMINANT SOCIETY.
• TYPICALLY USED TO DESCRIBE THE ASSIMILATION OF IMMIGRANTS INTO THE UNITED STATES,
THE MELTING POT THEORY IS OFTEN ILLUSTRATED BY THE METAPHOR OF A FOUNDRY’S
SMELTING POTS IN WHICH THE ELEMENTS IRON AND CARBON ARE MELTED TOGETHER TO
CREATE A SINGLE, STRONGER METAL—STEEL.
• IN 1782, FRENCH-AMERICAN IMMIGRANT J. HECTOR ST. JOHN DE CREVECOEUR WROTE THAT
IN AMERICA, “INDIVIDUALS OF ALL NATIONS ARE MELTED INTO A NEW RACE OF MEN, WHOSE
LABORS AND POSTERITY WILL ONE DAY CAUSE GREAT CHANGES IN THE WORLD.”

31. • THE MELTING POT MODEL HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR REDUCING DIVERSITY,
CAUSING PEOPLE TO LOSE THEIR TRADITIONS, AND FOR HAVING TO BE
ENFORCED THROUGH GOVERNMENTAL POLICY.
• FOR EXAMPLE, THE U.S. INDIAN REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1934 FORCED THE
ASSIMILATION OF NEARLY 350,000 INDIGENOUS PEOPLES INTO AMERICAN
SOCIETY WITHOUT ANY REGARD FOR THE DIVERSITY OF THEIR HERITAGES AND
LIFESTYLES.

32. THE SALAD BOWL THEORY
• A MORE LIBERAL THEORY OF MULTICULTURALISM THAN THE MELTING POT, THE
SALAD BOWL THEORY DESCRIBES A HETEROGENEOUS SOCIETY IN WHICH PEOPLE
COEXIST BUT RETAIN AT LEAST SOME OF THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THEIR
TRADITIONAL CULTURE.
• LIKE A SALAD’S INGREDIENTS, DIFFERENT CULTURES ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER, BUT
RATHER THAN COALESCING INTO A SINGLE HOMOGENEOUS CULTURE, RETAIN THEIR
OWN DISTINCT FLAVORS.
• IN THE UNITED STATES, NEW YORK CITY, WITH ITS MANY UNIQUE ETHNIC
COMMUNITIES LIKE “LITTLE INDIA,” “LITTLE ODESSA,” AND “CHINATOWN” IS
CONSIDERED AN EXAMPLE OF A SALAD BOWL SOCIETY.

33. • THE SALAD BOWL THEORY ASSERTS THAT IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR PEOPLE TO
GIVE UP THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED MEMBERS OF
THE DOMINANT SOCIETY.
• FOR EXAMPLE, AFRICAN AMERICANS DO NOT NEED TO STOP OBSERVING KWANZAA
RATHER THAN CHRISTMAS IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED “AMERICANS.”
• ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE, THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES ENCOURAGED BY THE SALAD
BOWL MODEL CAN DIVIDE A SOCIETY RESULTING
IN PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION.
• IN ADDITION, CRITICS POINT TO A 2007 STUDY CONDUCTED BY AMERICAN
POLITICAL SCIENTIST ROBERT PUTNAM SHOWING THAT PEOPLE LIVING IN SALAD
BOWL MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITIES WERE LESS LIKELY TO VOTE OR VOLUNTEER
FOR COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.

34. CHARACTERISTICS OF A MULTICULTURAL
SOCIETY
• MULTICULTURAL SOCIETIES ARE CHARACTERIZED BY PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT
RACES, ETHNICITIES, AND NATIONALITIES LIVING TOGETHER IN THE SAME
COMMUNITY.
• IN MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITIES, PEOPLE RETAIN, PASS DOWN, CELEBRATE,
AND SHARE THEIR UNIQUE CULTURAL WAYS OF LIFE, LANGUAGES, ART,
TRADITIONS, AND BEHAVIORS.

35. • THE CHARACTERISTICS OF MULTICULTURALISM OFTEN SPREAD INTO THE
COMMUNITY’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHERE CURRICULA ARE CRAFTED TO
INTRODUCE YOUNG PEOPLE TO THE QUALITIES AND BENEFITS OF CULTURAL
DIVERSITY.
• THOUGH SOMETIMES CRITICIZED AS A FORM OF “POLITICAL CORRECTNESS,”
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS IN MULTICULTURAL SOCIETIES STRESS THE HISTORIES
AND TRADITIONS OF MINORITIES IN CLASSROOMS AND TEXTBOOKS.
• A 2018 STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER FOUND THAT THE
“POST-MILLENNIAL” GENERATION OF PEOPLE AGES 6 TO 21 ARE THE MOST
DIVERSE GENERATION IN AMERICAN SOCIETY.

36. • FAR FROM AN EXCLUSIVELY AMERICAN PHENOMENON, EXAMPLES OF
MULTICULTURALISM ARE FOUND WORLDWIDE.
• IN ARGENTINA, FOR EXAMPLE, NEWSPAPER ARTICLES, AND RADIO AND
TELEVISION PROGRAMS ARE COMMONLY PRESENTED IN ENGLISH, GERMAN,
ITALIAN, FRENCH, OR PORTUGUESE, AS WELL AS THE COUNTRY’S NATIVE
SPANISH.
• INDEED, ARGENTINA’S CONSTITUTION PROMOTES IMMIGRATION BY
RECOGNIZING THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUALS TO RETAIN MULTIPLE CITIZENSHIPS
FROM OTHER COUNTRIES.

37. WHY DIVERSITY IS IMPORTANT
• MULTICULTURALISM IS THE KEY TO ACHIEVING A HIGH DEGREE OF CULTURAL
DIVERSITY. DIVERSITY OCCURS WHEN PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT RACES, NATIONALITIES,
RELIGIONS, ETHNICITIES, AND PHILOSOPHIES COME TOGETHER TO FORM A
COMMUNITY.
• A TRULY DIVERSE SOCIETY IS ONE THAT RECOGNIZES AND VALUES THE CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES IN ITS PEOPLE.
• PROPONENTS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY ARGUE THAT IT MAKES HUMANITY
STRONGER AND MAY, IN FACT, BE VITAL TO ITS LONG-TERM SURVIVAL.
• IN 2001, THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF UNESCO TOOK THIS POSITION WHEN IT
ASSERTED IN ITS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY THAT
“...CULTURAL DIVERSITY IS AS NECESSARY FOR HUMANKIND AS BIODIVERSITY IS FOR
NATURE.”

38. • TODAY, ENTIRE COUNTRIES, WORKPLACES, AND SCHOOLS ARE INCREASINGLY
MADE UP OF VARIOUS CULTURAL, RACIAL, AND ETHNIC GROUPS.
• BY RECOGNIZING AND LEARNING ABOUT THESE VARIOUS GROUPS,
COMMUNITIES BUILD TRUST, RESPECT, AND UNDERSTANDING ACROSS ALL
CULTURES.
• COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS IN ALL SETTINGS BENEFIT FROM THE
DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCES, AND NEW WAYS OF THINKING
THAT COME WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY.