LSS 2053 Cultural Diversity – Course Goal 1 – Sub-outcomes 2 and 6

What are: Multiculturalism, Assimilation & Acculturation?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monument to Multiculturalism by Francesco Pirelli in Toronto, Canada. Four identical sculptures are located in Buffalo City, South Africa; Changchun, China; Sarajevo, Bosnia and Sydney, Australia

1) Multiculturalism is an ideology that promotes the institutionalization of communities containing multiple cultures. It is generally applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities, or nations.

In a political context the term is used for a wide variety of meanings, ranging from the advocacy of equal respect to the various cultures in a society, to a policy of promoting the maintenance of cultural diversity. A common aspect of many such policies is that they avoid presenting any specific ethnic, religious, or cultural community values as central.^[3]

Multiculturalism is often contrasted with the concepts of assimilation and has been described as a "salad bowl" rather than a "melting pot."^[4]

Look at the two diagrams above. Which one represents “multiculturalism” and which one is “assimilation”?

2) Assimilation (from Latin assimilatio; "to render similar") may refer to:

• Cultural assimilation, the process whereby a minority group gradually adapts to the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture and customs.
• Assimilation (sociology), the blending or fusing of minority groups into the dominant society

Think of the word “similar” which will help you remember “assimilation”.

3) Acculturation

Acculturation explains the process of cultural and psychological change that results following meeting between cultures.^[1] The effects of acculturation can be seen at multiple levels in both interacting cultures. At the group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture, customs, and social institutions. Noticeable group level effects of acculturation often include changes in food, clothing, and language. At the individual level, differences in the way individuals acculturate have been shown to be associated not just with changes in daily behavior, but with numerous measures of psychological and physical well-being. As enculturation is used to describe the process of first-culture learning, acculturation can be thought of as second-culture learning.

Acculturation is a process in which members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another group. Although acculturation is usually in the direction of a minority group adopting habits and language patterns of the dominant group, acculturation can be reciprocal--that is, the dominant group also adopts patterns typical of the minority group. Assimilation of one cultural group into another may be evidenced by changes in language preference, adoption of common attitudes and values, member- ship in common social groups and institutions, and loss of separate political or ethnic identification.

What is the difference between assimilation, and acculturation?

Assimilation means to become the same as the main mass (you cannot be distinguished from anyone or anything else). Acculturation is getting used to the way people are, but not become just like everyone else. You keep some of your original uniqueness yet (ideally) fit in as part of the total mix.

4) Culture and Personality in Anthropology

(By Petrina Kelly,  Xia Chao, Andrew Scruggs, Lucy Lawrence, Katherine Mcghee-Snow)

Basic Premises:

The culture and personality movement was a core of anthropology in the first half of the 20^th century. It attempts to find general traits repeating in a specific culture to lead to a discovery of a national character, model personality types and configurations of personality by seeking the individual characteristics and personalities. The field of personality and culture gives special attention to socialization of children and enculturation. Theorists of culture and personality school argue that socialization creates personality patterns. It helps shape people’s emotions, thoughts, behaviors, cultural values and norms to fit into and function as productive members in the surrounding human society. The study of culture and personality demonstrates that different socialization practices such as childrearing in different societies (cultures) result in different personality types.

The study of culture and personality draws many of its constructs from psychoanalysis and social development as applied for social and cultural phenomena. Freud’s psychoanalysis states that all humans are the same when born, but childrearing in different societies causes deviations in behavior and personalities from each other. According to this perspective, the scholars of culture and personality school study distinctive personality types in particular societies and attribute the traits to different child-rearing practices such as feeding, talking and toilet training. This concept is demonstrated in the work of anthropologists, such as Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict, Barbara Rogoff and Shirley Brice Heath.

an·thro·pol·o·gy ( n thr -p l -j )

n.  The scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.