advantanges and drawbacks of canadian multiculturalism

Topic: Multiculturalism in Canada

Intro: Talk about the background information about Multiculturalism.
* define multiculturalism -> multiculturalism can include: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiculturalism#Typical_multicultural_policies
*how did it orgins (history & when did the policy started)
You can use this data: Approximately 20% of today's Canadian citizens were born outside Canada, the highest immigration rate of any Group of Eight(The Group of Eight (G8) is an international forum for the governments of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) coutries.

Body: Advantages & Drawbacks
-Adv
1) equal rights among different culture -> protect the rights of minorities
people from different nations of the world are allowed to keep their own nationalities rather than giving them up like in USA(melting pot ideal).

2) beneficial cultural exchanges, where cultures learn about each other's literature -> a two-way interactions
->Ethnic and Racial Diversity
very useful: http://www.mta.ca/faculty/arts/canadian_studies/english/about/multi/index.htm#ethnic

3) A greater cultural tolerance&openess -> ppl learn to RESPECT other culturals
The greater the diversity of the racial and cultural mix, the greater the need for tolerance and openness in accepting one another as fellow Canadians.
With globalization and the ever-increasing movement of people from one country to another, Canadieans learn to overcome the challenge of appreciating and accommodating cultural differences.

-Drawbacks
1) might infringe on the rights of the "majorities" -> say e.g. the people originally living in Canada (i.e. the white ppl) might feel that ppl of other culture are 'intruding' their space & resources

2) Some fear that multicultural programs have encouraged immigrants, particularly recent ones, to stand apart from the majority of Canadians.

the fear of undermining national unity (since there are too many different culture in a single country)
e.g.
*To many French Canadians, multiculturalism threatened to reduce them to just another ethnic group.
*In Europe especially, opponents see multiculturalism as a direct assault on the national identity
*some Australians worried the term "multicultural" had been transformed by interest groups into a philosophy that put "allegiances to original culture ahead of national loyalty, a philosophy which fosters separate development, a federation of ethnic cultures, not one community"

3) According to in his book Who Gets in, Daniel Stoffman ->points out that many cultural practices, such as allowing dog meat to be served in restaurants and street cockfighting, are simply incompatible with Canadian and Western culture. He also raises concern about the number of recent immigrants who are not being linguistically integrated into Canada (i.e., not learning either English or French). He stresses that multiculturalism works better in theory than in practice.^^

Conclusion: As a conclusion, you can say that whether you stand for or against multiculturalism in Canada.
*do you think it's working in Canada?

Hope this helps.

2007-03-14 10:05:04 補充：
hahaha i feel that i am almost writing a whole essayrather than typing only some points of advantages n drawbacks...lol....

Multiculturalism is an ideology advocating that society should consist of, or at least allow and include, distinct cultural groups, with equal status. Multiculturalism is a term often used to describe the cultural and ethnic diversity of a nation and recognises that this rich diversity is a positive force in furthering society’s nationhood or cultural identity. Multiculturalism contrasts with the monoculturalism which was historically the norm in the nation-state. (Monoculturalism implies a normative cultural unity, 'monocultural' can be a descriptive term for pre-existing homogeneity). The term multiculturalism is almost always applied to distinct cultures of immigrant groups in developed countries, not to the presence of indigenous peoples.

Multiculturalism began as an official policy in English-speaking countries, starting in Canada in 1971. It was quickly adopted by most member-states in the European Union, as official policy, and as a social consensus among the elite.[citation needed] In recent years, several European states, notably the Netherlands and Denmark, right-of-centre governments have reversed the national policy consensus, and returned to an official monoculturalism. A similar reversal is the subject of debate in the United Kingdom and Germany, among others.

Multiculturalism has its supporters and critics alike. Its supporters often see it as a self-evident entitlement of cultural groups, as a form of civil rights grounded in equality of cultures. They often assume it will lead to interculturalism - beneficial cultural exchanges, where cultures learn about each other's literature, art and philosophy (high culture), and influence each other's music, fashion and cuisine. Its opponents often see it as something which has been imposed on them without their consent. They fear it will lead to cultural ghettos, undermining national unity. In Europe especially, opponents see multiculturalism as a direct assault on the national identity, and on the nation itself, and sometimes as a conspiracy to Islamise Europe.

For more details of the opinions of the supporters and opponents fo multculturalism in Canada, please check webite. (There is word limitation at this site)