melting pot vs. cultural mosaic
– C1-C2 (advanced) –
Practice Your Reading Comprehension
Many English-speaking countries are multicultural. However, not every one of them is multicultural in the same way. According to Canadian English, there are different types of multiculturalism.
Many language learners have heard of the type called, “melting pot,” which typically refers to:
an established dominant culture that invites other cultures to join it, as long as they blend in
think a bowl of soup, where the soup is the dominant culture recognized for its consistent appearance, scent and flavour; it has multiple ingredients (diverse cultures), but they cannot be seen unless you dive into the soup and extract them with your spoon
This expression is often used to describe multicultural societies like London in England, the United States of America, or other similar cities, regions, and countries across the world. Anglo-Canada, on the other hand, does not prescribe to this concept of being a melting pot, for its societal structure is based on a form of multiculturalism known as a cultural mosaic*:
a culture that only exists because of the diversity of cultures that comprise it
think a patchwork quilt that is comprised of different shapes, colours, and patterns (diverse cultures), that when put together form one artwork, where each part of the artwork is easily seen and appreciated as an important piece that makes up the quilt; when these distinct pieces are missing, the quilt is incomplete or no longer exists
Using this analogy to describe Canada, the artwork or quilt represents Canadian culture.The shapes, colours and patterns that make up Canadian culture include the many cultures of the world, including but not limited to those of India, China, Japan, Ukraine, Germany, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Brazil, Jamaica, Haiti, Indigenous communities, and more. If any one of these cultures are removed from Canada, for example Nigerian culture, then Canadian culture is no longer complete because an important part of its body, and what it means to be culturally Canadian, is missing.
To be a cultural mosaic means to be a society that respects, teaches, shares, and overall celebrates the cultural differences that exist within it. It does not require blending into a preexisting dominant culture, for the dominant culture in this context is the combination of diverse cultures living together and sharing with one another.
*This does not include the Canadian province of Quebec, which has its own structure known as “Quebec Interculturalism.”
The ways in which a society can implement the cultural mosaic are, of course, unique to that society. Canada approaches it in a variety of ways, but the following showcase a few out of the many methods that it employs; do keep in mind that nowhere implements this ideology perfectly, and Canada is still a society in progress, as it aims to further develop as a cultural mosaic:
bilingualism in government services (e.g., airports, elections, business product labels, etc.)
bilingual encouragement via popular language exchange programs like Explore, Erasmus+, Katimivik, etc.
a language policing service that protects locals’ and immigrants’ right to their native languages in public (e.g., speaking to another person while on the street or on public transportation without common discrimination; having access to an interpreter in court or at the doctor’s office or hospital; choosing an education institution that instructs in your native tongue(s); conducting business using English and your native language(s) with employees, customers/clients, on product labels, business signage, etc.; operating television broadcast networks and shows, including the news, completely in other languages from English: Inuktitut, Cantonese, Hindi, etc.)
postal service that will respond to children’s letters to Santa Claus in any language that the child writes their letter in
a public education system that is comprised of various secular, religious, and linguistic divisions, where religious divisions teach curricula based on the faith of a particular creed (e.g., Catholicism, Indigenous spirituality, Islam, etc.) and linguistic divisions teach curricula using a different language of instruction from English (e.g., French, Cree, Mandarin, etc.)
elementary school, high school and university course subjects that focus greatly on global cultures instead of uniquely local cultures (e.g., Social Studies, History, Geography, English Language Arts, Literature, Indigenous Studies, Religious Studies, etc.)
advanced divisions of public elementary school and high school that teach core class subjects from global perspectives (e.g., Indigenous approaches to astronomy, Japanese strategies in math, etc.)
global adventure trips for high school students, where teachers travel to another country with a group of students in order to give them practical learning experiences of other societies/cultures in the world
national holidays that educate on and celebrate multiculturalism: Canadian Multiculturalism Day, National Indigenous Peoples Day, International Mother Language Day, Francophonie Day, Acadian Day, Canada Day, etc.
national holidays that educate on Canadian society’s historical and current shortcomings as they relate to the inhumane treatment of diverse peoples: National Day For Truth And Reconciliation, Black History Month, etc.
Canadian identity generally being understood as plural (see pluralism), meaning, in this context, each person is a combination of ethnocultural backgrounds that do not necessarily correlate to where they were born, where they hold citizenship, or to the colour of their skin
mainstream use of vocabulary that reduces negative connotations related to discrimination and exclusivity (e.g., instead of “Indian,” words like “First Nations,” “Inuit,” “Métis,” “Indigenous,” or a specific band name will be used; instead of “foreigner,” words like “international,” “Canadian resident,” or even “Canadian” will be used, etc.)
and much more…!
What kind of society do you live in? Is it a melting pot or a cultural mosaic? Maybe it is neither. Practice your English by describing to me the type of society you are from and why you believe it is that kind.
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ATTRIBUTION
“Crazy Patchwork Quilt” photo courtesy of Dulin, Zella - This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by Conner Prairie as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America, via its partner Indiana Memory.Record in source catalogDPLA identifier: 7bea659942383fbec9c8830e09f8030bConner Prairie identifier: Indiana Memory, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
“Amish Crazy Patchwork Quilt” photo courtesy of Lydia Beachy - Wikimedia Commons
