PLURALISM IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Pluralism in United States of America



Pluralism in United States of America

Introduction

Considering pluralism a continuation and extension in multiculturalism can be an error because multiculturalism was born as an ideology in American universities about twenty years ago. It promotes ethnic and cultural differences that have lead to a pluralistic society. The society makes a kind of "national soup" with integrated mixture of different ingredients or ethnic people. Criticizing multiculturalism leads to the “salad bowl”, which has contents of a national dish but with separate ingredients (Salter & Frank, 2007). While pluralism is "inter-culturalism", multiculturalism blocks integration processes, as today found in the black community in the United States of America affirmed in protest subgroup, which in turn encourages old resentments of white groups and their ideologues (Sailer , & Steve, 2007).

Ideological pluralism is only possible within the framework of the concept of national democracy. Today, it is tempered by the existence of supranational institutions and international discrimination. Unequal treatment for equal entities to create inter-ethnic and different political cultures produces treatments that can break the unity and equality of rights. The practical consequences begin to insinuate them causing them not to stay conducive to social and cultural coexistence (Salter & Frank, 2007). Various forms of multiculturalism have local and global dimensions. The diversity of social ties at the macro level corresponding to a plurality of local systems and structures, ethnic, racial, religious and linguistic backgrounds have been the bitter reality of the United States of America. The cultural diversity of American society, however, is more "rigid" and formalized compared to other local communities. Local authorities always keep their group cultural differences, global society and seek to integrate across boundaries (Duchesne, & Richard, 2011).

Pluralistic Society

The American public has a multi-ethnic, multi-faith, multiracial character. Hence, it is defined as a multicultural or pluralistic society. Multiculturalism is a phenomenon consisting in the coexistence of state-restricted borders of the territorial space of two or more groups with distinct languages, religions, customs, traditions and systems of social organization (Salter & Frank, 2007). The coexistence of cultures in the United States of America is a consequence of cultural contact, formed as a result of conquest, colonization, annexation and migration (Barzilai, 2003).

The factor that is increasingly important in the context of pluralistic society and that determines the degree of complexity and pluralism of American society is not racial or national, but the cultural identity of their members (Duchesne, & Richard, 2011). The changing nature of contemporary civil society - including the United States of America is also on the rise in diversity, plurality and multi-level structures. United States of America is seen as a pluralistic society because of the fact that it is a very complex group of phenomena, including both the processes of transformation groups involved in contact, as well as the consequences of processes like attitudes, identities, ideologies, groups and creations of individuals and communities (Putnam, & Waynes, 2007). People and groups are not created by the fall in the ...