The policy of multiculturalism, national identity and the fight against racism is extremely relevant today. Which theory to stick – fusion of many cultures into one, or preserving the cultural identity of each nation and race – that is the question that is now concerned by not only politicians but also by ordinary people. It can be said that it is mainly addressed to the people who face the representatives of different cultures in everyday life. Therefore, it is important to understand how the policy of multiculturalism has developed in countries such as Canada and the US as it is in these countries, where policies of combating racism and ethnic discrimination develop greatly. On the example of these countries, which annually give citizenship to thousands of immigrants and encourage the cultural development of ethnic minorities, it is possible to describe the challenges faced by this policy. And this, in turn, will help to avoid mistakes in the future and will help to develop a healthy, well-functioning society, where each person has their place.
However, multiculturalism policy did not appear at once, it was preceded by the so-called phenomenon of the "melting pot," which got its name at the beginning of the last century. This name describes the process of assimilation of immigrants from different countries into a single culture of the American people (Owen, 2005, p. 1). Accordingly, during this process, many national traits and characteristics of ethnicity disappeared. However, by 60th of the twentieth century, it became clear that ethnic minorities and immigrants arriving in the USA did not want to leave their ancestral culture in favor of the larger culture, so the approach of the "melting pot" appeared unsuccessful. There was a need for a new policy to deal with racial and ethnic groups. Multiculturalism became this approach. It allowed a person to be called American, but at the same time, have an opportunity to speak their native language with the preservation of a lifestyle that matches their nationality (Owen, 2005, p. 2). An example of how the view of Americans in relation to migrants has changed is evident in the statistics. Thus, in the generation of people born during the Second World War and earlier, only 42 percent believed that immigrants can have a positive impact on the country. Over time, already 50 percent of the baby boom generation believed that immigrants strengthen the country. Further, this number has continued to grow and reached 54 percent of Generation X and 60 percent of Generation Y (Owen, 2005, p. 12-13). Thus, it is clear that multiculturalism policy brings results, and fewer and fewer people apply to representatives of other ethnic groups as outsiders. A huge role in this was played by education, which showed that all cultures are equally important for America and deserve to be paid attention to in schools and universities. The start of multicultural education was laid in the same 1960s, however, it is believed that it existed before, just called differently (Celik, 2012, p. 2). In 1960-1970's African Americans began to attend school along with Americans. At the same time, the conflict between the theory of the "melting pot" and multiculturalism started to increase, as ethnic and racial minorities showed poor results at school because they speak another language. Everything speaks in favor of bilingualism in schools, so this topic was widely discussed and developed during the 1980s (Celik, 2012, p. 3). In the 1990s and later in the early twenty-first century, a host of theories and approaches to how to develop and implement multicultural education in the school curriculum appeared (Celik, 2012, p. 4-6). Thus, it becomes clear that the theory of multiculturalism attracts more and more people. Individual approach to every nationality finds its place in all spheres of society. Most importantly, cultural diversity is promoted in schools, and, in fact, it is exactly this institution that forms the human representations of themselves and of the world that surrounds them. Although, the policy of multiculturalism still has its opponents, but it evolves and finds an echo in the public opinion.
Slightly differently, multiculturalism developed in Canada. Here it is necessary to start with the fact that Canada was the first country in the world that has adopted multiculturalism as an official policy. This occurred in 1971, at the several reasons (Ng & Metz, 2014, p. 253). Firstly, the country is bilingual. Therefore, as a response to the reconciliation of English and French-speaking Canadians, multiculturalism got its evolution in Canada. In addition, the country refused to accept immigrants only from the UK, USA, and Northern Europe, and allow immigrants from non-European countries to join Canadian society (Ng & Metz, 2014, p. 254). As a result, a host of programs in support of this policy appeared over the next two decades. In schools, the great attention was paid to the care for immigrant children in the integration into the educational process with the preservation of their cultural identity. Great support was given to the programs, seeking to preserve Aboriginal languages. The result of the evolution of Canadian multiculturalism has been the creation of an opportunity to study in the official languages of ethnic minorities in 2009. Multiculturalism policy was also reflected in the dress code. So, in 1990, changes were made to the requirements for the uniform of the Canadian Mounted Police. Sikh officers were allowed to wear turbans at work instead of the previously traditional police headdresses. Later, in 2006 in respect for the traditions of the Sikh, students were allowed to wear kirpan under clothing with the consent of the parents (Ng & Metz, 2014, p. 259). Thus, Canada, with two official languages, a large flow of immigrants as well as a large number of indigenous peoples, is a god illustration of how to pursue a policy of multiculturalism. Receiving its reflection in education, customs and daily life, the evolution of Canadian multiculturalism can be an excellent example of how to help people to keep their national self-determination.
Thus, it appears that the Canadian and American multiculturalism evolved differently. If Americans more understand than implement reforms for the promotion of cultural diversity, Canadians really working on the problem, taking relevant acts and regulations. It can be said that multiculturalism in Canada is developing much more actively than in the United States. Thus, already in the 1990s in Canada, there were programs to help students from ethnic minorities to preserve their language. In addition, all official documents of Canada are necessarily made in English and French. The official status was given to the languages of the nine First Nations In the Northwest Territories (McGee Banks, 2010, p. 6). So, since the time of the Anglo-French ownership of the country with the natives living there, Canada not only has not lost its cultural pluralism but, on the contrary, effectively developed and applied it to life. In turn, in America, in spite of the significant improvement since the middle of the last century, the development of multiculturalism does not seem too effective. There are still remaining the ardent supporters of English as the sole official language. However, some states, though unofficially, but adopted bilingualism (McGee Banks, 2010, p. 6). So, this is a step forward for the American multiculturalism. It also says that the evolution is just a little bit slower than in Canada. And yet, in Canada and in America, there are still opponents of multiculturalism. Nevertheless, as the practice shows, the opinion of people slowly, but changes in the direction of rejection of racism, discrimination and the idea of one culture that should dominant other. Eventually, people will have to adopt a policy of multiculturalism, as the number of people who do not belong to the white Americans is growing rapidly. The number of immigrants and just the people of other nationalities is such that to ignore their rights would be impossible (Owen, 2005, p. 6). The same pattern is observed in Canada, where the two-thirds of population growth is providing by immigrants (Ng & Metz, 2014, p. 254). Thus, whether people like it or not, the policy of multiculturalism is the future. Its development can help to avoid conflicts and social tensions in countries with so many nationalities, as Canada and the US.
Summing up, it can be said that multiculturalism gets its development in Canada and the US. This evolution has different speed and the different reaction of the people, but the idea of cultural pluralism gets a response in the hearts and minds of people. Therefore, the study of the history of multiculturalism is very important. With the experience and knowledge that we have today, it is possible to objectively evaluate the measures taken within the framework of this policy. The evolution will help to identify mistakes in the implementation of a particular act, as well as the ability to tell how it should be corrected. History teaches not to make mistakes of the past, improve the good ideas and confidently face the future. Moreover, history has shown how important it is to appreciate the rights of other people, even if they belong to a minority. Because the community can be healthy only when each member has the right to self-determination. Self-determination, in turn, implies the existence of a person's own conception of culture, history and language, but not unconditional acceptance of the culture of the ethnic majority. In other words, the policy of multiculturalism will help to build a happy and well-functioning society, and the history of its evolution will assist in the more effective implementation of this policy in the everyday life.
References
Celik, R. (2012). A History of Multicultural Education in the USA: Origins, Approaches, and Misconceptions. The Online Journal Of New Horizons In Education, 2(4), 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.tojned.net/pdf/v02i04/v2i4-01.pdf
McGee Banks, C. (2010). Variations in Diversity in the United States and Canada (1st ed.). Canadian Studies Center. Retrieved from http://canadianstudies.isp.msu.edu/docs/Cherry%20McGee%20Banks.pdf
Ng, E., & Metz, I. (2014). Multiculturalism as a Strategy for National Competitiveness: The Case for Canada and Australia. J Bus Ethics, 128(2), 253-266. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2089-8
Owen, D. (2005). American Identity, Citizenship, and Multiculturalism (1st ed.). Washington, D.C. Retrieved from http://www.civiced.org/pdfs/germanPaper0905/DianaOwen2005.pdf
