Interculturalism

Interculturalism is an ideological model for or approach to the political or social management of ethnic and cultural diversity. It is essentially an integrationist vision, based broadly on concepts of cross-cultural dialogue, consensus, and cultural commonality, and can be distinguished in this sense from multiculturalism, a policy that has been criticized for its tendency to result in social fragmentation in the form of separate ethnic ghettoes, as well as for encouraging an attitude of relativism that weakens the traditional institutions of a society. Interculturalism is perhaps best known in Canada, especially in Quebec, and in Europe, where it is increasingly seen as an alternative to the perceived shortcomings of multiculturalist policies.

Interculturalism is said by its proponents to embody an essentially pragmatic stance, in that it avoids what is seen as the extreme relativism of the multiculturalist model and the naïve and illiberal universalism of assimilationist ideology. In common with many other political philosophies, interculturalism stresses as a foundational tenet that the cohesive identity of a nation or society requires more than such factors as territory, a unified legal code, or an official language. Myths and symbols are also of paramount importance in creating a sense of national identity, and these are historical concepts, normally transmitted across generations of the majority group by institutions such as education, religion, and the family. At the same time, most Western-style democracies subscribe to a pluralist view with regard to their diverse populations, consciously opposed to any discrimination based on cultural difference.

The potential ensuing tension between the historical idea of the nation and the different values orientations embodied by minority groups or immigrants therefore requires a political response, the form of which depends to a large extent on a kind of national self-conception, or what Gérard Bouchard, a leading scholar and advocate of inter-culturalism, has called paradigms, for him the first level of analysis for ethnocultural diversity. Before going on to discuss the special characteristics of interculturalism, therefore, a review of Bouchard's paradigms is necessary in order to define the conceptual environment for any approach to the management of cultural plurality.