image source: Spratt, A. (2017). Mural of men in Singapore. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/EoscGO-ACbQ

My first single-author article in Ethnic and Racial Studies is recently published online. My motivation in writing it arises from a need to address why multiculturalism continues to be perceived by some as detrimental to society and the examine the main challenges to its viability in the contemporary society that is experiencing increasing diversification. Two key and related critiques of multiculturalism are cultural essentialism and imposed cultural homogeneity. These have contributed to an idea of a transition away from multiculturalism into a post-multicultural era. In an endeavour to get rid of the conceptual and political baggage of multiculturalism, two alternative approaches to cultural diversity have emerged. These two alternative approaches, interculturalism and transculturalism, have gradually gained prominence and are offered as viable concepts in solving the problems that multiculturalism is alleged to have caused.

In this paper, I seek to provide a conceptual clarification of multiculturalism, rooted in the notion of family resemblance. While the key tenets of interculturalism and transculturalism were critically examined, the thrust of my argument in the paper is not to reject these two alternative concepts. New grand theories and ideas are often constructed in contrast to existing ones. However, in writing this paper, my stance is that in many cases, emerging ideas, while highly critical of existing concepts, can actually serve as catalysts for reforming old ideas either through synthesis or restructuration of their fundamental foci. This competition of ideas can be viewed as transformative potentials and conceptual developments. Although it may not apply to all cases, taking this perspective as an initial default approach in addressing ideas competition could prove beneficial in advancing the field.

My conceptual understanding of multiculturalism points to its potential as a flexible and inclusive approach towards cultural diversity that enables it to continuously engage its detractors and critics. Both interculturalism and transculturalism can help to enrich the multiculturalism discourse and, to borrow from Tariq Modood, serve as multiculturalism’s critical friends.

Reference

Loh, S. H. (2021). The continued relevance of multiculturalism: dissecting interculturalism and transculturalism. Ethnic and Racial Studies. Advance online publication. ​https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2021.1963459