From Americanization to Multiculturalism: Political Symbols and Struggles for Cultural Diversity in Twentieth-Century American Race Relations

Abstract

Multiculturalism has been a central concept in conflicts over race/ethnic relations for more than a decade, yet the debates that it ignited offer little systematic understanding of its origins and meaning. This research seeks to clarify those issues through an analysis of multiculturalism, and cultural diversity more broadly, from a symbolic and historical perspective. Symbolic analysis of multiculturalism focuses on its multivalence-an essential property of political symbols thatfacilitates the synchronization of diverse interests. Historical analysis focuses on the shifting balance of interests, and political struggles over cultural diversity through the course of the century, which provides the layers of meanings from which multiculturalism draws. Of particular importance is the interplay between movements seeking greater equity in race/ethnic relations and market-based interests that find elective affinities with specific symbolic expressions of those relations-particularly the affinity between cultural diversity and economic competitiveness that developed in the context of economic globalization.

To be or not to be (ethnic): Public vs. private expressions of ethnic identification differentially impact national inclusion of White and non-White groups

“…Furthermore, individuals prefer to identify with smaller rather than larger groups (see optimal distinctiveness theory; Brewer, 1991Brewer, , 1993, which partially explains why ethnic identity is not easily erased (Hornsey & Jetten, 2004). In the U.S., multiculturalism became a popular ideology in the 1960s as the country evolved from being one that emphasized cultural assimilation to one that was more accepting of cultural diversity (Downey, 1999;Moghaddam, 2008;Plaut, 2010;Wolsko et al, 2006). Today, Americans tend to embrace principles of ethnic diversity and believe that people should be allowed to maintain distinctive cultural identities as well as an American identity (Schildkraut, 2003(Schildkraut, , 2007Tsai, Mortensen, Wong, & Hess, 2002).…”

The Diversity of Integration in a Multiethnic Metropolis

“…Taken as a whole, we see that although diversity as an abstract value is widely embraced, the appeal of integration and diversity is not in its ability to transform the system of racial inequality that persists in the United States (e.g., Berrey 2005;Downey 1999). In the kind of diversity captured by the ideal neighborhood results, and the explanations provided especially by Whites for why it is desirable, there are similarities and reflections of what Bell and Hartmann (2007) referred to as "Happy Talk."…”

Post-Gay Collective Identity Construction

“…Finally, a post-gay society (1998 to the present) is distinguished by an increasing assimilation of gays into the mainstream alongside rapid internal diversification. "Diversity" as a political symbol can be tricky to understand given its multiple and sometimes contradictory meanings (Berrey 2005;Downey 1995). While the word may sometimes imply inclusiveness (as in Armstrong's (2002:26) notion of "unity through diversity" that expressed gay life during the coming out era), in a post-gay context, diversity more often signifies the celebration of different sexual ways of life within LGBT communities.…”