Multicultural Society and the Dominant Culture essay sample

 

Multiculturalism is an inevitable part of multi-ethnic societies. As immigrants flow, they bring parts of their native cultures along and enrich the culture of their new society which remains central. Dominant culture incorporates traditions and customs of the majority. As a rule, they are the traditions of the indigenous population. They naturally change over the centuries but usually preserve the core ideology of the society. Dominant culture sets a tune to the processes taking place in multicultural society such as lawmaking, politics, business, etc..

Taking a look at the American society, however, we will see that the culture of native tribes is not a dominant one as Native Americans themselves do not make up the majority of the population. The dominant culture here is the traditions brought from English-speaking countries of European ancestry. As immigrants came to America, they naturally encircled themselves with traditions of their native countries. But these cultures could not remain authentic for a long time. Numerous traditions from the whole world assimilated with the European culture, however, many ethnic groups preserved their identity.

Multicultural societies always give a challenge to cultures of minorities. Can subcultures remain authentic under the pressure of the dominant culture?  And how will the dominant culture change the next day? The culture of the majority remains flexible to some extent. It absorbs the most popular trends of the minorities and provides a better inclusion. Multiculturalism promotes tolerance as various ethnic groups accustom themselves to the diversity of the population.