A Brief Note On Multiculturalism And Culture And The...

1. Describe the meaning of multiculturalism in your own words. In this essay the emphasis is to be on culture and the different variations of how cultural categories are separated and defined. The primary focus is that of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism, as defined by Merriam-Webster is â€Å"relating to or including many different cultures†. It is multicultural in adjective form. I find this interesting because an adjective is something that doesn’t stand alone, it needs a helper to make it become what it is intended to be. I define multiculturalism as a group of different cultures that must exist together to create a society a cohesive unit. It has to exist in order for society as a whole, to exist and progress. I don’t believe a single†¦show more content†¦Those countries that had not begun to experience any significant social cultural evolution at a rate that this country was beginning to experience saw this country as an opportunity. The United States, even in its, beginnings, had multiculturalism. The act of bringing slaves into the country, bought with it other cultures and subcultures with it. Even to this day, we continue to evolve culturally on many levels. With the arrival of new cultures and also with the evolution of sub cultures within our country. With the addition of these cultures come different values (as cited in Macionis, 2008). 3. Why is multiculturalism a controversial issue for some people? Multiculturalism is an issue for many people. Not just people of this country but others as well. Because it is believed and in reference to the Applying Theory of Culture Table(page 62, chapter 2), the idea that â€Å"Culture is a system of behavior by which members of societies cooperate to meet their needs.†, human nature, in some people’s view, is a behavioral response to a person’s situation. If they live in a culture that was in poverty and stealing was a way of survival, of meeting their needs, than that behavior would be carried with them regardless of where they were physically positioned. An example is that, when Mexican begin migrating in large numbers into southern California, they begin to move into communities. For some, it was a cultural habit to hang clothes lines or