The 21st millennium is called the century of globalization and integration. This is a new model for the development of civilization. People, nations and states have entered the modern stage of relations. New forms of economic, trade and cultural relations have emerged. There are multinational, multiconfessional states in the world where the process of unification is underway. Ensuring equal existence for all citizens is a very difficult process. The level of development of civil society is the main factor in the formation of democratic values. An important place among such values belongs to tolerance. Globalization and modernization of civilized states, as well as the expansion of communication networks, mass media, urbanization, and social changes in society, lead to the creation of a “new approach” to modern problems.
The modern development of society is taking place in the mainstream of the integration process. In a globalizing world, a person is constantly at the border of many cultures. Society can develop only on the condition of preservation, interaction and progress of its constituent ethnic groups, their languages and cultures (Hoffman et al., 2019). The diversity of cultures is a phenomenon of the ethnocultural fragmentation of society.
The problems of cultural pluralism and dialogue are relevant for modern society, as well as for modern philosophy. Thus, the policy of multiculturalism emerged; multiculturalism is an ideal response to all the challenges of a global world in which no dominant culture exists. Such a society is built on the principles of tolerance while preserving identity. Tolerance is an element of social modernization; this and multiculturalism influence the international rating of the country and become elements of international prestige. The mentioned factors are stable attributes of modern world states.
Multiculturalism is a policy that presupposes cultural pluralism and promotes its development. Liberalism, with its values of freedom, equality and brotherhood, became the theoretical basis of multiculturalism. However, if the second provides for the protection of individuals, the first – ethnic and cultural groups, and thus contributes to overcoming not only social injustice but also manifestations of intolerance (Hoffman et al., 2019). Hence, multiculturalism is designed to organize the democratic coexistence of people in conditions of cultural heterogeneity. It is seen as a natural state of society, a universal tendency to foster tolerance and the supremacy of universal values over national ones.
The efficiency of a multicultural society formed due to the policy of multiculturalism is the result of coordinated cooperation between the state and civil society; it is a managed process. However, a multicultural society is vulnerable, difficult to manage, and unpredictable, and this must be taken into account. The phenomenon of multiculturalism as a policy of integration is the opposite of the model of assimilation.
In this model, it is immigrants who must make every effort and become part of the host society; it was used by the United States, Canada and Australia (Hoffman et al., 2019). In turn, the multicultural model of integration implies the creation of conditions by the host society for the integration of immigrants. It legitimizes various forms of otherness, as well as the right to its public presentation and preservation of its cultural specificity.
The formation of an integration model of multiculturalism is facilitated by the creation of civic identity as a national one in parallel with the recognition of cultural diversity. Such a society is open and tolerant of the features of other ethnic groups and citizens who adhere to other customs, traditions and cultures. Common economic goals, democratic and universal humanistic values, as well as the formation of a developed civil society can be cementing, unifying factors.
Multiculturalism as an ideology is a worldview based on a tolerant attitude towards culture and other differences. Among the basic principles of such an ideology, in addition to the right to cultural difference, one can highlight the principle of cultural equality and mutual tolerance. It can be argued that tolerance is the basis of multiculturalism (Hoffman et al., 2019). Another important aspect of multiculturalism is that self-identification within a particular ethnic culture should not violate the rights of other ethnic groups and the laws of the state as a whole.
Current trends of globalization and unification of the world space, including cultural, informational, and spiritual, a sharp increase in migration flows in the world leads to increased cultural interaction both outside and inside the country. The harmonious coexistence of cultural diversity and the formation of intercultural dialogue need to be improved and transformed on the basis of democracy, tolerance, and pluralism of public policy (Hoffman et al., 2019). The policy of multiculturalism can provide such changes. On the one hand, it will create a foundation for the inclusion of society in modern world processes. On the other, it will ensure the preservation of national identity, identity and effective state ethnonational policy.
Thus, democracy plays a key role in forming and developing a multicultural society, which was formed primarily in the democratic parts of Western Europe and North America. The high level of tolerance, morality and democracy in these regions have created excellent conditions for the spread of the ideas of multiculturalism. In turn, the policy of multiculturalism, using its integration model, contributes to the formation of a conscious civil society and the development of democratization in a country.
Reference
Hoffman, L., Cleare-Hoffman, H., Granger, N., & John, D. (2019). Humanistic approaches to multiculturalism and diversity: Perspectives on existence and difference. New York: Routledge.