melting pot vs. cultural mosaic
– C1-C2 (advanced) –
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Many language learners have heard of the English idiom, “melting pot,” which typically means:
a society of diverse cultures that blend together into one dominant culture
think a bowl of soup, where the soup is the one dominant culture recognized for its consistent appearance, scent and flavour; it has multiple ingredients (diverse cultures), but they cannot be seen unless you dive into the soup and extract them with your spoon
This expression is often used to describe multicultural societies like London, England, the United States of America, or other similar cities, regions, and countries across the world. Anglo-Canada, on the other hand, and however multicultural it may be, does not prescribe to this concept of being a melting pot, for its societal structure is based on what is known as a cultural mosaic*:
a society of diverse cultures that do not blend, but stand out equally and coexist together to create one global culture
think a patchwork quilt that is comprised of different shapes, colours, and patterns (diverse cultures), that when put together form one piece of art (one global culture that is Canadian culture), where each part of the artwork is easily seen and appreciated as an important piece that makes up the quilt; when these distinct pieces are missing, the quilt is incomplete or no longer exists (Canadian culture/society no longer exists)
*This does not include the Canadian province of Quebec, which has its own structure known as “Quebec Interculturalism.”
The ways in which a society can implement the cultural mosaic are, of course, unique to that society. Canada approaches it in a variety of ways, but the following showcase a few out of the many methods that it employs; do keep in mind that nowhere implements this ideology perfectly, and Canada is still a society in progress, as it aims to further develop as a cultural mosaic:
bilingualism in government services (e.g., airports, elections, business product labels, etc.)
bilingual encouragement via popular language exchange programs like Explore, Erasmus+, Katimivik, etc.
a language policing service that protects locals’ and immigrants’ right to their native languages in public (e.g., speaking to another person while on the street or in public transportation without common discrimination; having access to an interpreter in court or at the doctor’s office or hospital; choosing an education institution that instructs in your native tongue(s); conducting business using English and your native language(s) with employees, customers/clients, on product labels, etc.; operating television broadcast networks and shows, including the news, completely in other languages from English: Michif, Cantonese, Punjabi, etc.)
postal service that will respond to children’s letters to Santa Claus in any language that the child writes their letter in
a public education system that is comprised of various secular, religious, and linguistic divisions, where religious divisions teach curricula based on the faith of a particular creed (e.g., Catholicism, Indigenous spirituality, Islam, etc.) and linguistic divisions teach curricula using a different language of instruction from English (e.g., French, Cree, Mandarin, etc.)
elementary school, high school and university course subjects that focus greatly on global cultures (e.g., Social Studies, History, Geography, English Language Arts, Literature, Indigenous Studies, Religious Studies, etc.)
advanced divisions of public elementary school and high school that teach core class subjects from global perspectives (e.g., Indigenous approaches to astronomy, Japanese strategies in math, etc.)
study abroad programs for high school students
global adventure trips for high school students, where teachers travel to another country with a group of students in order to give them practical learning experiences of other societies/cultures in the world
national holidays that educate on and celebrate multiculturalism: Canadian Multiculturalism Day, National Indigenous Peoples Day, International Mother Language Day, Francophonie Day, Acadian Day, Canada Day, etc.
national holidays that educate on Canadian society’s shortcomings as they relate to the inhumane treatment of diverse peoples: National Day For Truth And Reconciliation, Black History Month, etc.
Canadian identity generally being understood as plural (see pluralism), meaning, in this context, each person is a combination of ethnocultural backgrounds that do not necessarily correlate to where they were born or where they hold citizenship
mainstream use of vocabulary that reduces negative connotations related to discrimination and exclusivity (e.g., instead of “Indian,” words like “First Nations,” “Inuit,” “Métis,” “Indigenous,” or a specific band name will be used; instead of “foreigner,” words like “international,” “Canadian resident,” or even simply “Canadian” will be used, etc.)
and much more…!
What kind of society do you live in? Is it a melting pot or a cultural mosaic? Maybe it is neither. Practice your English by describing to me the type of society you are from and why you believe it is that kind.
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ATTRIBUTION
“Crazy Patchwork Quilt” photo courtesy of Dulin, Zella - This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by Conner Prairie as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America, via its partner Indiana Memory.Record in source catalogDPLA identifier: 7bea659942383fbec9c8830e09f8030bConner Prairie identifier: Indiana Memory, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
“Amish Crazy Patchwork Quilt” photo courtesy of Lydia Beachy - Wikimedia Commons
