Today, multiculturalists themselves are still not in agreement as to what they are advocating. Generally, they fall into one of three categories.

Generating the most controversy are the separatists. They promote maintenance of a separate group identity, resistance to assimilation, and maintenance of their own customs, language, and values. Because first-generation immigrants are commonly visible to the native-born population in appearance (clothing and/or physical features), language (accent and/or limited command of the host country's language), residential clustering, customs, and parallel social institutions (e.g., churches, schools, social clubs, media), societal members often assume that they will remain a persistent subculture. Although most immigrant groups assimilate over two to three generations (race or religion may slow or prevent this process), contemporaries see only the present reality of a non-mainstream group in their midst. If that reality is mislabeled as a separatist threat, it can generate feelings of anti-multiculturalism.

At the other end of the spectrum, closer to the assimilationist view, are the inclusionists. Their position--comparable to the 1970s effort to include curriculum material about, by, and of non-European peoples--promotes a common identity but also a pluralist perspective by recognizing not only diversity within society, but also society's multiethnic, multiracial heritage and ongoing derivative elements. Instead of allegiance to a specific racial and/or ethnic group, the emphasis is on a united cause through a shared identity and appreciation for the intermingling of cultures.

Falling midway between these orientations are the integrative pluralists. Using such metaphors as salad bowl, kaleidoscope, and symphony, these multiculturalists emphasize that the nation's strength lies in its diversity, that the blends and contrasts of its different peoples generate a dynamic synergy in its culture, quality of life, and achievements. This viewpoint suggests that both society and all individuals benefit through cultural enrichment from the presence of diversity. Society can become more cohesive when its members find common superordinate goals without insisting on a loss of racial or ethnic identity.

Bibliography:

1) Hollinger, David A. 2006. Postethnic America: Beyond Multiculturalism. Rev. ed. New York: Basic Books.

2) Kivisto, Peter. 2002. Multiculturalism in a Global Society. New York: Blackwell.

3) Okin, Susan Moller. 1999. Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women? Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

4) Parrillo, Vincent N. 2008. Diversity in America. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

5) Phillips, Anne. 2007. Multiculturalism without Culture. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

6) Taylor, Charles. 1994. Multiculturalism: Examining the Politics of Recognition. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

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