Multiculturalism Case

London is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities on the planet.

1.0 Introduction

The term "multiculturalism" is a controversial and divisive issue in the UK.

The most recent census done in 2001 depicts that 30% of London residents are foreign – born. There are at least 50 ethnic communities with populations of 10000 or more in London. (Benedictus, 2005) A truly multicultural and multiethnic society—London will be evaluated and accessed in this report. To justify the value of diversity, benefits, challenges and further developments will be analyzed.

2.0 Benefits brought by diversity

2.1 Unique culture

Unique culture rewards people with outstanding benefits that support and create a confident and vibrant country. Each ethnic and religious community has its own cultural background and a comparatively long history. It is of paramount importance not only to refrain from the fatal vices and parochialism of dissent, but also to appreciate their virtues and strength. (Parekh, 2005) Learning from others' insights and criticisms is rudimentary because an enriching access to new visions of the good life is gained. A broadened and united society with rich and tolerant culture can be established.

2.2 New ideas

With the amalgamation of several cultures in London, the citizens now have better and fresh ideas. The obvious example is there is a wide variety of food available like Chinese and Vietnamese food. In addition, there are varying sports that other cultures brought from their countries. Basketball originated from America, while hockey initiated from Canada.

2.3 Creativity

Cultural diversity is often regarded as a source of abundance and an activator of process of creativity and innovation. It has been evidenced that diverse teams provide more creative solutions than teams in which all members are from a similar background because variation of perspective and ideas are interacted by different ethnic group members. Regrettably, people would be alike in the area of belief and action if the city has only one culture. Therefore, having a diverse mixture of cultures, people can inspire people to think uniquely and thus raise their creativity.

3.0 Challenges

There is no doubt that each culture has its own ancestral traditions and values. People have different ideals cause conflicts easily. Minorities