MULTI MEETS POLY: Multiculturalism and Polyculturalism Go On a First Date – Lake Forester

Another example of the plasticity of words, and how definitions can be ‘twisted’ to suit the arguments of the writer, with the introduction of  a new term, polyculturalism.

However, the play Multiculturalism and Polyculturalism Go On a First Date (34 minutes), seems like a good vehicle to explore identities and relationships:

What is multiculturalism? Multiculturalism refers to the cultural diversity of communities. As an idea, it promotes the understanding that society is comprised of distinct cultural communities that should be afforded agency, sometimes even self-determination or autonomy, typically within an institutionalized framework – the state, the corporation, the university, the organization, etc.

What is polyculturalism? Polyculturalism refers to the interchange between cultures. As an idea, it promotes the understanding that society is comprised of fluid cultural communities that continuously intersect and redefine themselves through processes of dynamic interchange. Unlike multiculturalism, polyculturalism is less adaptable to public policy and organizational rubrics, and more rooted in voluntary, often times spontaneous, engagements.

MULTI MEETS POLY: Multiculturalism and Polyculturalism Go On a First Date – Lake Forester.