Urban Diversity and the Scope of Multiculturalism

Abstract

The formation of multicultural societies can be considered a result of modern phenomena such as urbanization and industrialization that produced a mobilization of people and a political and cultural exchange that had not been experienced previously. Henri Lefebvre (1961) called this “the time of the dissolution of traditional cultures.” Until the 1960s, countries with the highest rate of immigration – the United States, Canada and Australia – had adopted a system called “Anglo-conformity,” which sought the full assimilation of immigrants, namely the abolition of all hallmarks of origin. In this context, the entry of migrants to the country was mediated by their capacity to assimilate into the mainstream culture. This situation began to change in the early 1970s due to pressure from immigrant groups and the political awareness of the diversification of societies, mainly in urban areas, which opened the way for more tolerant and pluralistic political views, allowing immigrant groups to preserve their ethno-cultural practices.