Is multiculturalism bad for African Americans? Redefining inclusion through the lens of identity safety.

Abstract

In the late 1990s, Susan Okin wrote a withering critique of multiculturalism in her essay "Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women?" that sparked a lively debate about the claims racial minority groups make to acknowledge their existence and whether they clash with norms of gender equality (Okin, 1999). Inspired by her title and critique, we believe social psychologists could benefit from a critical analysis of multiculturalism as it relates to racial minorities in the United States, specifically African Americans. Although our arguments apply to multiple groups in the United States, we focus on African Americans because their full inclusion in mainstream institutions has been historically contentious (Glazer, 1997;Olson, 2001). Moreover, architects of multiculturalism often judge the effectiveness of multicultural policies by the degree to which African Americans are effectively incorporated into a given institution (Glazer, 1997).Multiculturalism refers to the general notion that group differences should be the basis for mutual respect and that these differences should be valued. Typically, multiculturalism stands in contrast to so-called color blindness, the idea that people are universally similar and that group differences should be minimized (Plaut, 2002). By no means do we plan to offer a critique of

From Backlash to Inclusion for All: Instituting Diversity Efforts to Maximize Benefits Across Group Lines

“…That is, relative to male MSE majors across conditions and female MSE majors who were not under threat, they had better memory for objects in the video and faster heart rates. Importantly, these cues can bolster or undermine student trust, with a powerful impact on student engagement and persistence in higher education (Purdie-Vaughns & Walton, 2011;Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper, & Cohen, 2017). Being mindful of these types of cues will ensure that all students, or organizational members, are receiving the intended message from their institution: that they belong, that they are welcomed, and that the organization will do everything it can to support them and their success.…”

When Whites' Attempts to Be Multicultural Backfire in Intergroup Interactions

“…Secondly, Whites should be aware of and educated about the broader diversity‐related cues in the environment to which people of color are themselves often attuned. In a setting with high minority representation, a colorblind approach that emphasizes individual qualities may be appealing (Purdie‐Vaughns & Walton, ; Purdie‐Vaughns et al, ). However, settings with poor minority representation, and settings in which race has played and continues to play a critical role in individuals' life circumstances and experiences (e.g.…”

“…Unfortunately, as promising as multiculturalism is as an ideology, its ideals can often be implemented poorly “on the ground” (Purdie‐Vaughns & Walton, , pg. 163).…”

Colorblind and multicultural diversity strategies create identity management pressure

“…In spite of potential benefits of colorblindness for weakly identified Asian individuals in a US context, the broader research literature suggests that multiculturalism may be a more promising strategy overall (Gündemir et al, 2016;Purdie-Vaughns et al, 2008; but see Jansen, Otten, & van der Zee, 2015;Plaut, Garnett, Buffardi, & Sanchez-Burks, 2011;Purdie-Vaughns & Walton, 2011). Perhaps the most promising strategies will combine some components of both multiculturalism and colorblindness, ensuring that people's group identities are valued, while also still valuing individuality and acknowledging variation within groups.…”