V ISIONS OF DIVERSITY : FROM DENIAL TO RECOGNITION

FROM DENIAL TO RECOGNITION Through modern history, almost every society has seen diversity as negative. It was a “problem” that needed to be solved. Can we see diversity in a different way?

F ROM DENIAL TO RECOGNITION : S EGREGATION Segregation is a separation of humans into racial groups, which affects their daily activities. Spanish colonialism in America divided the population in “Spanish towns” and “Indio towns”.

F ROM DENIAL TO RECOGNITION : S EGREGATION In the 20th century, The United States had a division between white and africanamerican population. Governmental policies and the law privileged white population.

F ROM DENIAL TO RECOGNITION : S EGREGATION In South Africa, the Apartheid (the status of being apart) was a system of racial segregation that remained until The law allowed 1% of the population (white) dominated the rest.

Assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multiculturalism that supports or promotes the assimilation of cultural and ethnic minorities into the dominant group. F ROM DENIAL TO RECOGNITION : C ULTURAL A SSIMILATION

Guatemala’s governments in the latest 19th century promoted the assimilation of indigenous people into the dominant group. In order to have Guatemalan citizenship people was forced to stop “being indigenous”.

F ROM DENIAL TO RECOGNITION : A NNIHILATION During the World War II the German government killed more than 6 million Jewish, Catholics, Romani, homosexuals and communists.

F ROM DENIAL TO RECOGNITION : A NNIHILATION In 1932 in El Salvador, there was a peasant uprising and it was quickly suppressed by the government. Between 20,000 and 30,000 peasants were killed in a few days. Most of them were indigenous and represented a high percentage of the total of indigenous population.

In the second half of the 20th century the paradigm started to change Now humanity tries to see diversity In a different way…

F ROM DENIAL TO RECOGNITION : C ULTURAL P LURALISM Cultural pluralism is a new paradigm that establishes the possibility that humans can cohabit peacefully in societies with ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic diversity. Diversity is valued as positive and nobody has to loose their culture or identity to be a part of the society or live his/her Rights as citizens of a particular country. From this perspective derives: Multiculturality Interculturality

C ULTURAL P LURALISM : M ULTICULTURALISM The recognition of ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic diversity. Implies that all no matter how diverse a society is everybody’s Human Rights should be respected. And all citizens (no matter their cultural background, language or identity) should have the same opportunities. It also implies the right “to be different”.

C ULTURAL P LURALISM : INTERCULTURALISM The recognition of ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic diversity. Implies that all no matter how diverse a society is everybody’s Human Rights should be respected. And all citizens (no matter their cultural background, language or identity) should have the same opportunities. It also implies the right “to be different”. Suggests “unity in diversity”

W HAT ’ S THE DIFFERENCE ? Interculturality (as fact) Interculturalism (as perspective or philosophy) Intercultural Education (educational strategies)