Sociology and the culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociology and the culture - Essay Example Multiculturalism can be defined as the notion that American society should be understood as a collection of diverse cultural groups rather than as a single, unified national body on one hand or as simply an aggregate of atomized individuals on the other. A multiculturalism sensibility implies that the government must recognize and respect if not nurture the diversity and integrity of racial and ethnic communities. The reason why different student groups define success in different ways is that different race and ethnical groups have sometimes their own understanding of their roles in American society which based on historical background and in some cases on public opinion. American society still operates in a paradigm in which an individual is a member of the "majority" or the "minority," either White or Non-White. This Black-Non White binary has influenced courts' and legislatures' race-conscious remedies such as school desegregation orders and employment discrimination claims. The White-Non-White paradigm is injurious, because instead of promoting equality, it promotes the dominance of whiteness. "White" becomes the singular point of reference for all other races; if one is not White, the "other" race to which one belongs is immaterial.