Toward National Unity in Multicultural Societies

Introduction Integrating different ethnic groups in Guyana and the Caribbean into a single cultural identity seems wanting. Given the presence of many different ethnic groups, a national and regional unity that is birthed only from one identity for all is false. The creation of a single identity would then become a cultural loss to each ethnic group. Perhaps, this is not what Caribbean people want. It is instructive to note that in the1930s, Indians in Jamaica rejected the colonial Moyne Commission’s injunction to become absorbed into the Creole culture. The Moyne Commission had pressed for the emergence of a single identity on the Island. Then, of course, we have the multicultural scenario in the U.S. Does the U.S. have a singular American cultural identity? The answer is in the negative. Each ethnic group has a legitimate cultural classification. For instance, the U.S. has Asian-American culture, African American culture, Jewish-American culture, Italian-American culture, Native-American culture, etc. Each ethnic group practices its culture and there is no attempt to create one cultural identity for all Americans. Pluralism, a philosophy that encourages the coexistence of many cultures, is at work.