Tolerance and Cultural Ghettoism in Contemporary Canada

This paper focuses on the challenges of cultural “accommodation” in contemporary Canada and proposes an alternate approach to the formation of multicultural public policy. It examines Canada’s South Korean communities as a case study. This essay analyses the issue of accommodation in relation to its potentially facilitating Cultural Ghettoism. It takes this to mean the fragmentation of society into groups wherein, a lack of engagement culturally impoverishes minority groups and the host culture. This paper argues that genuine tolerance requires an adaptive national identity, which requires an inclusive process of societal value (re)construction. Specifically, it looks at how institutional accommodation can facilitate Cultural Ghettoism. This paper primarily focuses on the dangers of this in relation to gender inequality. It does so with a particular emphasis on double marginalisation: women are sidelined by both society and their designated ethnic/cultural group. In regards to the South Korean communities in Canada, it analyses these risks through reference to domestic violence statistics. Lastly, this essay suggests specific changes based on Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions. It concludes with a summary of how the proposed approach may aid the formation of more inclusive multicultural public policy.