multiculturalism

the view or policy that a society should value people from different cultural backgrounds and let those traditions remain part of public life

• cultural pluralism

  close academic term that emphasizes several traditions living side by side

• diversity

  broader and less political; it can describe variety without a policy position

• inclusion

  focuses more on fair participation than on preserving separate traditions

• assimilation

  expects minority groups to adopt the dominant culture instead of keeping distinct traditions

• cultural uniformity

  stresses sameness across a society rather than visible differences

• monoculture

  suggests only one shared way of life dominates public space