Living in A Diverse

Society:
Is Harmony
Achievable?
1. Recap
Let’s recapitulate what you have learned so far
for Theme 2.
Chapter 4
What is Diversity?
▪ Nationality
▪ Race and ethnicity
▪ Religion
▪ Socio-economic status

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Chapter 5
Why is there greater diversity in
Singapore now?
▪ Immigration policy
▪ Economic opportunities
▪ Socio-cultural environment
▫ Community support
▫ Safety
▫ Quality education system 4
Chapter 6
What are the experiences and
effects of living in a diverse
society?
▪ Positive experiences/ effects:
▫ Exchange and appreciation
of culture
▫ Exchange and appreciation
of skills and knowledge 5
Chapter 6
What are the experiences and
effects of living in a diverse society?
▪ Negative experiences/ effects:
▫ Stereotypes, prejudices
▫ Competition for resources
(jobs, houses, infrastructure)
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinio
▫ Concerns over social mobility n/article/3094525/indonesia-hong-kong-
singapore-ongoing-battle-against-racist
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Chapter 6
What are the experiences and
effects of living in a diverse society?
▪ Government strategies to
improve harmony
▫ Common spaces
▫ Tightening of immigration
policies
▫ Meritocracy in education
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Chapter 7:
Ways to manage a
diverse society
Overview of Chapter 7
7.1: Managing socio-cultural diversity
▪ Assimilation (France) [Lesson 1]
▪ Integration (Singapore) [Lesson 2]

7.2: Managing socio-economic diversity

▪ Healthcare approaches of Singapore, Sweden, USA
[Lesson 3]
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Chapter
7.1
Managing
socio-cultural diversity

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Assimilation
What is assimilation?
▪ Immigrants adopt the beliefs
and practices of the majority
group in the host country

▪ Identity of the immigrants

become indistinguishable
from the majority group
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 Many countries practice
assimilation as a way to integrate
their new immigrants, such as
Indonesia and USA. But the
approach to assimilation varies
from country to country. The
video on the left talks about the
assimilation of immigrant Chinese
in Indonesia.
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 Assimilation - Case study of France
▪ France’s approach to assimilation is
known as Laicite, which means
secularism. Secularism means that
government affairs are not influenced
by religion, and no religion is favoured
by another
▪ Thus, in theory, Laicite guarantees that
all citizens, regardless of their origin,
race or religion, are treated as equals
before the law
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 Assimilation - Case study of France
▪ Laicite thus expects new
immigrants to adopt the French
national identity as the most
important aspect of an
individual’s identity
▪ Religion should be kept private

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 Assimilation - Case study of France
▪ Public identity
▫ In line with Laicite, French people
must maintain a secular public
identity
▫ No religious clothing allowed in
public places
▫ 2004 - ban on conspicuous religious
symbols in schools, such as Sikh
turbans, Jewish kippah, face veils,
headscarves, etc
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 Assimilation - Case study of France
▪ Education
▫ French schools are also secular
▫ Meant to strengthen French
national identity
▫ No discussion about religions
except in History and
Philosophy classes
▫ Adaptation classes to help
children of immigrants
improve their French
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 Assimilation - Case study of France
▪ Employment
▫ At workplaces, adult immigrants
expected to pick up French
language to communicate with
their colleagues
▫ Government introduced a
Diversity Charter to support
discrimination-free workplaces to
support the assimilation of
immigrants

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 Assimilation - Case study of France
▪ Naturalization process
▫ French language courses
▫ Attend a day of civic education about
life in France before gaining PR status
▫ French cultural test
▫ These processes encourage interaction
with French people → adopt French
attitudes and beliefs that will
strengthen their French identity
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What do you think of France’s
approach of assimilating
immigrants?

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Source A: A comment by the French Education
Minister in 2013.
Source B: An opinion by a female Muslim
immigrant in France.

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Source C: An online comment about laïcité.
Source D: A cartoon about assimilation.

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In recent news, you may have read
about the beheading of a French
teacher in public, and subsequent
cases of killings. It has been argued
that these murders reflect the
failure of Laicite to integrate the
Muslim immigrants in France. You
can read more facts and opinions
about these incidents in the articles
below:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-e
urope-54602171

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/
26/world/europe/france-beheading-t
eacher.html
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