Multiculturalism through the prism of history: experiences and perspectives and lessons to learn

Abstract

The public interest of politicians, scientists, media representatives of different countries in issues of multiculturalism is growing significantly. One of the reasons thereof lies in the global processes of economic, social, environmental, etc. nature, which often encourage people to voluntarily or involuntarily cross the borders of other countries and seek to settle for a new life in somewhat familiar or even unfamiliar cultural environment. Movement of foreigners to other countries at the same time poses a serious challenge for the host country’s local communities. The constantly expanding international migration transferred the topic of multiculturalism into a global phenomenon. Numerous speeches and publications reveal that this phenomenon has not only defenders, but also sharp critics, or even opponents. Studies of the authors of the article showed that the origins of multiculturalism are found in ancient civilizations, therefore without perception of the historic transformation of this process, most researches, speeches and publications reflect the current situation only partially and as such do not reach their goals. This article first focuses more closely on the historical context of the multiculturalism process and seeks to establish its ties with the present. The article presents the experience of the ancient world (Macedonian/Greek, Germanic, the Roman Empire, etc.) and the modern Canada, Australia, Britain and Lithuania. Researches on this topic in Lithuania, as in many other post-communist countries, have been conducted quite sporadically and mostly deal only with individual issues of public multiculturalism. The article discusses the existing reserves of improving the conditions for integration of foreigners into the Lithuanian society. The topic of multiculturalism is the research object of several areas of science; therefore, the genre of the topic under consideration demanded a different kind of scientific discourse with the emphasis on the importance of perception of this phenomenon in the contemporary society. It is likely that the subject discussed in the article will stimulate new research, so that it could provide comprehensive insights that would contribute to the formation of positive public opinion about the arriving foreigners.