Essay Question: Why might ethnic diversity pose a challenge to democracy? How might this challenge be overcome so as to produce a stable and sustainable democracy? Support your answer with evidence from two countries.
Word Count: 1083 words
Democracy is where a state is controlled by a representative government that is voted for by the adult population every few years or so. Ethnic diversity is the “…co-existence of diverse cultures, where culture includes racial, religious or cultural groups” ("IFLA -- Defining "Multiculturalism"", n.d.). In this case, democracy can be seen as a medium used to reduce any kind of opposition between these different culture groups. This is because unity is needed for a successful democracy. Everyone needs to …show more content…
This is evident by the many different languages and dialects spoken by the people. “The Indian constitution recognizes five regional languages” ("India: People and Culture", n.d.). This proves that India is not ignorant to the existence of the many culture groups. Perhaps this is why they have had great success in maintaining a sustainable democracy. Majority of its population are Hindu. This fact is statistically palpable since “80% of Indians are Hindu while only 14% are Muslim” ("India: People and Culture", n.d.). In spite of this, India does not have a state religion. Not having an official state religion could be one of their methods used to not instigate religious wars within the country. A biased attitude towards religion can only lead to clashes between different religious groups. The equal acknowledgment of the many religious beliefs present is key to attaining peace in a massive and ethnically diverse country like India. “India is a federal state with a parliamentary form of government and is administratively divided into 28 states” ("India: Government", n.d.). These states are led by an appointed state governor that have their own law enforcement and local regime. This is a form of “…power sharing that is incentive for multi-ethnic co-operation” ("Diversity and Democracy", n.d.). Through this system of governing India is “…enhancing minority influence in majority decision-making” ("Diversity and Democracy", n.d.). Overall, India has proven to the world how democracy can overcome ethnic diversity. Differences in language, race or religion is no excuse to start a war. Having the majority rule democracy approach would not work in a country like this. ("Diversity and Democracy", n.d.). Their federal government system is what unites the many ethnic groups within the
Word Count: 1083 words
Democracy is where a state is controlled by a representative government that is voted for by the adult population every few years or so. Ethnic diversity is the “…co-existence of diverse cultures, where culture includes racial, religious or cultural groups” ("IFLA -- Defining "Multiculturalism"", n.d.). In this case, democracy can be seen as a medium used to reduce any kind of opposition between these different culture groups. This is because unity is needed for a successful democracy. Everyone needs to …show more content…
This is evident by the many different languages and dialects spoken by the people. “The Indian constitution recognizes five regional languages” ("India: People and Culture", n.d.). This proves that India is not ignorant to the existence of the many culture groups. Perhaps this is why they have had great success in maintaining a sustainable democracy. Majority of its population are Hindu. This fact is statistically palpable since “80% of Indians are Hindu while only 14% are Muslim” ("India: People and Culture", n.d.). In spite of this, India does not have a state religion. Not having an official state religion could be one of their methods used to not instigate religious wars within the country. A biased attitude towards religion can only lead to clashes between different religious groups. The equal acknowledgment of the many religious beliefs present is key to attaining peace in a massive and ethnically diverse country like India. “India is a federal state with a parliamentary form of government and is administratively divided into 28 states” ("India: Government", n.d.). These states are led by an appointed state governor that have their own law enforcement and local regime. This is a form of “…power sharing that is incentive for multi-ethnic co-operation” ("Diversity and Democracy", n.d.). Through this system of governing India is “…enhancing minority influence in majority decision-making” ("Diversity and Democracy", n.d.). Overall, India has proven to the world how democracy can overcome ethnic diversity. Differences in language, race or religion is no excuse to start a war. Having the majority rule democracy approach would not work in a country like this. ("Diversity and Democracy", n.d.). Their federal government system is what unites the many ethnic groups within the