Multiculturalism is more related to the ethnic cultures of the given societies (mostly different) while pluralism deals with the acceptance of varied ideas in the same society.
Social Integration (Sociology) refers to a situation where minority groups come together or are incorporated into mainstream society.
Social integration is a process of largely agreeing on a shared system of meaning, Differences do exist but a mutual understand facilitates the tolerance necessary to live together. The goal of tolerance is to establishment and maintenance the culture and values of the larger community.
Integration Contributed to reduce conflict and unifies members through a sense of connectivity to the larger society, realized through an overarching identity in association with that societies culture and shared values.
Classical Theory
Émile Durkheim
Mechanical Solidarity is what binds more primitive, or smaller, societies together. In this kind of solidarity, with a kinship of shared beliefs and values that bind us together
Organic Solidarity occurs out of interdependence of members of a given community. Its complexity is in social cohesion being rooted in dependency of individuals. This has only been shown to occur in more advanced societies
EMBEDDED RISK – what occurs when aggregates (groups) establish and the give-and-take relationship is disrupted by one group refusing to contribute to the system at large.
Anomie is a failure to achieve cohesion and leads to problem stemming out of members lacking a sense connectivity.
This sense of disconnection to the larger society is worsened when aggregate members consciously choose to disassociate and no longer attempt to integrate. This taking on a cyclical pattern, that will only contribute to the already destabilizing society by focusing on characteristics that differentiate and not unify, leading to an increase in potential conflict and unrest.
Pluralist Democracy describes a political system where there is more than one center of power. Democracies are pluralist as democracies allow freedom of association. However, pluralism may exist without democracy.
At what point does freedom of association lead to differences being realized unification and mobilization take place.
Tribal Society – a society with a social organization emphasizing tribes – an social group(s) having distinctive cultural and economic organizations (pluralism).
Tribalism – the state or fact of being organized in a tribe or tribes
At what point do tribes behaviours and attitudes transition into dominance. Seeing opportunity that can be created through their individual strengths unified and mobilized. Marching under a banner of identity, a communal commonality disassociated and void of the larger society’s principles.
From a political science position once an aggregate reaches 10% the subset aggregates unifies and develops a sense of opportunity. At 13% social aggregates have the population density and ability to challenge overarching structures.
This risk is particularly of concern in democratic secular societies, with a predisposition to social fragmentation. Where aggregates act as factions and the unification of communities into a larger society is only achievable through oppositional gains.
