Multicultural Policy: Nigeria, Canada, and Switzerland

This paper will investigate the extent to which Switzerland, Nigeria, and Canada have successfully implemented multicultural policy. It will also explore how each nation’s history has affected contemporary multiculturalism within its borders. Nigeria has gone through multiple stages of multicultural policy, from coexistence and celebration of cultural diversity to assimilation and homogenization, since its independence from the British in 1960. Unlike Switzerland, Nigeria struggles with a colonial past that has manifested into detrimental consequences for multicultural policy in the form of religious violence and governmental corruption. The legacy of colonialism has greatly damaged multiculturalism in Nigeria, and it is reflected in their contemporary policies. Switzerland is protectionist both externally and internally. Multicultural policy in Switzerland is, and has historically been, centered around preventing immigrants (second and third generations included) from becoming legal citizens and formally integrating into society. Because of Switzerland’s direct democracy approach, the small homogeneous population of legal citizens have direct power over multicultural policy, and this is one of the main reasons Switzerland struggles to create a prejudice free environment and successfully implement inclusive policy. Canada has been more successful in implementing multicultural policy and this paper will explore how it has accomplished that