Culture, multiculturalism, interculturality and transculturality and migration

The human population is spread across the planet through nomadic movements, migrant settlements pressured into contact with different knowledge, customs and beliefs. Many incorporated the difference and generated new ways of being and doing according to the context and social relationships. This process linked to the way in which needs and wants are met is what we call Culture. It is important to remember that culture is not only typical cuisine and folklore, and even goes beyond religion, although these have had a very important weight in culture throughout history. We can take as a reference the scheme Cultures: universal pattern of Harris 1990. We can also take with reference to Konthak 1999 on the classification of culture on three levels (there more and different, these are only some examples).

 

Therefore, migrations have always been a vital aspect of the human being and have identified the idiosyncrasy of population centers, either because they have occurred in the past or due to recent integrations. The way in which the integration of new population groups to an already established community is favored or hindered can enrich that community or, on the contrary, generate tensions and problems. For this reason, it is extremely important to generate policies and practices that favor not only integration, but the inclusion of the most recently incorporated people.

 

Valuing cultural diversity and difference, making the positive aspects of inclusion visible and knowing how to manage conflicts, become key in working with the local population, at the same time facilitating the inclusion of immigrants by giving opportunities that allow not only its connection to the given environment, but also enabling it to contribute its knowledge, customs and beliefs: its culture.

 

We are aware that we are in a multicultural world. We are aware of this through our own or other people's trips, the dissemination of multiculturalism in education, traditional information and communication media (news, documentaries, films), institutions and cultural dissemination centers such as museums and more contemporary world  through the Internet. It can be said that few "pure" population groups remain without any influence and acquisition of other cultures. And say pure sounds like a laboratory.

 

We incorporate some intercultural elements, when we appropriate ideas or customs from other cultures, being aware that they are not characteristic of the culture of the context with which we identify and this is happening more and more in a globalized world. We move to another level of interaction when cross-culturalism blurs cultural boundaries, the own and the foreign becomes common.

 

Cultures as a dynamic concept, is always in continuous transformation and relationships between people from different cultures, is the key element for this to happen, and for this, different cultures must coexist, as temporary contacts can change individual traits, but do not produce collective transformations.

 

If it is recognized the multiculturalism, interculturality and transculturality of the human species throughout its history. Societies have developed and become rich thanks to this, so, why is there so much rejection of immigration?

 

A complex issue that has been and should be recognized and protected from Human Rights, and not only civil and political rights and the economic, social and cultural rights, being more specific in the rights of migrants. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is agreed by the United Nations in 2018, it aims at cooperation between countries to address the causes, intervene in human trafficking, basic care, improve routes and legal. Immigration...
This pact, which is not legally binding, therefore remains in a declaration of intent, does not cover all the attention immigration needs.

 

Recognizing and acting positively in the face of the fact that there is a migrant population, whether it is legal or not, remains a task that depends on the good will of the local and national governments, non-governmental organizations and groups of people that are aware of the importance that this it has and works to create decent relational spaces for all people, co-generating solidarity and prosperous communities.