Robert D. Putnam only sees two options for Western democracies when it comes to integration. This became obvious during the big MatchPoints panel debate, when internationally recognised researchers discussed multicultural citizenship, social capital and recognition.

2013.05.29 | Camilla Mehlsen og Bjørg Tulinius

Robert D. Putnam is appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor at Aarhus Universitet. Photo: Lars Kruse, AU Kommunikation

Muslim immigrants, German minorities and Indian Sikhs were just some of the immigrant groups in the spotlight at the first MatchPoints debate in the Lakeside Lecture Theatres at Aarhus University.

How do you ensure good integration and peaceful coexistence when different cultures and ethnic groups have to live together? And how do some of the world’s leading social researchers view the challenges of integration? Those were the big questions that Flemming Rose – editor for foreign affairs of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten – had to get the panelists to answer, and they were far from agreement.

Canada was represented by Professor John Hall and Professor Will Kymlicka, and Canada is often mentioned as a particularly good example of a nation that has succeeded in creating a well-functioning multicultural society.

“In our country, multiculturalism is embedded in our constitution, which means that it’s part of our legislation that we have to consider different groups and their special needs,” Professor Kymlicka explained.

However, there are limits to what has to be considered. Professor Kymlicka mentioned, for example, that Sikhs still have to wear a helmet when riding a motorbike although they would like to be granted exemption from this rule on account of their religious headgear.

Punishment for ethnic jokes
Professor Frederik Stjernfelt from Aarhus University totally disagreed with the Canadian approach to integration. In his opinion, it is completely wrong to grant different groups special rights. Instead, Professor Stjernfelt emphasised that universal human rights should aim to protect all individuals on an equal footing – which is why it results in inequality if certain groups are granted special rights.

“Bosnia shaped my view of multiculturalism. In the former Yugoslavia, legislation was based on considerations for different population groups. You could, for example, be given an extended prison sentence for making an ethnic joke. As we saw, these special considerations only made tensions worse – so it didn’t work,” Professor Stjernfelt said.

 On the other hand, Robert D. Putnam – the newly appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor at Aarhus University – is a firm proponent of positive discrimination of minorities in a society, not only in terms of ethnicity, but also in terms of social class, for example.

“If we create positive discrimination so that more children from different social layers and cultures come together in the classrooms, our children will become more creative and productive. I feel sorry for the poor rich white kids who don’t go to school with my grandchild, who is described as Hispanic because her dad is from Costa Rica,” said Professor Putnam.

We marry them
Professor Putnam repeatedly mentioned the American model for integration as the best possible approach.
“In the USA, new population groups have continued to arrive, and each time we’ve thought: oh no, they won’t fit in here. But then we end up marrying some of them, and at some stage you forget that they were once foreigners,” he said.

According to Professor Putnam, the USA’s approach to integration is the country’s strongest card in today’s global race.
“Our main advantage is neither our universities nor Hollywood. It’s our long history and experience with immigration – an experience you haven’t got,” Professor Putnam said.

He concluded the evening’s debate by making it clear that, as a society, we only have two choices when it comes to immigration.

Either we do as the USA and welcome new population groups – and gradually get used to them – or we do what Japan does, which is to remain a very homogeneous country with an ageing population and a struggling economy.
“In my view, you have to take the risk and welcome others – there’s no other option,” Professor Putnam concluded.