Diversity Equals Division?

One of the central tenets in the canon of teaching English as a Second Language is faith in the concept of diversity. Very few of us can have attended a English language teaching conference that did not "celebrate" diversity in title or in content. And even fewer of us would argue that the language rights of non-English speakers need to be upheld - the controversy only starts when we try to define the extent of these rights.

We recognize the historical role of English as the language of the dominant culture of the United States and sometimes, some of us feel guilty about this. This ambivalent attitude towards the subject matter of our profession has lead us to embrace diversity as proof of our good intentions towards those who are our pupils and our customers -English language learners - and also because we believe that promoting diversity is beneficial. But is our simple faith in diversity misplaced?

Writing in her recently published study of race relations in the U.S., Someone Else's House, Tamar Jacoby observes "The alternative to integration is not, as many people believe, a rich feast of diversity." Jacoby argues that the active promotion of diversity, that is, highlighting the differences between us as racial and ethnic groups, actually divides us as a society. It is better, says Jacoby, that we focus on the ties that bind us, the communality that we share as Americans. We need to work towards integration, says Jacoby, because the alternative, diversity, will eventually lead to the balkanization of the United States.

In a radio interview, Jacoby asked listeners whether they had ever been inside the house of a person of another race or ethnicity different from themselves. How many black people had been inside a white person's house? How many white people had visited a Hispanic household? How many Asians had called on blacks? The point Jacoby was making is that it is all well and good to celebrate our diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, but, without integration, this celebration has a hollow ring to it.

Can language play a role in integration? It has been argued that it did for many immigrants who came to this country and became Americans. But the language that binds us does not unite us. Instead, it is socio-economic factors linked to education, or the lack of it, that play the greater role in defining our society. Through education, and the development of English language skills, we can work to level the playing-field of society for all. Multilingualism further enhances this process; so perhaps diversity and integration are not mutually exclusive.