Multiculturalism
Friday, July 29, 2011 at 9:00 The subject of multiculturalism has been a major topic of discussion in Europe over the past year, since the leaders of three of the most powerful Western European states stated publicly that state multiculturalism has failed.
Angela Merkel kicked off the debate last fall when she gave a speech stating that Germany's approach to multiculturalism had completely failed, largely because it had failed to bring about enough integration (in German). For David Cameron, Britain's efforts have been a failure because they have not stopped extremism. Nicolas Sarkozy quickly followed suit, declaring that integration has been a failure and that France has been "too concerned about the identity of the person who was arriving and not enough about the identity of the country" to which they came.
There are too many issues wrapped up in here to really discuss it - immigration, unemployment, deficits, religion, the effect of declining working-age population on the welfare state, party politics, and so on. And this isn't a blog about politics. But it is a blog about our observations while living in Germany, and particulary one where we like to share observations that break stereotypes.
The official policy here, as elaborated by Chancellor Merkel, is that
[Germany is] an integration country, [where] all people of foreign origin are welcome who are prepared to live according to the laws and values of society, or even become German citizens.
By no means are things here perfect - I'm not sure there's one country in the world that has figured out how to deal with these complex and emotional issues adequately. And the sad truth is that certain groups have it a lot harder than others. Coming here as an American with a couple of university degrees and a good job afforded me a pretty simple visa process. I realize it isn't always the case.
But one of the things that most surprised me upon moving here was the diversity. Part of it is because I live in Munich, a decent-sized city and one that attracts many students and young people looking for education and careers. Still, the variety of restaurants was shocking, as well as the number of ethnic groceries in the area (Asian, Turkish, and African are the most popular).
As I lived here longer and started to follow the news, I realized that it went deeper than food and readily available Bollywood DVD rentals. I was pleasantly surprised to see that immigrants and children of immigrants are becoming accepted here in very prominent positions. And of course it's hard to forget the 2010 World Cup, where half of Germany's team were immigrants or children of immigrants. Its stars came from Poland, Turkey, Brazil, Bosnia, Ghana, and other lands and was a team of which Germans could be proud.
Even in the US - where we pride ourselves on being a melting pot and somewhere than anyone has the possibility to achieve his or her dreams - it's rare to see national-level politicians who are first or second generation American citizens. Yet in Germany, which has a much shorter history of mass immigration, the last ten years have seen the election of a number of prominent politicians of Turkish and other descent, including Cem Özdemir who co-heads the Green Party. And this year, we saw Dr. Phillip Rösler (adopted from Vietnam as a child) appointed as both Economics Minister and Vice Chancellor.
This week, something even more surprising happened when Deutsche Bank nominated London-based Indian national Anshu Jain as co-CEO to follow Josef Ackermann. Though widely respected as one of the best in the business, he's neither German nor (yet) a fluent German speaker. (I'd imagine he'll be getting the best language training Deutshe Bank's billions can buy!). In the context of a US or other global investment bank, this wouldn't be too significant, but the CEO of Deutsche Bank traditionally plays a more informal role as advisor to the government and sometimes as a representative of German industry. Therefore, there has been wide speculation worldwide whether or not a deserving but non-German(speaking) candidate could get the nod. However, after weeks of succession struggles, the board has appointed the man Bild refers to as "Der Cricket-Spieler mit George-Clooney-Charme" to co-head the bank, along with a German counterpart to handle the political and relationships side of things for at least the first few years. )On a random side note, I know he can't write one from that position, but I would LOVE to read his blog as he moves from the London banking world to run a company in Frankfurt!)
I know it has its problems, the same as almost every large country these days, but I have a hard time saying that multiculturalism has completely failed here. If Germany is a place where you can come and your children could run a top company or hold a Cabinet-level position, something must be working.
Frau A ... 5 Comments 
Reader Comments (5)
So many important issues here, Frau A.
Remember that the current president of the USA is the son of an immigrant. And look at how poorly he has been accepted as a legitimate citizen of the country. Mother Jones Magazine calls this tendency not to accept as "Otherism". http://www.politicususa.com/en/otherism-sure-obama-is-american-but-he-doesnt-get-america
I suspect that the whole "multiculturalism has failed" meme here in Germany is an example of Otherism. When Merkel first made the comment that multiculturalism had failed, someone asked me what I thought about her statement. I replied that before Germany could declare that multiculturalism had failed, they should try it. Multiculturalism is an embracing of diversity, not a grudging tolerance of it. How has the immigrant community (which by our New World standards is still quite small) influenced German culture? Apart from food, not very much, I suspect.
But this discussion is best continued over a beer, one of which I owe you and Herr J., along with a copy of the MUH Magazine in which you are quoted. Free anytime soon?
Wow, how did I miss the Obama example?? My mind has been elsewhere...
Food is usually the one place people can agree....döner has become a national dish (albeit a late night or on-the-run kind of food).
We're definitely free in the next few weeks for a non-Oktoberfest beer. We did pick up a copy of MUH but would love to meet up soon.
Looking forward to seeing your profile on Frau Dietz's site this week!
Your comment that you were amazed by the diversity here was interesting to me. One of the first things I tell people about the differences between here and the US is that I was amazed at the LACK of diversity here. Even the biggest cities here don't seem to hold a candle diversity-wise to smaller cities in the US or UK. I notice it more when I leave here than when I arrived, though.
My unfortunate personal experience has been that use of the word Multikulti by Germans is actually often somewhat derogatory. I feel lucky enough to sort of blend in as long as I don't open my mouth. (Sort of....because I probably still dress like an American.)
I definitely don't think diversity in Germany can compare to big US cities. However, I was pleasantly surprised how it compared to my expectations and to the stereotypes that many of us have before visiting Germany. I get similar comments from most friends and family who visit and are surprised that it is not what they expected.
I will say my very first impression of diversity in Munich was comically wrong. I came for a week in August to find an apartment and was shocked by the sheer numbers of women in burqas, niqabs, and other headcoverings around the city center area. I was thinking "Wow, is Germany really tolerant and not what I'd heard." The next year I realized that most of the families were tourists enjoying an escape from the hot Gulf area summer, not residents...
I actually didn't have a stereotype that Germany would be all white, which I guess explains my surprise when it turned out that it almost is. I figured living in a university town, it would be just like an American university town, but not so at all.
A guy just moved to my husband's work who has also been a foreigner in the US - can't wait to get to know him so I can hear his opinion on being a foreigner there vs. here. I think he's the first foreigner I met here who has done the foreigner bit in both places!