Black Lives Matter (BLM) has generated a momentum for tackling racism, but it has also provoked questions about what kind of approaches can help address issues of discrimination. One approach that has received criticism in recent years in Britain is multiculturalism. ‘Multiculturalism has failed’ has been a common refrain in recent years in academic, political and policy discourse in the country.
A more recent and specific charge is that multiculturalism, which emphasises ethnicity and forms of cultural racism, has failed Black people specifically and led to the rise of BLM in Britain. Something of this also seems to be reflected in Black Lives Matter UK registering under the name Black Liberation Movement UK and focussing on African and Caribbean communities in Britain.
In light of this critique, questions arise about the relationship between BLM and multiculturalism. Are they mutually exclusive or even opposed? Does a multiculturalism-based approach exacerbate problems rather than offer solutions?
