Read the passage given below and answer the questions based on it:
Historically, states have tried to establish and enhance their political legitimacy through nation-building strategies. They sought to secure... the loyalty and obedience of their citizens through policies of assimilation or integration. Attaining these objectives was not easy, especially in a context of cultural diversity where citizens, in addition to their identifications with their country, might also feel a strong sense of identity with their community ethnic, religious, linguistic, and so on. Most states feared that the recognition of such difference would lead to social fragmentation and prevent the creation of a harmonious society. In short, such identity politics was considered a threat to the state unity. In addition, accommodating these differences is politically challenging, so many states have resorted to either suppressing these diverse identities or ignoring them on the political domain. Policies of assimilation - often involving outright suppression of the identities of ethnic, religious or linguistic groups - try to erode the cultural differences between groups. Policies of integration seek to assert a single national identity by attempting to eliminate ethno-national and cultural differences from the public and political arena, while allowing them in the private domain. Both sets of policies assume a singular national identity.
What is the main objective of policies of integration and assimilation?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → To eliminate cultural diversity and to establish dominant groups' culture
Option (2) To eliminate cultural diversity and to establish dominant groups' culture — Correct. Both policies try to erode or eliminate cultural differences and to establish a single national identity. In practice this identity is that of the dominant group: assimilation asks all citizens to adopt values and norms that are usually those of the dominant social group, and under integration the dominant group’s culture is in danger of being treated as the ‘national’ culture.
NCERT (2025-26): “Threatened by community identities, states try to eliminate cultural diversity … Policies of assimilation – often involving outright suppression of the identities of ethnic, religious or linguistic groups – try to erode the cultural differences between groups. Policies of integration seek to assert a single national identity by attempting to eliminate ethno-national and cultural differences from the public and political arena, while allowing them in the private domain. Both sets of policies assume a singular national identity.…” “6.1 The Importance of Community Identity … Box 6.1 speaks of ‘assimilationist’ and ‘integrationist’ policies. Policies that promote assimilation are aimed at persuading, encouraging or forcing all citizens to adopt a uniform set of cultural values and norms. These values and norms are usually entirely or largely those of the dominant social group. Other, non-dominant or subordinated groups in society are expected or required to give up their own cultural values and adopt the prescribed ones. Policies promoting integration are different in style but not in overall objective: they insist that the public culture be restricted to a common national pattern, while all ‘non-national’ cultures are to be relegated to the private sphere. In this case too, there is the danger of the dominant group’s culture being treated as ‘national’ culture.…” |