Positive discrimination

On the surface the term positive discrimination can seem quite contradictory. After all it seems a little odd to call discrimination positive. Although I assure you that it is not only possible but it is highly desirable. It stems from the common occurance of multicultural societies. In a multicultural society you will have people from various different cultures living under the same state. By culture I refer to the definition provided by Omohundro "the learned, shared understandings among a group of people about how to behave and what everything means” (2008, p.27). There will be differences at times between cultures, which means that what is applicable to one culture will not always be applicable to others.

The problem this causes is that society will often have a dominate culture, which enjoys a strong hold over the state. This is why positive discrimination is able to be a positive thing. By recognizing these differences positive discrimination takes steps to ensure that people from differing cultures are not forced into a situation where they are victims of assimilation and or ethnocide.