

In many areas, these ethnic mosaics no longer exist today. After the First World War, ethnic minorities were disadvantaged, forced to emigrate or even murdered in most regions in the area of the former Habsburg monarchy due to the prevailing nationalism at the time. Today's topical issues such as social and cultural differentiation, multilingualism, competing identity offers or multiple cultural identities have already shaped the scientific theories of many thinkers of this multi-ethnic empire. The effects of this multicultural political system can still be statistically measured today, since a particularly positive relationship of trust between citizens and authorities (the so-called Habsburg effect) can still be seen in the former dominion.

One of the foundations of this centuries-old state structure was the Habsburg principle of "live and let live". Ī historical example of multiculturalism was the Habsburg monarchy, which had broken up in 1918 and under whose roof many different ethnic, linguistic and religious groups lived together. The Achaemenid Empire founded by Cyrus the Great followed a policy of incorporating and tolerating various cultures. States that embody multicultural ideals have arguably existed since ancient times. 5.1.1 Demographics and official languages.4.1.2 Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Castes (OBC).2.7.1 Effect of diversity on civic engagement.It has been described as a " salad bowl" and as a " cultural mosaic", in contrast to a " melting pot". Multiculturalism as a political philosophy involves ideologies and policies which vary widely. In reference to political science, multiculturalism can be defined as a state's capacity to effectively and efficiently deal with cultural plurality within its sovereign borders. On a large scale, it can occur as a result of either legal or illegal migration to and from different jurisdictions around the world. On a smaller scale this can occur artificially when a jurisdiction is established or expanded by amalgamating areas with two or more different cultures (e.g. In reference to sociology, multiculturalism is the end-state of either a natural or artificial process (for example: legally-controlled immigration) and occurs on either a large national scale or on a smaller scale within a nation's communities. Groups associated with an indigenous, aboriginal or autochthonous ethnic group and settler-descended ethnic groups are often the focus. It can describe a mixed ethnic community area where multiple cultural traditions exist (such as New York City or London) or a single country within which they do (such as Switzerland, Belgium or Russia). In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchangeably, and for cultural pluralism in which various ethnic groups collaborate and enter into a dialogue with one another without having to sacrifice their particular identities.

The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use.
