The argument that racial, ethnic and religious prejudices have long sustained problematic social hierarchies has precipitated a type of multiculturalism that is designed to compensate those who are not of the hegemonic culture. In Australia, the article by James (1998) argues, this is producing a social and political backlash that has actually been to the detriment of its immigrant population and its cultural identity in simultaneity.

According to the article by James, the era of multiculturalism would lead to a sentiment toward greater Australian nationalism amongst those who felt that this effort was both eroding Australia's cultural identity and diminishing the rights of those historical tied to said identity. In one account, James notes that multiculturalism has led to a policy of "treating all persons from non-English-speaking backgrounds as officially 'disadvantaged' and hence entitled to special treatment regardless of actual need. Equally important, in my judgement, is the way multiculuralism...
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