Culture pluralism , A comparative study between the american and algerian nation from their emergence to the present times

Abstract

According to Samuel Huntington’ s book, The clash of civilisations, in the new world, conflicts would not be of an ideological or economic origin, but the major sources of division and conflicts would be cultural. Then, he proposed solutions to this situation, as what he calls as "the commonalities of civilizations" or universality, which is the surest safeguard against the clashes of civilisations. That is why, it is believed that Algerian university teachers and researchers, whose works touch different cultures or civilisations (i.e. whose concern is history, politics, literature or art), may participate into these global and trans-cultural encounters. This research is a trial to know the other through oneself. It concerns the reconciliation between the Algerians and Americans thanks to the comparability of cultural pluralism and its progress in both nations. In this research, as a beginning, it is necessary to shed the light on the term itself as defined in the field of American Studies. That is why the first chapter is devoted to the Overview of Cultural Pluralism Then, both the second and third chapters focus on the proposed theme through three facets: the first one is the historical background and the innovation of such an ideology, i.e. cultural pluralism; the second one is the manner of its manifestation in both societies; and the third one is its position within the other existing ideologies through time. So, the second chapter tackles Similarities Between Both Nations; and at last, the third chapter deals with Differences Between them. Concerning cases of studies and future enquiries, they are still going on since the relations between both nations are still in progress; that is why the door is left open for future research in the General Conclusion. At the beginning of the third millennium, the process of Globalisation does not necessarily mean an absolute cultural harmony, but the reduction of gaps between people’s vision of the world. Besides, the encounter between peoples and their cultures has become irreversible. This movement of convergence cannot disintegrate people’s cultural identity or erase the differences between them.