Philosophy

Our philosophy is based on a vision of a multicultural Finnish welfare society. We aim at realizing our vision by promoting multicultural dialogue in Finland through offering expert information about the particular characteristics of multiculturalism in Finnish society. We want to support the processes of identity building of ethnic minorities and other cultural minority groups in Finland.

Kulttuurikameleontit ry has its beginning in its founder members' experiences of multiculturalism in Finland and abroad. We are glad to see the gradual change which has taken place in Finland in the past 20+ years: Finland has become a multicultural society. This process is however in the very beginning. The encounters between the 'new Finns' and the 'old Finns' are still occasional and often formalized within the contexts of both administrational and cultural marginalization.

We do have some NGOs here in Finland that aim at integrating immigrants into Finnish society and culture by presenting them as minority cultures with their visible cultural differences. Yet we lack in an NGO that could provide a neutral, integration policy free forum for the newcomers and other Finns to meet.

In the recent years, researchers on multiculturalism have paid much attention to the limitations of the concept of 'integration' when discussing cultural encounters. We believe that if there is a need in society for cultural integration - or even a requirement expressed towards that end - it should be applied both to the cultural minorities and the majority culture.

There is no integration without encounters and no real encounters without openness on both sides to listen and learn. The requirement presented by Finnish society to our cultural minorities to integrate places them in the danger of cultural marginalization: they are the ones who should be willing to change, not the 'natives'.

This requirement is unreasonable and the policy supportive to this requirement is short-sighted and unrealistic. Even if the official integration policy of Finland acknowledges the right of minorities to 'preserve their cultural characteristics', the expression in itself implies the assumption that the minorities have been reserved a cultural niche separate of the open forums of society where the encounters can de facto take place. It also implies the threat directed towards them by the Finnish integration policy: they should be prepared to 'preserve their cultural characteristics', otherwise these will be lost as their integration advances.

Yet we know that no real integration can take place without reciprocity - the adjustment process should go both ways. There is a saying that 'every encounter leaves a trace in us'. It would be absurd to try to define and control in advance what that trace should be. Would there be a time for real multiculturalism next?