Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Hunter, Joanna Stansfield
Author's Email Address	joannashunter@gmail.com
URN	etd-04092010-123906
Title	Navigating the Multicultural Imperative: The Case of a Multicultural Greek Council
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Sociology, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Irene Padavic Committee Chair Douglas Schrock Committee Member Janice McCabe Committee Member Gary Burnett University Representative
Keywords	Multiculturalism Greek Letter Organizations Racial Identity
Date of Defense	2010-03-23
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract The U.S. cultural discourse in regard to race is strikingly different now, in the early years of the 21st century, than it was in the 20th century, and many organizations and institutions are seeking to change with the times and incorporate elements of the new racial discourse rather than the old racial discourse of discrimination. The contemporary “color-blind” ideology puts forward the notion of a “multicultural” society. Instead of two racial groups, the multicultural discourse recognizes an infinite number, and individuals can identify with any number of racial or ethnic categories. On-campus organizations such as Greek Letter Organizations (GLOs) are following this trend. Historically, GLOs have traditionally been divided along a racial binary, but in recent years an explosion of multicultural GLOs (MGLOs) has been apparent on college campuses. Also important is the rise in popularity of Hispanic GLOs. Multicultural and Hispanic GLOs are sometimes forced into mixed Greek Councils of large universities with diverse student populations. Based on observation and interviews with members of fraternities and sororities, this dissertation answers the following questions: How do members of MGLOs and HGLOs conceive of multiculturalism? Why do they choose to join an organization with overt multicultural principles when there are more traditional choices available? What dilemmas do MGLOs and HGLOs face? What does it mean for different models of race/ethnicity to have such an organization on campus? By demonstrating that multiculturalism is not well enacted by organizations in the MGC, this research confirms the argument in the literature that while support for multicultural principles in the abstract is strong in society, implementation is tricky.
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