What countries possess Distinct Societies?

[WindowPhil]

Canada obviously does, the term that Canadians use for Quebec is "distinct society" and that's what inspired me to ask this. Perhaps Nunavut would be considered one as well (since there's many Inuktitut speakers to this day there), but I don't know as much about it.

But what about other countries?

It's obvious that Belgium also has more than one society within its borders, with the French and Dutch parts.

But would a country like the one I'm from, the United States, qualify? There are groups like Indigenous Americans, African-Americans, Utah Mormons and Evangelical Christian Bible Belters who may speak English, but they have certain cultural nuances to them that aren't part of the mainstream. There's also the question of if Puerto Rico qualifies the United States as a country with at least one Distinct Society since they're under U.S jurisdiction but aren't a state and aren't seen as integral to the United States.

Would Japan qualify with Okinawans?

Would New Zealand qualify with the Maori?

Would Brazil qualify with its 2-3 million native speakers (according to wikipedia) of Hunsrik?

Etc.

Let's use this thread to dive into the subject and make verdicts.

What criteria needs to be met for a country to have a "Distinct Society", and what countries fit that criteria?

[PSOL]

All of them do, and I’m not exaggerating this fact.

[mileslunn]

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are distinct societies.  In US really aren't any as largely a melting pot.  Looking at just G7 countries, those three plus Quebec only real ones.  I guess you could say Sardinians, Corsicans and other small groups are sort of.  Catalans and Basques in Spain definitely would be.  In China, Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Mongolians along with other minorities would be.

[PSOL]

The United States has the South and Utah.

[WMS]

Plus, you know, every surviving Native American society. Pretty distinct in both Canada and the U.S.

[CumbrianLefty]

All of them do, and I’m not exaggerating this fact.

Surely this is the correct answer, save maybe for some microstates.

[Red Velvet]

All of them, no society is really homogenous, that’s just a myth that some people with outdated concepts like to believe in, to push THEIR culture as the one that really represents the country

Even what you think it’s YOUR culture and that it belongs just to your group, it’s something inherited from multiple backgrounds. Especially if you live in a country practically built by immigrants.

Brazil especially, that becomes even more evident. It’s like a mix of different countries inside one. The culture you will find near the Amazon with higher influence of Indigenous culture is different than the most distinct and unique Northeastern Outback one, which is different from the Southern one with the more noticeable European influence in communities, which is different from the Rural Cowboy one associated with the Center of the country. And then there is the Southeast region, more cosmopolitan with mix of cultures and with more economic influence over all the country. Even between states from the same region there are strong cultural differences, Rio gives different vibes than São Paulo for example.

And yet, despite the noticeable differences, they all share similar backgrounds as well, so there’s a strong connection between them as well. A country doesn’t need to have one single identity, it can easily be defined by an agglomeration of different and multiple diverse ones.