Multiculturalism is a global discourse that international organizations have called for states to support racial and cultural diversity. This concept was originally established in 1970s as a moral and political standpoint and as a state policy based on Western context, in the practice of racial and cultural diversity. Western multiculturalism focuses mainly on rights and equality. As this concept started spreading to other parts of the world, each country has adapted it to suit its own socio-political and cultural contexts. This article was a survey on the status and arguments of multiculturalism in Thai society. Multiculturalism and cultural diversity have been used and driven by academics and the civic society in order to challenge the mainstream discourse pertaining to cultural unity, cultural dominance, and centralization of Bangkok. Nevertheless, although state agencies and policy makers have promoted and accepted cultural diversity and multiculturalism, the prevailing concept is different from the universal multiculturalism. This is due to the fact that the concept has been used to emphasize nationalism and reproduction of unequal or hierarchical relationships derived from the patronage system and to reinforce the legitimacy of centralization. Thus, the universal concept or policy of multiculturalism, based on liberal perspectives, has not yet reached the Thai society. It is merely a social trend formed to challenge the state’s vision on racial and cultural unity in Thai society.