ABSTRACT

Multiculturalism is now seen by many of its critics as the source of intercultural and social tensions, fostering communal segregation and social conflicts. While the cultural diversity of contemporary societies has to be acknowledged as an empirical and demographic fact, whether multiculturalism as a policy offers an optimal conduit for intercultural understanding and social harmony has become increasingly a matter of polarised public debate.

 

This book examines the contested philosophical foundations of multiculturalism and its, often controversial, applications in the context of migrant societies. It also explores the current theoretical debates about the extent to which multiculturalism, and related conceptual constructs, can account for the various ethical challenges and policy dilemmas surrounding the management of cultural diversity in our contemporary societies. The authors consider common conceptual and empirical features from a transnational perspective through analysis of the case studies of Australia, Canada, Columbia, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.

 

This book will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, comparative politics, international studies, multiculturalism, migration and political sociology.

part I|88 pages

On the multicultural épistème

chapter 2|17 pages

Multiple multiculturalisms

Encounters and change in different contexts

chapter 3|16 pages

The ethnicity/liberalism contradiction

Reflections on the New Zealand experience

part II|138 pages

Reclaiming the multiculturalism debate

chapter 7|19 pages

Addressing cultural differences

Whither multiculturalism?

chapter 8|17 pages

Multiculturalism or assimilation and social exclusion

Ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom

chapter 9|20 pages

Managing religious diversity and promoting active citizenship

Muslims in Australia, Britain and Germany

chapter 10|20 pages

Resilient multiculturalism?

Diversifying Australian approaches to community resilience and cultural difference 1

chapter 11|13 pages

The transnational challenge and multiculturalism

Comparing four immigrant groups in Australia

chapter 12|18 pages

Transcultural politics as deep multiculturalism

Canada in global perspective

chapter 13|18 pages

The end of multiculturalism?

Religion, sovereignty and the nation state

chapter 14|11 pages

Towards post-multiculturalism?

Elite discourse, postmodernism and the challenge of diversity in multi-ethnic societies