ABSTRACT
This editorial introduction situates the history and backdrop to the advance of multiculturalism as a term, a policy and ideal, as well as its uptake in policy and in academe globally. It begins by discussing multiculturalism’s origins and the centrality of the Canadian experience in multiculturalism’s emergence. The chapter then examines multiculturalism’s expansion both within Canada and as a global political phenomenon. The chapter reviews some of the key findings in the scholarly literature as well as policy and popular debates and directly raises the challenging questions that pertain to multiculturalism’s present and future in Canada and in global comparative perspective. The chapter also overviews the book’s organization and chapters.
