Theorizing Multiculturalism


Book Description

This wide-ranging anthology of classic and newly-commissioned essays brings together the major theories of multiculturalism from a multiplicity of philosophical perspectives.




Rethinking Multiculturalism


Book Description

Bhikhu Parekh argues for a pluralist perspective on cultural diversity. Writing from both within the liberal tradition and outside of it as a critic, he challenges what he calls the "moral monism" of much of traditional moral philosophy, including contemporary liberalism--its tendency to assert that only one way of life or set of values is worthwhile and to dismiss the rest as misguided or false. He defends his pluralist perspective both at the level of theory and in subtle nuanced analyses of recent controversies. Thus, he offers careful and clear accounts of why cultural differences should be respected and publicly affirmed, why the separation of church and state cannot be used to justify the separation of religion and politics, and why the initial critique of Salman Rushdie (before a Fatwa threatened his life) deserved more serious attention than it received. Rejecting naturalism, which posits that humans have a relatively fixed nature and that culture is an incidental, and "culturalism," which posits that they are socially and culturally constructed with only a minimal set of features in common, he argues for a dialogic interplay between human commonalities and cultural differences. This will allow, Parekh argues, genuinely balanced and thoughtful compromises on even the most controversial cultural issues in the new multicultural world in which we live.




Whither Multiculturalism?


Book Description

The attempt to make democratic processes more inclusive has led to the problematic notion of "multiculturalism." It is based on a new principle that 'all voices should be heard' and 'equal respect' has become the irreducible core of the liberal state. However mere dialogue is not enough. First, it tends to privilege those who are already privileged. To change this needs active, exploratory listening that is allowed to challenge everyone's picture of the world. Second, since the tensions and ambiguities are here to stay, practical ways to cope and negotiate have to be found, although it's not at all clear what is involved. The contributors to this volume explore both dimensions and in particular point to what it means when the language game of dialogicality meets its limit. However, as they point out, the limits are not absolute, but can be the entry to more complex language-games. The authors in this volume, from Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium and Britain bring a vast repertoire of resources and interpretative frames to bear on the task of opening up what might be understood by the political-ethical-aesthetic notion of 'multiculturalism'. In these contributions one can hear a plea for an enhanced conception of democratic dialogue, for the need to embrace different ontological aesthetic-moral assumptions, and for an ethics and politics which are more generous and receptive.




Challenging Multiculturalism


Book Description

Tackles the challenge of dismantling the multicultural model without destroying diversity in European society* Have Europeans become hostile to multiculturalism? * When people vote for anti-immigration parties, do they also support their anti-multiculturalism policies? * And are right-wing extremists becoming the storm troopers of the struggle against diversity?In recent years, European political leaders from Angela Merkel to David Cameron have discarded the term 'multiculturalism' and now express scepticism, criticism and even hostility towards multicultural ways of organising their societies. Yet they are unprepared to reverse the diversity existing in their states. These contradictory choices have different political consequences in the countries examined in this book. The future of European liberalism is being played out as multicultural notions of belonging, inclusion, tolerance and the national home are brought into question.




Diaspora and Multiculturalism


Book Description

In postcolonial theory we have now reached a new stage in the succession of key concepts. After the celebrations of hybridity in the work of Homi Bhabha and Gayatri Spivak, it is now the concept of diaspora that has sparked animated debates among postcolonial critics. This collection intervenes in the current discussion about the 'new' diaspora by placing the rise of diaspora within the politics of multiculturalism and its supercession by a politics of difference and cultural-rights theory. The essays present recent developments in Jewish negotiations of diasporic tradition and experience, discussing the reinterpretation of concepts of the 'old' diaspora in late twentieth- century British and American Jewish literature. The second part of the volume comprises theoretical and critical essays on the South Asian diaspora and on multicultural settings between Australia, Africa, the Caribbean and North America. The South Asian and Caribbean diasporas are compared to the Jewish prototype and contrasted with the Turkish diaspora in Germany. All essays deal with literary reflections on, and thematizations of, the diasporic predicament.




What Was Multiculturalism?


Book Description

What Was Multiculturalism? is a timely account of a socio-political theory that has featured in public debate in the West for the past forty years. The book is both a compendium as well as a critique of multicultural theory in its diverse forms; from the politics of recognition, consensus, tolerance and the need for an inclusive community, to questions about the moral order, the invasive force of religious absolutism and the spectres of racism, injustice and scapegoating. Through a series of critical reflections, Mishra offers a detached, honest, bold and uncompromised reading of some of the most influential texts on multiculturalism, with a view to establishing the historical moments in the field.




Governing through Diversity


Book Description

This cross-disciplinary edited collection presents an integrated approach to critical diversity studies by gathering original scholarly research on ideational, technical and actual social dimensions of contemporary governance through diversity.




The Ashgate Research Companion to Multiculturalism


Book Description

The Ashgate Research Companion to Multiculturalism brings together a collection of new essays by leading and emerging scholars in the humanities and social sciences on some of the key issues facing multiculturalism today. It provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge treatment of this important and hotly contested field, offering scholars and students a clear account of the leading theories and critiques of multiculturalism that have developed over the past twenty-five years, as well as a sense of the challenges facing multiculturalism in the future. Key leading scholars, including James Bohman, Barbara Arneil, Avigail Eisenberg, Ghassan Hage, and Paul Patton, discuss multiculturalism in different cultural and national contexts and across a range of disciplinary approaches. In addition to contributions, Duncan Ivison also provides a comprehensive Introduction which surveys the field and offers an extensive guide to further reading. This is a key volume for anyone interested in multiculturalism and its political premise.




The Politics of Multiculturalism


Book Description

This book develops an account of 'inclusive multicultural governance' which is contrasted with assimilationist and separatist/differentialist approaches to the political management of and accommodation of multicultural diversity in liberal democracies.




Multiculturalism in Education and Teaching


Book Description

In the World Library of Educationalists series, international experts compile career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces – extracts from books, key article, salient research findings, major theoretical and practical contributions – so the world can read them in a single manageable volume. Readers will be able to follow the themes and strands and see how their work contributes to the development of the field. Carl A. Grant has spent the last 35 years researching, teaching, thinking and writing about some of the key enduring issues in multicultural education. He has contributed to a multitude of books and articles, and is former President of the National Association for Multicultural Education. In his selected works, Carl Grant brings together 14 of his key writings in one place. Starting with a specially written Introduction, which gives an overview of his career and contextualises his selection within the development of the field, the book is divided into three parts: - Race and Educational Equity - Theorizing Multicultural Education - Multicultural Teacher Education. This book not only shows how Carl Grant’s thinking developed during his long and distinguished career, it also gives an insight into the development of the fields to which he contributed.