Multiculturalism: A Very Short Introduction by Ali Rattansi

Author:Ali Rattansi [Rattansi, Ali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780199546039
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2011-01-15T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 4

‘Integration’, class inequality, and ‘community cohesion’

As the backlash against multiculturalism has gathered pace, it has been replaced by ‘integration’ as the key theme of national and local policies towards ethnic minorities throughout Europe. In addition, especially in the UK, the ideas of ‘community cohesion’, ‘social cohesion’, and ‘citizenship’ have also been heavily trailed as the new way forward in managing the incorporation of ethnic minorities into the national polity. The British government now has communities ministers, a Commission for Integration and Cohesion, and new government departments. And throughout Western Europe, there has been a new emphasis on clarifying the meaning of ‘national identity’ so as to better integrate ethnic minorities into national cultures. In all but name, cynics might want to argue, a new European civilizing mission appears to have been launched.

But the meaning of these ideas and the policies that flow from them have inevitably proved contentious. Nor is it the case that supporters of multiculturalism have just faded away. A lively debate is under way, although sometimes it may seem as if the only defenders of multiculturalism now are to be found in academia and a few activist and ethnic minority strongholds.

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