Society, History, and the Global Human Condition by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Published: 2010-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Governance and Interculturalism

This ethnographic study shows that those who reside in the inner city, both Aboriginals and various groups of immigrants and refugees, come with differing histories, cultures, skills, interests, priorities, and needs. Some come in search of jobs, education, or better socioeconomic situations; others come as refugees seeking political, religious, or social asylum. All are seeking a better life, for themselves and their families. As urban population grows, and diversity and densities increase, competition for access to power and resources often follow. Many see diversity as cause for celebration, but others raise critical questions: Can we absorb large numbers of new people? Are they a threat to our security, our way of life, our identity? Aboriginal people, in particular, stress their Aboriginal identity and do not want to be seen as an ethnic group. These are understandable concerns, and they must be answered. The answers are not easy and I say the answer must lie in our vision of the city and that of governance.

The current global migration is challenging norms for political engagement in the local state. New challenges now present themselves to those in leadership positions in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors—particularly those who exercise civic leadership. We could turn the challenges that arise from “the changing face of the city” into opportunities. These challenges create remarkable opportunities for bold imaginative leadership. This envisages a role of the local authorities, in particular city hall, being extended beyond the tasks of service provision to embrace a concern for the well-being of people in their areas. Local governments sit at the center of these local contests. Their ability to respond can have profound impacts on the future direction that the city takes. Local governments face a potential crisis of legitimacy if they are unable to effectively engage rapidly changing populations in these governing processes. There is a need to reconstruct the “public sphere”—places that are shared, belong to all, regardless of how we live in the “non-public” places and spaces.

It is clear that there is a significant leap from multicultural rhetoric at the level of national politics and legal frameworks to what happens in the streets and neighborhoods of Canadian cities. Various levels of governments, especially the local government, are behind in their response to the challenges that a diverse population poses to everyday life in local spaces. With diverse cultures and unsettled forms of identity formation local spaces have the potential to become a place for new politics—positive and negative. The members of the state and civil society can play a major role in choosing the direction that the city takes. A centralized and top-down approach that ignores local voices and devalues community will not build places and neighbourhoods that are the foundation for a democratic city in this global age. We need to move from the era of “government” to one of “governance” (Rhodes 1997; Andrew and Goldsmith 1998; Pierre and Peters 2000).

Governance processes find ways to leverage diverse ideas, coordinate collective resources, and use new approaches to inspire and steer decision making.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.