This informative book investigates the European dimension of multiculturalism and immigration. It argues that political theory discourse of multiculturalism and resulting EU policies assumes an interpretation of liberalism developed chiefly from the American experience, and argues that this issue must be addressed as the European experience is entirely different (with the main influx being non-white, ethnic and religious groups challenging liberalism and existing notions of citizenship). Presenting a fresh and unique perspective of multiculturalism and citizenship in Western Europe today, this book offers a comparative series of national case studies by a diverse range of leading scholars, which together provide a theoretical framework for the volume as a whole. The contributors investigate the extent to which we can talk about a common Europe-wide multiculturalism debate, or whether here too there is a Europe of two (or more) gears in which some countries address multicultural claims swiftly whilst others lag behind, busy with more basic issues of immigrant acceptance and integration.
Comprehensive and interdisciplinary, this text is essential reading for advanced undergraduates, researchers and policy makers interested in immigration, multiculturalism, European integration, Islamic studies and ethnicities.