Description
Book SynopsisAt a time when many public commentators are turning against multiculturalism in response to fears about militant Islam, immigration or social cohesion, Tariq Modood, one of the world's leading authorities on multiculturalism, provides a distinctive contribution to these debates.
Trade Review"Rich, stimulating, and helpful in the sense that it allows the reader to understand the background of current political discussions about multiculturalism."
LSE Review of Books "Provides a robust defence of multiculturalism against its prominent antagonists on the left, right and centre in Britain and Europe."
Magazine of the British Sociological Association "At a moment when many declare multiculturalism to be dead, Tariq Modood shows that it is actually quite alive and explains why it deserves to be so. The first edition of this book was excellent, and the second is even better.
Multiculturalism is sociologically detailed, theoretically rich and highly accessible."
Joseph H. Carens, University of Toronto "This important book is an authoritative and subtle analysis as well as a robust and well argued defence of multiculturalism. It cuts through much conceptual fog surrounding the subject, and shows why multiculturalism in some form is a necessary precondition of social cohesion."
Lord Bhikhu Parekh, University of Westminster "Multiculturalism is, in my view, the best introduction to what has become a central concern of contemporary liberal politics. More than that, it is a significant contribution to the ongoing debate on the acceptable limits of cultural difference in a democracy. Well-informed on questions of crucial fact, skilled in the deployment of relevant social theory, Modood has given us an important book that should be read carefully by everyone who wants to think sanely about our plural societies."
Talal Asad, CUNY Graduate Center, New York Modood’s important and challenging book is a much needed voice of caution in the headlong rush to abandon multiculturalism and all it stands for. There is much that critics of multiculturalism can and must learn from this book. It should also be compulsory reading for all engaged in British political life.
Paul Kelly, London School of Economics and Political ScienceTable of ContentsAcknowledgements viii
Second Edition Acknowledgements x
1 Is Multiculturalism Appropriate for the Twenty-first Century? 1
2 A Liberal’s Bias 20
3 Difference, Multi and Equality 34
4 Liberal Citizenship and Secularism 58
5 Multiculturalism and Essentialism 80
6 Multicultural Citizenship 108
7 The Strange Non-Death of Multiculturalism 144
8 Multiculturalism and the ‘Crisis of Secularism’ 168
Notes 188
References 204
Index 230
