Ethnic diversity is on increase in Europe; at the same time, there is evidence of growing anti-immigrant feeling in some countries, such as Spain (especially in the Southern provinces). In order to build a politically united and democratic Europe, the accommodation of ethnic diversity and the integration of ethnic minorities are both key challenges. This book tries to explain ethnic problems in Europe.
This is the first volume in which the fate of democracy is directly related to ethnic diversity. It highlights the crucial episodes in modern European political history, and shows in what sense ethnic diversity was of vital importance.
In the different projects of the Thematic Network on Humanitaian Development Studies, there is an underlyin note which is both intended and spontaneously recorded after its activities. We refer to the European dimension and the idea of sharing approaches and perspectives into the analysis on a number of working themes. The initial intentios is, therfore, to create common language and shared points of reference where variety could be read and further understood.
This open access book examines the question of collecting and disseminating data on ethnicity and race in order to describe characteristics of ethnic and racial groups, identify factors of social and economic integration and implement policies to redress discrimination. It offers a global perspective on the issue by looking at race and ethnicity in a wide variety of historical, country-specific contexts, including Asia, Latin America, Europe, Oceania and North America. In addition, the book also includes analysis on the indigenous populations of the Americas. The book first offers comparative accounts of ethnic statistics. It compares and empirically tests two perspectives for understanding national ethnic enumeration practices in a global context based on national census questionnaires and population registration forms for over 200 countries between 1990 to 2006. Next, the book explores enumeration and identity politics with chapters that cover the debate on ethnic and racial statistics in France, ethnic and linguistic categories in Québec, Brazilian ethnoracial classification and affirmative action policies and the Hispanic/Latino identity and the United States census. The third, and final, part of the book examines measurement issues and competing claims. It explores such issues as the complexity of measuring diversity using Malaysia as an example, social inequalities and indigenous populations in Mexico and the demographic explosion of aboriginal populations in Canada from 1986 to 2006. Overall, the book sheds light on four main questions: should ethnic groups be counted, how should they be counted, who is and who is not counted and what are the political and economic incentives for counting. It will be of interest to all students of race, ethnicity, identity, and immigration. In addition, researchers as well as policymakers will find useful discussions and insights for a better understanding of the complexity of categorization and related political and policy challenges.
This book seeks to address three issues: How do European countries differ in their cultural integration process and what are the different models of integration at work? How does cultural integration relate to economic integration? What are the implications for civic participation and public policies?
Despite its unequalled history of success, the European Union is still far from its citizens. In the aftermath of the failed referenda on the European constitutional treaty in France and the Netherlands in the early summer of 2005, the EU is facing a severe crisis of trust. Hence, the questions arise: how much pressure can the community tolerate in order to persist and what does hold it together in times of scarcity, conflict, danger, and threat? The contributions of this volume do not only provide a variety of conceptualizations of European identity in the broad field of social sciences such as sociology, political theory and international relations, but first and foremost intend to enrich the present research by offering new theoretical perspectives and recent empirical findings.
The family lives of immigrants and ethnic minority populations have become central to arguments about the right and wrong ways of living in multicultural societies. While the characteristic cultural practices of such families have long been scrutinized by the media and policy makers, these groups themselves are beginning to reflect on how to manage their family relationships. Exploring case studies from Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Australia, The Family in Question explores how those in public policy often dangerously reflect the popular imagination, rather than recognizing the complex changes taking place within the global immigrant community. In hoeverre allochtonen vrij zijn hun cultuur te uiten in de multiculturele samenleving staat bijna dagelijks ter discussie in de media en politiek. Vaak wordt vergeten dat ook migrantenfamilies zelf worstelen om hun tradities en gebruiken vorm te geven in een pluriforme samenleving waarin relaties met familie zeer complex kunnen zijn. In The Family Question worden migrantenfamilies in onder andere Nederland, Oostenrijk en Noorwegen onderzocht. Hieruit blijkt dat spelers op het vlak van beleidsvorming vaak toegeven aan populaire misverstanden over allochtonen en zo bijdragen aan de heersende xenofobie en stereotypering van immigranten.
What can diversity management offer those concerned with ethnic inequality, racial discrimination, and issues of social and economic inclusion and exclusion? In this book John Wrench traces the emergence of diversity management in the US in the late 1980s, and explores its subsequent development in Europe. He outlines the various critiques of diversity management that have been suggested both by academics and equality activists and highlights recent issues and trends that should be monitored by those concerned with racial and ethnic equality in employment. In particular, Wrench examines whether diversity management can be seen as a ’soft option’ in terms of combating racism and discrimination, or instead, a new way of mainstreaming anti-discrimination measures. He also addresses the important question of whether the development of diversity management in Europe will follow a relatively uniform trajectory because of common demographic, economic and market pressures, or whether the historical, cultural and institutional differences which exist between EU countries, and between the EU and the US, will have a determining impact on the adoption, content and operation of this particular management practice.
This provocative book shows that Europe in the Middle Ages was as much a product of a process of conquest and colonization as it was later a colonizer. "Will be of great interest to. . . . (those) interested in cultural transformation, colonialism, racism, the Crusades, or holy wars in general. . . ".--William C. Jordan, Princeton University. 12 halftones, 12 maps, 6 diagrams.
