Citizenship Diversity And Pluralism

Annotation Citizenship is a linking mechanism that in its most perfect expression binds the citizenry to the state and to each other. In Citizenship, Diversity, and Pluralism leading scholars assess the transformation of these two dimensions of citizenship in increasingly diverse and plural modern societies, both in Canada and internationally. Subjects addressed include the changing ethnic demography of states, social citizenship, multiculturalism, feminist perspectives on citizenship, aboriginal nationalism, identity politics, and the internationalization of human rights.

Is it possible, in a modern, pluralistic society, to promote common bonds of citizenship while at the same time accommodating and showing respect for ethnocultural diversity? 'Citizenship' and 'diversity' have been two of the major topics of debate in both democratic politics and political theory over the past decade. Much has been written about the importance of citizenship, civic identities, and civic virtues for the functioning of liberal democracies, and the need to accommodate the ethnocultural, linguistic, and religious pluralism that is a fact of life in most modern states. By and large, however, these two topics have been largely discussed in mutual isolation. Much of the writing on the issues of both citizenship and diversity remains rather abstract and general and disconnected from the specific issues of public policy and institutional design. Citizenship in Diverse Societies examines the specific points of conflict and convergence between concerns for citizenship and diversity in democratic societies and reassesses and refines existing theories of 'diverse citizenship' by examining these theories in the light of actual practices and policies of pluralistic democracies.

Preliminary Material -- The Postmodern Liberal Concept of Citizenship /Sanja Ivic -- Citizenship and Agonism /Paulina Tambakaki -- Jane Addams, Pragmatism and Rhetorical Citizenship in Multicultural Democracies /Robert Danisch -- Multiculturalism in the Service of Capital: The Case of New Zealand Public Broadcasting /Donald Reid -- Exclusive Inclusion: Japan's Desire for, and Difficulty with, Diversity /Julian Chapple -- German Politicians with Turkey Origin: Diversity in the Parliaments of Germany /Devrimsel Deniz Nergiz -- Economic Migration, Disaggregated Citizenship and the Right to Vote in Post-Apartheid South Africa /Wessel le Roux -- Portuguese Civil Society and the Relation with the State /Sonia Pires -- Living between Nation-States and Nature: Anthropological Notes on National Identities /Humberto Dos Santos Martins -- Empowering Gypsies and Applied Anthropology /Elisabetta Di Giovanni -- Transnational Practices of Care: The Portuguese Migration from the Azores to Quebec (Canada) /Ana Gherghel and Josiane Le Gall.

Few challenges to the modern dream of democratic citizenship appear greater than the presence of severe ethnic, religious, and linguistic divisions in society. With their diverse religions and ethnic communities, the Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia have grappled with this problem since achieving independence after World War II. Each country has on occasion been torn by violence over the proper terms for accommodating pluralism. Until the Asian economic crisis of 1997, however, these nations also enjoyed one of the most sustained economic expansions the non-Western world has ever seen. This timely volume brings together fifteen leading specialists of the region to consider the impact of two generations of nation-building and market-making on pluralism and citizenship in these deeply divided Asian societies. Examining the new face of pluralism from the perspective of markets, politics, gender, and religion, the studies show that each country has developed a strikingly different response to the challenges of citizenship and diversity. The contributors, most of whom come Southeast Asia, pay particular attention to the tension between state and societal approaches to citizenship. They suggest that the achievement of an effectively participatory public sphere in these countries will depend not only on the presence of an independent "civil society," but on a synergy of state and society that nurtures a public culture capable of mediating ethnic, religious, and gender divides. The Politics of Multiculturalism will be of special interest to students of Southeast Asian history and society, anthropologists grappling with questions of citizenship and culture, political scientists studying democracy across cultures, and all readers concerned with the prospects for civility and tolerance in a multicultural world.

Immigration from diverse origins has not only changed the social composition of highly industrialized societies. It has also profoundly affected their cultural identities. Nations originating from immigration, such as the USA, Australia or Israel, have reluctantly abandoned the vision of a melting pot wherein all ethnic origins would be transformed into a homogeneous national identity. But will common citizenship be sufficient to integrate an ethnic mosaic? Many European societies have traditionally identified the political nation with specific ethnic traditions. How much cultural adaptation can they expect from immigrants and how open are their national cultures for accommodating the immigrant experience? Ten authors address these questions. There is a common denominator: Cultural diversity resulting from immigration is neither seen as inherently desirable nor as a problem to be overcome, but rather as a challenge to which liberal democracies have not yet responded adequately.

In Citizenship, Diversity, and Pluralism leading scholars assess the transformation of these two dimensions of citizenship in increasingly diverse and plural modern societies, both in Canada and internationally. Subjects addressed include the changing ethnic demography of states, social citizenship, multiculturalism, feminist perspectives on citizenship, aboriginal nationalism, identity politics, and the internationalization of human rights. Contributors include Heribert Adam (Simon Fraser), Keith Banting (Queen's), Anthony Birch (emeritus, Victoria), John Borrows (UBC), Alan Cairns, Walker Connor (Trinity College), John Erik Fossum (LOS?Senteret, Norway), Virginia Leary (emeritus, SUNY), Denise Réaume (Toronto), Lynn Smith (justice, BC Supreme Court), Charles Taylor (emeritus, McGill), and Jeremy Webber (Sydney, Australia).

Lectures presented as part of the celebration of the bicentennial of the founding of Williams College.