Multicultural Policies And Modes Of Citizenship In European Cities

Globalization is a dominant feature of the end of the 20th century. One phenomenon characterizing the contemporary world is the increase in international population movements. These massive population flows have been facilitated by a series of factors, such as the development of communication, transport, technologies and global networks which have significantly contributed to the increased immigration of refugee workers and their families to developed countires - particularly to Western European countries.

There are relatively few books that provide comparative analysis of European cities in relation to immigrants and political participation. This fresh and insightful volume, from the same team that published Multicultural Policies and Modes of Citizenship in European Cities in 2001, analyzes how the presence of immigrants is perceived in politics, how this affects their status and how far minorities are able to (politically) participate in European cities. The comparative studies address the influence of (minority) politics, as well as that of migrant mediators and ethnic organizations on the participation of minorities. There are a variety of case studies from northern and southern Europe, offering insights into countries that differ in their modes of citizenship. The volume will be of specific interest to scholars, researchers and policy makers in migration, citizenship and multiculturalism, as well as a more general audience of sociologists, political sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists and social geographers.

This title was first published in 2000: This text deals with two intertwined dimensions of multicultural citizenship of the European Union. It studies the theoretical debate over how best to reconcile multiculturalism, citizenship and the need for collective identity at the European Union (EU) level by comparing EU citizenship with cultural citizenship and multicultural studies in the United States. In addition to this, through the study of EU documents, the author contends that there exists such a thing as policies of multicultural citizenship at the European Union level. He then goes on to analyze their key aspects, such as the pursuit of symbolic forms of multiculturalism and the arguments to support affirmative action policies for women. The text also examines the steps taken by certain EU institutions towards creating European identity and improving awareness of citizenship and cultural heritage, while meeting the test of subsidiarity. The author concludes that there are competing discourses in EU institutions concerning the best model for EU citizenship. Among other concepts, they construe multiculturalism and transnationalism as contested and sometimes opposing interpretations of citizenship. The text goes on to reveal a lack of substantive connection between EU citizenship and identity in the European Union, as well as the artificiality of EU attempts to build it anew. It concludes that a plurality of cultural constructions of EU citizenship, within the wider framework of liberal culturalism, may be a viable model of EU citizenship.

From international press coverage of the French government’s attempt to prevent Muslims from wearing headscarves to terrorist attacks in Madrid and the United States, questions of cultural identity and pluralism are at the center of the world’s most urgent events and debates. Presenting an unprecedented wealth of empirical research garnered during ten years of a cross-cultural project, Contested Citizenship addresses these fundamental issues by comparing collective actions by migrants, xenophobes, and antiracists in Germany, Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Revealing striking cross-national differences in how immigration and diversity are contended by different national governments, these authors find that how citizenship is constructed is the key variable defining the experience of Europe’s immigrant populations. Contested Citizenship provides nuanced policy recommendations and challenges the truism that multiculturalism is always good for immigrants. Even in an age of European integration and globalization, the state remains a critical actor in determining what points of view are sensible and realistic—and legitimate—in society. Ruud Koopmans is professor of sociology at Free University, Amsterdam. Paul Statham is reader in political communications at the University of Leeds. Marco Giugni is a researcher and teacher of political science at the University of Geneva. Florence Passy is assistant professor of political science at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Using a unique analytical framework based on host–stranger relations, this book explores the response of cities to the arrival and settlement of labour immigrants. Comparing the local policies of four cities – Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and Tel Aviv – Michael Alexander charts the development of migrant policies over time and situates them within the broader social context. Grounded in multi-city, multi-domain empirical findings, the work provides a fuller understanding of the interaction between cities and their migrant populations. Filling a gap in existing literature on migrant policy between national-level theorizing and local-level study, the book will provide an important basis for future research in the area.

"In an age of transnational economic and political integration, it is surprisingly rare to find social scientists reflecting on the lessons of cross national comparison. At first glance, there may be little to suggest why a comparison between Belgium and Britain should be instructive. The former is a small country geographically located at the heart of Europe and housing the putative capital. The latter has a large population by European standards but is struggling to reconcile a proud, but insular, history - and 'special relationship' to the United States - with the economic imperative of union with the Continent. Yet on closer inspection there are intriguing similarities. Both countries have learnt some lessons from colonial adventures, both contain 'nations within nations' and both have incorporated significant populations of migrants from outside Europe since 1945. Both, in other words, have had to confront the challenge of 'multiculturalism.' One has had to build an approach from a starting point where a deep rift exists between two constituent 'nations', the other from an equally profound colonial experience which produced a legacy of racial and ethnic categorisation. Yet the situation is anything but static as Britain experiences a resurgence of regional (or national) pride and Belgium confronts the realities of offering citizenship to the descendants of recent migrants."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Minorities in European Cities examines the issues pertaining to the dynamics of social integration and social exclusion of immigrant minorities at the neighbour-hood level. The book looks at the question of the participation and exclusion of migrants in the field of economics . The study focuses on social relations at the neighbourhood level and their impact on the exclusion/inclusion process as well as forms of political exclusion of migrant origin population in the local politics and policy-making processes. Finally, Minorities in European Cities examines the ways in which conceptions of law and order and security, as well as the local institutional praxis they engender, effect exclusion/inclusion opportunities.

This book traces Latin American migration to Europe since the 1970s. Focusing on Amsterdam, London, and Madrid, it examines the policies of integration in a comparative perspective that takes into account transnational, national, regional and local levels. It examines the entire mechanism that Latin American migrants confront in the European cities they settle, and provides readers with a theoretical framework on integration that addresses the concepts of multiculturalism, interculturality, transculturality and transnationalism. This work is based on rich qualitative data from in-depth interviews, focus groups and participant observation complemented by a substantial documentary and legislative analysis. It reveals that current policies are limited and migrants are excluded in most of the formal venues for integration. In addition, the book shows the many ways that migrants negotiate the constraints and imperatives of integration. In Western Europe today, immigrants are largely assuming the entire responsibility of their integration. This book provides readers with much needed insight into why European integration policies are not responding to the needs of immigrants nor to society as a whole.