Managing Ethnic Diversity: Meanings and Practices from an International Perspective

The management of ethnic diversity has become a topical and often controversial subject in recent times, with much debate surrounding multiculturalism as a systematic and comprehensive response for dealing with ethnic diversity. This book engages with these debates, examining the tangible outcomes of multiculturalism as a policy and philosophy in a range of traditional and 'newer' multi-ethnic nations. Exploring the questions of whether multiculturalism can promote 'ethnic harmony', employment equity and trust between various minority and non-minority groups, Managing Ethnic Diversity also adopts a comparative perspective on the experiences of multiculturalism in various international contexts, in order to examine whether lessons learned from some jurisdictions can be applied to others. With an international team of experts presenting the latest research from the UK, North America, Europe, China and Australasia, a truly global dialogue is fostered with regard to the utility and limits of multiculturalism in local and comparative contexts. As such, Managing Ethnic Diversity will appeal to social scientists interested in race and ethnicity, multiculturalism and migration.

Table of Contents:
Managing Ethnic Diversity

About the Author :
Reza Hasmath is Lecturer in Chinese Politics at the University of Oxford, UK and author of The Ethnic Penalty.

Review :
'With modern globalization, all societies are now ethnically diverse and increasingly so. As a consequence, all states are drawn, often reluctantly, into the management of diversity. However, we know relatively little in comparative terms about the social conditions that render multicultural policies either relatively successful or unmitigated disasters. This edited collection provides a valuable comparison between "reception societies" such as Canada and Australia and societies that once were relatively homogeneous - Austria, Britain, France, Germany and Italy.' Bryan S. Turner, The City University of New York, USA 'This book focuses on the structural challenges to managing ethnic diversity, while eschewing simplistic critiques of multiculturalism. The authors demonstrate that the challenges to managing diversity vary from country to country, according to philosophical tradition, polity, demographics and history. The authors offer reasoned and formative commentaries, and there is a global lens that assuages the usually insular analyses of multiculturalism.' Kevin Dunn, University of Western Sydney, Australia 'Managing Ethnic Diversity is a useful edited volume for students and scholars wanting a broad overview of ethnic diversity and its management in (predominantly) the Western world. The chapters provide snapshots of multiculturalism in its various lived forms and policy incarnations and together demonstrate that ethnic diversity and its management are context specific and have emerged from specific histories and philosophical and political traditions. While acknowledging the real problems encountered in ethnically diverse communities and issues with contemporary multicultural policies, overall the volume has a positive stance towards ethnic diversity with authors providing recommendations for the success of multiculturalism and its management in the future.' Asian Ethnicity 'By bringing together an international team of experts in migration and multicultura