The crisis of multiculturalism in Europe - a history

摘要

Around the year 2010, the conservative leaders of three European powers (Angela Merkel, David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy) stated the failure of multiculturalism. If the question of how dealing with 'racial and ethnic diversity' in Europe became inescapable during the past few years, commentators disagree to date the emergence of this issue. For some of them, it surfaced with the creation of the European Union (EU), and for others it had do to with the political climate following 9/11 or the succession of home-grown terrorist acts. In her book, Rita Chin explores the evolution of this European debate through a comparative approach including Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.The author examines both the distinct historical contexts of each country dealing with diversity and the convergence'into a wide discourse on multiculturalism'(5). Chin also interrogates the growing focalisation on religion, especially Islam, seen as'the central marker of ethnic and racial difference'and its relation with concerns about gender and sexuality.