Multiculturalism in the British Commonwealth: Comparative Perspectives on Theory and Practice

by Richard T. Ashcroft (Editor), Mark Bevir (Editor)

Overview

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Multiculturalism as a distinct form of liberal-democratic governance gained widespread acceptance after World War II, but in recent years this consensus has been fractured. Multiculturalism in the British Commonwealth examines cultural diversity across the postwar Commonwealth, situating modern multiculturalism in its national, international, and historical contexts. Bringing together practitioners from across the humanities and social sciences to explore the legal, political, and philosophical issues involved, these essays address common questions: What is postwar multiculturalism? Why did it come about? How have social actors responded to it? In addition to chapters on Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand, this volume also covers India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Singapore, and Trinidad, tracing the historical roots of contemporary dilemmas back to the intertwined legacies of imperialism and liberalism. In so doing it demonstrates that multiculturalism has implications that stretch far beyond its current formulations in public and academic discourse.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520299320
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	07/12/2019
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	305
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Richard T. Ashcroft is a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science and in the International and Area Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley. His research has been published in the Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy and The Political Quarterly.

Mark Bevir is a Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Center for British Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also Professor of Governance at the United Nations University and a Distinguished Research Professor at Swansea University. He is the author of A Theory of Governance, The Making of British Socialism, and Democratic Governance.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

1 What is Postwar Multiculturalism in Theory and Practice? Richard T. Ashcroft Mark Bevir 1

Part I British Multiculturalism

2 British Multiculturalism after Empire: Immigration, Nationality, and Citizenship Richard T. Ashcroft Mark Bevir 25

3 Accentuating Multicultural Britishness: An Open or Closed Activity? Nasar Meer Tariq Modood 46

Part II Multiculturalism in the "Old" Commonwealth

4 Multiculturalism in a Context of Minority Nationalism and Indigenous Rights: The Canadian Case Avigail Eisenberg 67

5 Australia's "Liberal Nationalist" Multiculturalism Geoffrey Brahm Levey 83

6 Multiculturalism, Biculturalism, and National Identity in Aotearoa/New Zealand Katherine Smits 104

Part III Multiculturalism in the "New" Commonwealth

7 Multiculturalism in India: An Exception? Rochana Bajpai 127

8 Secularism in India: A "Gandhian" Approach Farah Godrej 150

9 Contesting Multiculturalism: Federalism and Unitarism in Late Colonial Nigeria Wale Adebanwi 167

10 Arrested Multiculturalisms: Race, Capitalism, and State Formation in Malaysia and Singapore Daniel P. S. Goh 191

11 The Cunning of Multiculturalism: A Perspective from the Caribbean Viranjini Munasinghe 212

12 Comparative Perspectives on the Theory and Practice of Multiculturalism: Lessons from the Commonwealth Richard T. Ashcroft Mark Bevir 229

Bibliography 253

List of Contributors 279

Index 283

Editorial Reviews

"The book is extremely ambitious, in terms of both perspectives and geographical scope – and it does well on each. I believe it will be very useful to scholars and students in the field, and can therefore recommend it wholeheartedly."

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development