The Challenges of Multiculturalism : practical issues and comparative
perspectives

International Academic Symposium

Thursday 20 April 2006

9.30am – 6.30pm

Multiculturalism Research Unit/Centre for Research on Multiculturalism and
Islam and Muslims in Scotland Al-Maktoum Institute, Dundee, Scotland

Following the bombings in London in July 2005, the debate about the
viability and future of multicultural societies in western Europe has gained
yet further significance. Participants in the countless public and private
discussions in the media, in parliaments, and in academic circles have
expressed a variety of opinions, ranging from declarations of the ‘death’ of
multiculturalism at one extreme to fierce affirmations of multicultural
ideals and practices at the other. Concepts such as integration,
assimilation, segregation, alienation, and secularisation have become
buzzwords for defining this debate, largely obscuring the seemingly gentler
(and more ‘liberal’) terms such as tolerance, respect, diversity, and
pluralism that defined the debate in the 1990s.

What is largely missing in such public discussions are two fundamental
building blocks of any theory and practice of multicultural society: Firstly
that multiculturalism is a process, not an end product – this process is
most often a challenging one, and sometimes may be unsuccessful. Secondly,
these processes of multicultural practice need to be contextualised to
particular circumstances, the ideals of multiculturalism (either for or
against) require an understanding of the diverse practical contexts of
particular societies.

This one-day symposium will bring together international practitioners,
policy makers, and academics in the field of multiculturalism to inspect the
questions raised by the challenges of multicultural societies in a
comparative perspective.

Prof Malory Nye, The Challenges of Multiculturalism
Chris Allen, ‘Down with multiculturalism, book-burning and fatwas’: the
death of multiculturalism and its implications for Muslims
Nadia Kirwan, A ‘Truncated’ Multiculturalism or a Diversité à la française?
Mandy McKerl, Muslim Women and Multiculturalism: An Intersection Of Mindfulness?
Julia Droeber, Research on Multiculturalism and Islam and Muslims in Scotland
Richard B McCready, The Development of the Catholic Community in Modern
Scotland and Catholic approaches to multiculturalism
Victoria Montgomery, What Rights, Whose Rights? Recognition, Integration and
Group Rights
Alhagi Manta Drammeh, Fallacy of Clash of Civilisations
Maher Abu-Munshar, Is Islamicjerusalem a model for multiculturalism?
Asma Obaid Shahdoor, Multiculturalism in the UAE
Ekaterina Borissova, The role of religion in multi-religious societies: the
Russian case
Zaid Ahmed, Multiculturalism and Religio-Ethnic Plurality: The Malaysian
Experience

Registration fee: £50 (£20 for students/unwaged)

For registration please contact:

Anne Simpson ([log in to unmask]), Centre for Research on Multiculturalism
and Islam and Muslims in Scotland Al-Maktoum Institute, 124 Blackness Road,
Dundee DD1 5PE, Scotland, UK. 0044 1382 908070. Fax: 0044 1382 908077