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India as a model for multiethnic Europe

India as a model for multiethnic Europe One of the distinctive features of our globalizing world is the increasing salience and recognition of cultural diversity. Most contemporary societies have become or are in the process of becoming multiethnic. By and large, multiethnic societies are faced with two formidable challenges: reconciling the compulsions of ethnic diversity and the imperative of societal cohesion, and integrating immigrants and minorities into mainstream society. The paper suggests that present-day European societies seem to follow three distinct models of societal integration: assimilation, differential integration and exclusion, and multiculturalism. Proceeding from the argument that these models have become highly problematic in the context of the rapidly changing international scenario, the paper offers multicommunitarianism as an alternative perspective on societal integration and cohesion. This perspective is derived mainly from the Indian context, supplemented by certain positive developments in some of the contemporary multiethnic societies. The paper focuses, in a comparative framework, on five key themes which arguably have great relevance for European societies. These are (a) India’s inclusive, interactive openness (b) secularism (c) national identity (d) minority rights (e) civil society. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Asia Europe Journal Springer Journals

India as a model for multiethnic Europe

Momin, A.
Asia Europe Journal , Volume 4 (4) – Oct 19, 2006
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15 pages

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Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 by Springer-Verlag
Subject
Social Sciences; Social Sciences, general; International Economics
ISSN
1610-2932
eISSN
1612-1031
DOI
10.1007/s10308-006-0091-1
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

One of the distinctive features of our globalizing world is the increasing salience and recognition of cultural diversity. Most contemporary societies have become or are in the process of becoming multiethnic. By and large, multiethnic societies are faced with two formidable challenges: reconciling the compulsions of ethnic diversity and the imperative of societal cohesion, and integrating immigrants and minorities into mainstream society. The paper suggests that present-day European societies seem to follow three distinct models of societal integration: assimilation, differential integration and exclusion, and multiculturalism. Proceeding from the argument that these models have become highly problematic in the context of the rapidly changing international scenario, the paper offers multicommunitarianism as an alternative perspective on societal integration and cohesion. This perspective is derived mainly from the Indian context, supplemented by certain positive developments in some of the contemporary multiethnic societies. The paper focuses, in a comparative framework, on five key themes which arguably have great relevance for European societies. These are (a) India’s inclusive, interactive openness (b) secularism (c) national identity (d) minority rights (e) civil society.

Journal

Asia Europe Journal – Springer Journals

Published: Oct 19, 2006

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