• Attempts to define the word 'multiculturalism' and looks at how the term is used in political debate, public policy, and within the educational arena
• Examines the contemporary public debates and addresses issues of multicultural policy and its relation to social cohesion
• Presents a balanced and comprehensive view of all the opinions surrounding this controversial subject
• Considers alternatives to multiculturalism for the future

   
Multiculturalism appears to be in terminal crisis. It has been blamed for undermining national identity, diluting social cohesion, creating ethnic ghettos and cultural fragmentation, providing fertile ground for Islamic radicalism, encouraging perverse 'political correctness', and restricting liberal freedoms of expression, amongst other things. The public debate over multiculturalism has polarised opinion amongst the general public, policy makers, and politicians. But how much real evidence, beyond tabloid headlines and anecdotes, exists for these claims? 
   
In this Very Short Introduction, Ali Rattansi considers the actual evidence from social science research to provide a balanced assessment of the truth and falsity of the charges against multiculturalism. Dispelling many myths in the process, he also warns about the dangers that lurk in an uncritical endorsement of multiculturalism, and concludes by arguing that it is time to move on to a form of 'interculturalism'.