European Cities, Municipal Organizations and Diversity: The New Politics of Difference (Global Diversities)

This book challenges the prevailing view that local authorities are irrelevant in immigration policy-making. Presenting an in-depth ethnographic study of the recent implementation of local ‘diversity policies’ in the Netherlands, Belgium and United Kingdom, it identifies a new politics of difference, characterized by a ‘paradigmatic pragmatism’. Building on extensive fieldwork in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Leeds, the author shows that, rather than simply replacing an earlier politics of difference, local diversity policies combine ideals of multiculturalism, assimilation and diversity. She links these findings to the ongoing modernization and diversification of municipal authorities, and the impact of this transformation on the profile of the bureaucrats and their implementation of diversity policies. This thought-provoking work will appeal to students, researchers and practitioners engaged in the fields of immigration, diversity and multiculturalism. < This text challenges the prevailing view that local authorities are irrelevant in immigration policy-making. Presenting an in-depth ethnographic study of the recent implementation of local 'diversity policies' in the Netherlands, Belgium and United Kingdom, it identifies a new politics of difference, characterised by a 'paradigmatic pragmatism'. Building on extensive fieldwork in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Leeds, the author shows that, rather than simply replacing an earlier politics of difference, local diversity policies combine ideals of multiculturalism, assimilation and diversity Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction....Pages 1-26 Diversity: A New Approach to Difference....Pages 27-76 The Changing Nature of Public Authorities and Bureaucrats....Pages 77-109 What Shapes Local Level Policies?....Pages 111-155 Diversity Policy in Practice....Pages 157-202 Paradigmatic pragmatism: The Character of Local Responses to Difference....Pages 203-231 Conclusion....Pages 233-244 Erratum: European Cities, Municipal Organizations and Diversity....Pages E1-E1 Back Matter....Pages 245-254