This document discusses challenges and opportunities for multiculturalism in European cities. It notes two contradictory trends: socio-ethnic polarization and fragmentation versus neo-cosmopolitan exchange and interculturalism. The author argues that cities should work to invent a multicultural citizenship by embracing diversity, promoting cohesion, and ensuring equal rights and participation for all residents regardless of background. Specific policy issues that could support these goals include recognizing diversity, funding community projects, promoting the arts, addressing segregation, enabling local citizenship and conflict resolution.

1. MULTICULTURAL EUROPEAN CITIES:
BETWEEN SOCIO-ETHNIC POLARISATION
AND NEO-COSMOPOLITANISM
Marco Martiniello
CEDEM-University of Liège
CEDEM

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Introduction
1. The Global Context
2. What is at stake?: inventing a multicultural citizenship at the city level
3. Problems and obstacles
4. Two principles for public action
5. Concrete policy issues
6. Conclusion

3. - A global, European and “glocal” context
- The “diversification of European Diversity” – “Super Diversity”:
- Enlargements
-Sub-national political mobilization
-Diversified migration patterns
-Roma, gypsies and travellers
-Jewish communities
-Socio-economic diversity and changing inequalities
-Sexual orientations in the public sphere
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1.The Global Context

4. - Two contradictory Trends at work in cities:
- social, economic, ethnic, racial and religious fragmentation, polarization and
separation
- group border-crossing and interculturalism : Exchange, métissage, cohesion,
interactions, solidarity: neo-cosmopolitanism rooted in the neighbourhood
- Anti-multiculti, post-multiculti, neo-assimilationist rhetoric and and praise of
diversity
- Assimilationist Policies and Diversity Policies
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1.The global context

5. - Reject extreme multiculturalism
- The assimilationist myth and the illusion of exclusion and closing
- What is at stake :
- A more open and egalitarian local democracy
- Combining diversification and cohesion (social, political)
- A multicultural citizenship based on shared rights and duties
- Top-down AND bottom-up
- Re-inventing the city as a crossroad
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2. What is at stake?: inventing a multicultural citizenship at the city level

6. -1. The essentialization and homogenization of cultures, religions and
groups
-2. The folkorization of minority ethno-cultural and religious groups
-3. Occulting the links between culture, social justice and socio-economic
inequality
- 4. The perverse effects of focussing on Islam and Muslims
- 5.The securitisation of debates and policies
-6 . Between political correctness and discriminations
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3. Problems and obstacles

7. -1. The legitimacy of public interventions both in local diversity management
and in the fight against social and economic inequality.
-2. Support collective actors that promote non negotiable democratic values:
:
- Human rights including integrity of the person
- Non-discrimination and equality in access to services and institutions
-Gender equality
-Legal order and democratic procedures
-Respect of cultural and religious diversity
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4. Two principles for public action

8. -1. The symbolic recognition of diversity as an asset.
-2. Financing projects instead of institutions
-3. Artistic expressions as social link building
-4. The issue of residential segregation
-5. Local active citizenship and political participation
-6. Local conflict resolution mechanisms: consultation, etc.
-7. Linguistic Policies
-8. Fight social isolation
-9. Education
-10. the local labour market
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5. Concrete Policy Issues

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6. Conclusion
- Realism - pessimism in the short term: in the current very difficult
economic , social and political context, intergroup (« ethnicized »,
« racialized ») tensions and conflict persist especially at the local level
and assimilation remains the doxa
- Realism - « quiet optimism » in the long term: prospects for the
development of a local multicultural citizenship in EU cities
- Local policies and politics matter ! But bottom-up mobilisation as well !