The opposition between ‘Britishness’ and multiculturalism is more complex than it seems (original) (raw)

The opposition between 'Britishness' and multiculturalism is more complex than it seems While politicians invoking 'Britishness' once construed it in traditional terms, many now frame the notion in terms of inclusivity. Varun Uberoi and Tariq Modood survey the landscape of contemporary multiculturalism and argue that important questions remain for those talking of 'Britishness'. When Labour leader Ed Miliband advocates 'one nation' but is silent about the place of ethnic minorities in it and emphasises the costs of immigration, it may seem like he will, like David Cameron, criticise 'state multiculturalism' and endorse nationhood. Doing so is common. Multiculturalism allegedly causes people to f ocus on minority identities not national ones, prevents the state promoting a national culture or reduces what citizens share to such an extent that they no longer possess one. Multiculturalists reject the latter, and their long-held goal in relation to 'Britishness' has, perhaps counterintuitively, grown in popularity among leading politicians.