Public Commissions on Cultural and Religious Diversity: National Narratives, Multiple Identities and Minorities

Description

In several Western countries, expert commissions composed of academics, public figures, politicians and community organisers have been established by governments or civil society to reflect on the changes and challenges of an increasingly plural society. Commission recommendations on how to ‘manage’ diversities successfully have shaped national narratives and affected law and public policies, yet research on the workings of such commissions remains rare. This book focuses on the experiences of expert commissions in the UK, France, Quebec and Belgium. Furthering the debate on commissions’ potential and limitations it draws on the first-hand experiences and introspection of former commission members and close observers, along with outside perspectives and critique from independent scholars. Building on its companion volume (Public Commissions on Cultural and Religious Diversity: Analysis, Reception and Challenges), this book engages with core concepts of identity, nationality, citizenship, freedom, equality and accommodation. It will appeal to researchers and students of public policy, sociology, anthropology, law, religion, politics, history and migration studies, as well as policymakers and anyone with a general interest in current debates on ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. Public Commissions on Cultural and Religious Diversity- Front Cover Public Commissions on Cultural and Religious Diversity Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of figures and tables Notes on contributors Foreword Note Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction. A retrospective on diversity commissions: from set-up and working methods to impacting policy Towards a better understanding of the role of expert commissions The UK, France, Quebec and Belgium as case studies Overview of chapters From establishment to working methods and reactions Retrospective insights and a look ahead: the continued relevance of commissions Notes PART I: The importance of Britishness: The Parekh Commission Report and beyond Chapter 2: Pointing to a multicultural future: Rethinking race, ethnicity, religion and Britishness Introduction The Swann Report (1985) The Commission on Multi-Ethnic Britain (2000) Commission on Religion and Belief in BritishPublic Life (2015) The new religious diversity and significance of religion Conclusion Notes Bibliography Chapter 3: National identities and the Parekh Report The CMEB’s report The report’s Parekhian approach to national identities Conclusion Notes Bibliography Chapter 4: Religion, belief and diversity in transition: The Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life Introduction The context for CORB: diversity in liberal democracies Royal Commissions and the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life Regulating religion: commissions as ‘soft regulation’ Public reception CORB, diversity and gender CORB: comparing the UK and French approach Conclusion Notes References Chapter 5: British multiculturalism: From ‘Parekh’ to ‘PREVENT’, and beyond Introduction A crisis of difference? British multiculturalism, Jenkins (1967) to Parekh (2000) Scrutinising minorities, shifting agendas Grounds for optimism? Concluding observations on commissions Notes References PART II: Laïcité facing religious diversity: France’s Stasi Commission and its legacy Chapter 6: Laïcité is a most liberal legal frame: Reflections on the work of the Stasi Commission Introduction The French ‘affaire de foulard’ and the Stasi Commission Impact of the Stasi Commission report Conclusion Notes Chapter 7: Retrospective on the French Stasi Commission Introduction Why the Stasi Commission? Why these nominations to the commission? How did the commission do its work? What was the impact of the commission’s report? Looking back, would you have preferred a different procedure? Do you wish you had (re-)acted differently? Notes Chapter 8: Theoretical perspectives on cultural and religious diversity in two national reports The Stasi report The Commission for Intercultural Dialogue Conclusion Notes References PART III: Reasonable accommodations revisited: Quebec’s Bouchard-Taylor Commission Chapter 9: The Bouchard-Taylor Commission and beyond: Cultural and religious diversity in Quebec Introduction The Bouchard-Taylor Commission The Charter of Values debate The current liberal government The end of the “Bouchard-Taylor compromise” Notes Chapter 10: Cohesive fear: A comment on Maclure and Lacroix Notes PART IV: Belgium’s experiment with interculturalism: The Round Tables experience Chapter 11: The Round Tables on Interculturalism: A successful experiment in deliberative democracy? Introduction Working methods: challenges and pitfalls of an unprecedented way of proceeding The contents of the Round Tables Report Typology of reactions to the Round Tables Report In retrospect: a critical assessment Conclusion: peace returns? The effect of the Round Tables Report: follow-up by Unia Notes Chapter 12: Religious and cultural diversity in Belgium: Finding the common denominator Introduction Freedom of religion and the highest common denominator: towards the benefit of majority Case studies: requests for dietary accommodation, adjustment of working hours or prayer space under the HCD Notes Chapter 13: “Making a difference”: Dialogue and compromise in the Belgian Federal Round Tables on Interculturalism The intercultural dialogues in a European perspective The FRI as anti-/structure The moral virtue of compromise Conclusion Notes PART V: Engaging retrospective insights, forging ways forward Chapter 14: Religion in the retreat of multiculturalism Introduction Religion as multicultural claims-maker Islam and the retreat of multiculturalism Multiculturalism’s political retreat: a closer look at Britain Persistent legal multiculturalism: sharia councils in Britain Conclusion Notes References Chapter 15: Religion, culture and liberal democracy: The issue of majority cultural precedence Introduction Learning from Lautsi Majority precedence and multiculturalism Notes Bibliography Chapter 16: The European Court of Human Rights: Fundamental assumptions that have a chilling effect on the protection of religious diversity Introduction Believers’ voices beyond secular norms Discouraging religious diversity: assumptions and misconceptions Conclusion Notes Chapter 17: Charting perspectives, positions and recommendations in four commission reports: Reasonable accommodation for religion or belief as barometer Introduction Expert commissions and context-driven reflections on managing ethnic, cultural and religious diversity Charting the cross-national conversation on reasonable accommodation Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index