Interculturalism: Not a new policy paradigm

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Cultural Studies
• Urban Studies

Background:

• The symposium addressed whether interculturalism represents a paradigm shift beyond traditional multiculturalism.
• Existing scholarship and commentaries largely indicate that interculturalism has not yet transcended multiculturalism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate the conceptual framework of interculturalism.
• To identify the limitations of interculturalist approaches in defining key concepts.
• To outline the necessary features for a successor paradigm to multiculturalism.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of interculturalist theories.
• Critique of the application of terms like 'local,' 'place,' and 'proximity' in interculturalism.
• Comparative analysis between multiculturalism and interculturalism.

Main Results:

• Interculturalist approaches exhibit conceptual indeterminacy regarding 'local,' 'place,' and 'proximity.'
• These concepts are inconsistently applied, referring to either direct encounters or broader urban/governance contexts.
• A dichotomizing logic is often employed, separating micro-macro and city-national scales.

Conclusions:

• Interculturalism, in its current form, does not provide a sufficiently defined new paradigm to replace multiculturalism.
• A future paradigm must address the conceptual ambiguities identified in interculturalist discourse.
• Key features of multiculturalism need to be engaged with by any proposed successor framework.