Is There a Nordic Version of Multiculturalism?
University of Turku
September 30-October 1, 2010
During the past several decades, the world’s advanced industrial nations have been confronted by the need to find new strategies for incorporating ethnic minorities into the mainstream of their respective societies. The major factor contributing to this situation, shared by all of these nations, is the dramatic increase in levels of immigration, while in some settings the presence of indigenous peoples and ethnonational minorities has also played a role. It is within this context that multiculturalism emerged as a new mode of incorporation, one that in various ways sought to both valorise difference and at the same time foster societal integration.
Multiculturalism has proven to be both controversial and misunderstood. At the moment, some go so far as to claim that it has been to large extent abandoned in settings where it once held sway, either as official governmental policy or, more often, as a generalized approach to integration that viewed diversity not as something to be overcome, but as something to be defended. However, one thing is clear at the moment: there is little evidence that the idea of diversity is being repudiated. What makes matters more complicated is the fact that multiculturalism comes in a number of versions, reflecting the distinctive imprint of different societal cultures and political systems. It is with this in mind that this conference is being convened, for its purpose is to raise the question of whether there is a distinctive Nordic version of multiculturalism, perhaps akin to the Nordic version of the welfare state.
The conference will include keynote addresses by the scholars who can frame the topic of multiculturalism broadly. They are Peter Kivisto (Univ. of Turku and Augsburg College), Ewa Morawska (Univ. of Essex), Leena Huss (Univ. of Uppsala), Fakhra Salimi (MiRA, Oslo), Pasi Saukkonen (Cupora, Helsinki) and Garbi Schmidt (National Centre for Social Research, Copenhagen), who will contribute to the discussion by focusing attention on international perspectives or the unique cases of the four Nordic nations.
Scholars working on research projects that are relevant to the theme are encouraged to submit paper proposals for presentation and discussion at a series of conference workshops. This is a multidisciplinary conference, and thus we encourage proposals from fields such as history, sociology, social policy, education, and cultural studies. Proposals, which should include a paper title, a brief abstract, and contact information, should be sent to Mari Toivanen at the University of Turku, Department of Sociology, 20014 Turku, Finland by March 1, 2010 (email: marito (AT) utu.fi). Completed manuscripts should be sent to Ms. Toivanen by August 10, 2010. The fee will be 70 €, which includes registration costs, two lunches, a conference dinner, and conference materials. Information on accommodation possibilities will be sent to the participants.
Mari Toivanen
Dept. of Sociology
Assistentinkatu 7 (3rd floor)
20014 University of Turku
Finland
tel. +358-2-333 6651
e-mail: marito_at_utu.fi