Beyond Multiculturalism

Michael Werz gave the keynote address at an event on multiculturalism at the House of World Cultures on June 3, 2009. In his keynote Werz argues that a democratic society requires the daily contribution of everyone―and that dealing with diversity is the litmus test of any democracy.

According to Werz there is a great transatlantic difference between U.S. and European democracies when it comes to diversity: The United States is a society permeable for as many different experiences as possible and people have learned to bear with diversity. But in Europe the contaminating identification of descent and destiny is still very much alive.

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This article was originally published in Heinrich Boll.