"Exploring the tensions between cultural pluralism and universalism in relation to developing public policy in multi ethnic societies": Post graduate Seminar Paper - Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University

This paper seeks to explore some tensions and complexities associated with expressions of ethnic identity (often manifested in terms of racial, religious, linguistic, class and caste differences) on the one and the needs to develop cohesive and integrated societies on the other. From the more general consideration, I will focus on a particular debate surrounding the question of religion that in the post 9/11 period in the context of the so-called ‘War on Terror’ has been raging across the world but particularly in the West. In this regard, my primary focus will be on the challenge of accommodating religious identities and practices.
The paper begins with a brief discussion of cultural identity or what it actually means to be different. I then go onto discuss the idea of multiculturalism and in particular how multiculturalist policies have sought to it to respond the contemporary assertion of religious identities and in particular how this has led to ‘new fault lines’ amongst traditional advocates of such approaches (Singh and Cowden, 2011). To ground the discussion, the paper focuses on the British Governments reactions to the emergence of so-called ‘Islamic Fundamentalist extremist groups’ and a concern with the influence they were having of young people.