The Rise and Fall of Multiculturalism: The Case of the Netherlands

Abstract

Immigration trends & attendant changes in immigration policies in the Netherlands since the 1960s are documented. The first policy on ethnic minorities which recognized immigration as more than temporary & focused on promoting integration was implemented in the early 1980s & contained three key elements -- emancipation in a multicultural society, equality before the law, & equal opportunity. Dramatic increases in the size of the immigrant population & shifts in its characteristics by the 1990s necessitated revisions to this policy. A group approach has been replaced by a more individualized plan & integration is understood as a two-way process between the immigrant & the social, political, cultural, & economic institutions of the host country. In addition, earlier understandings of multiculturalism have been revised.