Debating Multiculturalism in the Nordic Welfare States

Abstract

Like many other Western democracies, the Nordic countries have vigorously debated whether it is necessary to find new ways of incorporating ethnic minorities into the larger society, leading to the need to decide whether to enter into experiments in multiculturalism or to resist such a prospect. This edited collection addresses the varied ways that four countries have addressed the issue of the inclusion of ethnic minorities - including both old minorities and recent immigrants. Because of their robust social democratic welfare policies, these nations constitute an important research site for exploring the ways in which the politics of identity and recognition play out in societies committed to redistributive politics. Put simply, can the goals of the welfare state and those of multiculturalism coexist in harmony? Are they capable of being mutually reinforcing? Or will they inevitably be at loggerheads, operating in what amounts to a zero-sum game: redistribution at the expense of recognition and vice versa?