This book presents a reflection on the debate between cultural multiculturalism and interculturalism by reviewing the main sociological and philosophical approaches that mark it. It opens with reflections on liberalism and neo-communitarianism, from John Rawls to Charles Taylor, Jurgen Habermas and Will Kymlicka, and then delves into the multicultural model of integration, examining its theoretical foundations, internal differences and political applications. The case of the United Kingdom and the comparison with the policies adopted in other European countries enable the author to focus on the limits of multiculturalism and the consequent need to overcome its criticism towards a new inter-cultural paradigm, which is currently the main focus of the finest international literature (Ted Cantle and Tariq Modood) – and at the heart of scholarly debate and political confrontation between Canada’s multiculturalists and Quebec’s interculturalists (Gerard Bouchard). Discussing the reflections of scholars who took part on the debate about the role of religious dialogue as a source of identity and recognition between different communities, the author’s ambition is to find a third way, tailored to the particular socio-cultural context of Italy.
