2. Everyday Multiculturalism

Global transformations have irreversibly changed the landscape of human geography. In an age of super-diversity (Vertovec 2006), we now encounter cultural plurality as part of our everyday life. Given this fact, it is surprising that we know so little about how multiculturalism shapes our lives, our interactions and our identity. Until recently, academic enquiry within this field has focused on defining multiculturalism as a conceptual framework, and on charting and critiquing its use within state policies and practices. Whilst such work has great value, our understanding of the meaning and impact of state multiculturalism is limited without capturing how it plays out within everyday contexts. It is only through a closer examination of the daily practices of interaction and negotiation between people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds that we can begin to comprehend the lived reality of multiculturalism. The concept of ‘everyday multiculturalism’ has emerged as an appropriate methodology to capture these everyday exchanges. Whilst this perspective covers a multitude of sub-themes—as discussed further on within this chapter—this book is specifically concerned with examining the often ‘hidden’ tensions and conflicts that arise within multicultural micro-spaces.