'Supporting Diversity - Strengthening Cohesion' - Multiculturalism in Germany

Strengthening Cohesion? - Multiculturalism in Germany

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject Politics - Political Systems - Germany, grade: 1,0, Bilgi University ?stanbul (Bilgi University ?stanbul, Institute for European Studies), course: Politics of Ethnocultural Diversity, 18 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Germany's discourse about multiculturalism is marked by its contrariness. On the one hand, there are many attempts to implement the theory of multiculturalism in political practice. The slogan of Berlin's integration concept in 2007 'Vielfalt Fördern - Zusammenhalt Stärken' (Supporting Diversity - Strengthening Cohesion) aimed at the advertisement of the positive potential of the city's pluralist landscape. On the other hand, the media often issues headlines and statements of politicians who declare multiculturalism in Germany as unsuccessful. The mayor Heinz Buschkowksy of Neukölln, a district in Berlin inhabited by about 30 percent migrants, with his rigorous conclusion 'Multiculturalism has failed.' in 2005 caught the attention of the media. In these contradicting positions - the constant efforts to politically apply multicultural theory and then again the questioning whether multiculturalism is generally applicable in Germany - originates the interest to gain an extensive insight into multiculturalism practiced in Germany. This paper aims to combine the political theory and practice of multiculturalism. Therefore, it inquires how the theoretical concept of multiculturalism is put into practice in a German context as an efficient means to manage immigration. After the definition of the term multiculturalism, this essay will further concentrate on German examples. Due to my own interest and the reason that in my opinion case studies better illustrate the theory I chose to concentrate on the German cities Frankfurt (Main) and Berlin to demonstrate how multiculturalism was implemented there. Within this framework the paper inquires to answer the questions of how German multiculturalism developed and what its characteristics are. Due to the earlier pointed out inconsistencies in the debate about multiculturalism the last part of the paper elaborates and names the main criticisms against the term especially manifest in the case studies.