The Crises of Multiculturalism

Gavan Titley from the Centre for Media Studies of the National University of Ireland and his ‘political sociologist’ partner Alana Lentin from Sussex University have produced a remarkable book dealing with her field of expertise, i.e. racism, also expounded in several of her books. Setting the stage Gary Younge in a splendidly lucid Preface points out that in today’s Europe citizenship is no longer enough for being accepted: The clothes you wear; the language you speak; the way you worship – all are grounds for either inclusion or rejection.

This would make a remarkable book already just for its highly sophisticated, even inventive, language: poetic prose bubbling over with gems of language. Indeed, one could be dazzled by the author’s verbal fireworks to the point of forgetting their meaning.

Consequently, one could start reading this book anywhere from back to front, being led merrily in the round, and that with highbrow vocabulary, including elision, polysemi, etiolate and motility. In fact, the book flows over with open-ended, if not unfocused, discussions and concludes without a summary or conclusions.