Introduction: Is Multiculturalism on the Mend?

This chapter sets the stage for this book’s eight case studies. It begins with a brief introduction. The second section provides an overview of the four prongs of this book’s definition of multiculturalism: multicultural policy, multicultural discourse, demographic multiculturalism, and laws and regulations related to the immigration process. The chapter’s third section identifies and describes the four different types of ‘shift to the left’ explored across this book’s case study chapters. The fourth section highlights the conventional wisdom which suggests that multiculturalism should fare better following a shift to the left in government and that, in some of this book’s chapters, is contradicted by recent developments. The chapter’s fifth section introduces readers to three potential explanations for multiculturalism’s puzzling trajectory following a shift to the left in government. The sixth and final section provides a chapter overview as well as preview of the ensuing discussion’s main findings (which we then examine in further detail in the book’s conclusion).