Introduction

Abstract

This book draws on several themes and priority issues within the framework of Euro-Asian, Australian and American international research. Importantly, it seeks to identify the successes and failures of integrating cultural, linguistic and religious diversity; to examine an evolving national identity and social values; and to assess the way contemporary Western democracies view themselves and respond to the challenges of diversity from non-Western cultures with a special focus on the Muslim immigrant communities. Several migrant communities, such as Muslims, as a group have had less success compared to other religious or ethnic minorities, like Jews or African Americans, in opening “a window on the multidimensionality of what can be called cultural ecology.” A complex picture emerges — a kind of multi-layered tapestry of the way migrants and nationals alike project attitudes towards cultural diversity, national values, cultural fragmentation and social cohesion in the Western world.