The Paradox of Pluralism: Municipal Integration Policy in Québec

Abstract

Researchers in social sciences have become increasingly interested in how pluralism is used in the context of local government, especially with regards to municipal administrations’ efforts to make cities more inclusive. What can municipal action show us about the evolution of pluralist thinking? How do cities in pluralist societies mobilize the principles of pluralism in their attempts to ensure greater social cohesion as urban spaces become more and more diverse? This article proposes the use of a systemic framework to show how municipal governments in the predominantly French-speaking province of Québec have attempted to go beyond the paradoxes that structure pluralism in rapidly diversifying urban settings.