The workshop entitled “Responding to Complex Diversity in Europe and Canada: future research directions” will be held at Université de Montréal on 12-13 September 2013. The purpose of this workshop is to take stock of recent research on the issues of complex diversity in Europe and Canada, to identify future research directions, and to explore possibilities for new research collaborations in the years to come.
The workshop builds on RECODE’s work on complex diversity. This interdisciplinary, comparative research program is exploring to what extent the processes of transnationalization, migration, religious mobilization and cultural differentiation entail a new configuration of social conflict in post-industrial societies. Such a possible new constellation we label complex diversity. The leading idea is that such diversity is developing at a global level, but particularly in European-style societies, where social entitlements, supranational policies and cultural diversity enjoy a considerable, but often contradictory degree of legitimacy. In this perspective, Canada offers some interesting similarities and contrasts with Europe.
RECODE brings together scholars from across Europe and Canada to identify the cleavages and normative issues that this new constellation raises on both sides of the Atlantic, and to develop expertise in the institutions, public policies and cultural resources that can respond to them. The thematic focus of the program covers the areas of linguistic diversity and political communication, religious pluralism, transnationalism and, finally, multiculturalism and welfare state policies.
The RECODE Research Networking Program started in June 2010 and will run through November 2014. The purpose of this workshop is to reflect on recent research developments, identify future agendas for research in this field and to explore the options for future collaborations in the period after RECODE itself completes its mandate. Accordingly, the workshop will be kept reasonably small, and will bring together research leaders in the RECODE network and in Canada.
The workshop is also sponsored by The Canada-Europe Transatlantic Dialogue (CETD) at the Université de Montréal. CETD was formed in 2007 with support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. It is designed not only to strengthen Canada’s research capacity on Europe and to nurture knowledge networks between Europe and Canada, but, more importantly, to look at Europe through Canadian eyes, zeroing in on those issues which have relevance for our own society.