How do civil society organisations deal with diversity within an assimilationist context?

Abstract

Dealing with the increasing diversity of the population is a major challenge for urban policy. Whereas most authorities in big diverse cities have a more positive and inclusive approach than their national counterparts, the opposite is true for Rotterdam. In 2002, Rotterdam was the first Dutch city where an anti-immigrant, right-wing populist party won the local elections. The political shift towards the right has influenced the policy discourse on diversity in Rotterdam to a great extent. Rotterdam has moved to an assimilationist framework in which there has been a decline in policy efforts to facilitate positive encounters between ethnic groups. This e-book provides insight into how grassroots organisations deal with diversity within the assimilationist Rotterdam context.