Now It’s Gotten Interesting: Diversity as Threat and as Opportunity

The Faith & Spirituality Centre presents: Dr. John Stackhouse “Now It’s Gotten Interesting: Diversity as Threat and as Opportunity.” Multiculturalism has been a part of Canadian identity for two generations, but only in the last decade has it become a significant challenge. Now diverse populations in Canada have achieved critical mass—in numbers, in dollars, in votes, in voices. Meanwhile, Americans continue to struggle with the legacy of slavery while Latino and Asian immigration alters cities and even whole states. What now is “reasonable accommodation” of diversity? How can a coherent society be formed out of such different groups and individuals? This talk—drawing on cross-border and cross-regional perspectives—explodes the comfortable, constraining myths of both “assimilation” and “affirmation” to set out a realistic sketch of what can and cannot be done. North American society can flourish as never before with all this diversity, but only if certain fundamental lessons are learned—and learned quickly.
Location:
The Loft MSC 487
Speaker:
Dr. John Stackhouse
More information at http://www.ucalgary.ca/events/calendar/now-its-gotten-interesting-diversity-threat-and-opportunity