Multicultural Cities: Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles

by Mohammed Abdul Qadeer

What defines a multicultural city? Policy? Geography? Demography? In Multicultural Cities , Mohammad Abdul Qadeer offers a tour of three of North America's premier multicultural metropolises - Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles - that demonstrates the critical qualities that make these cities multicultural. Guided by the perspective that multiculturalism is the combination of cultural diversity with a common ground of values and institutions, Qadeer examines the social geography, economy, and everyday life of each metropolitan area. His analysis spans the divide between Canada, where multiculturalism is official government policy, and the United States, where it is not. A comprehensive investigation of how some of today's leading majority-minority cities thrive, written by a keen observer of North American urban life, Multicultural Cities is an important complement to any discussion about how cities can and should accommodate diversity.

384 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2016

Reviews

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Qadeer looks at Toronto, New York and Los Angeles as examples of North American multicultural cities. The book is a geo-social study of how each of these cities incorporates others into their social and political framework. An important book for anyone interested in multiculturalism as practice and theory.

"The fall in birth rate is accompanied by an increase in life expectancy in both countries, resulting in increasing numbers of seniors." 43

"The interesting part here is that in this globalizing world, many native-born Canadians, Americans, and Europeans live abroad, marry, and hold dual citizenship. Notions of national loyalty are undergoing rapid change. Even the idea of nationality is being stretched to accommodate dual nationality and transnationalism." 53