Introduction: The Puzzle of Incorporation and Solidarity

Multiculturalism is often vilified and misconstrued, and a multicultural backlash is evident. This special section attempts to move beyond the polemics by offering sociological insights into the current impact of multiculturalism and the challenges this mode of incorporation faces in addressing religious and racial diversity. This introduction sketches efforts aimed at offering distinctly sociological analyses of multiculturalism, in contrast to more normative philosophical accounts. It then offers brief overviews of the three substantive articles that follow: Irene Bloemraad on the significance of citizenship for multiculturalism; Rhys Williams on religious diversity; and Douglas Hartmann on the racial divide.