In several Western countries, expert commissions composed of academics, public figures, politicians and community organisers, have been established by governments or civil society to reflect on the changes and challenges of an increasingly plural society. This book focuses on the experiences of expert commissions in the UK, France, Quebec and Be

1 Introduction. A Retrospective on Diversity Commissions: From Set-Up and Working Methods to Impacting Policy Part I 2 Pointing to a Multicultural Future: Rethinking Race, Ethnicity, Religion and Britishness 3 National Identities and the 'Parekh Report' 4 British Multiculturalism: From 'Parekh' to 'PREVENT', and Beyond 5 'Religion, Belief and Diversity in Transition: The Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life' Part II 6 Laicité is a most liberal legal frame: reflections on the work on of the Stasi Commission 7 Retrospective on the French Stasi Commission 8 Theoretical Perspectives of Cultural and Religious Diversity in Two National Reports Part III 9 The Bouchard-Taylor Commission and Beyond. Cultural and Religious Diversity in Quebec 10 Cohesive Fear: A Comment on Maclure and Lacroix Part IV 11 The Round Tables on Interculturalism: A Successful or Unsuccessful Experiment in Deliberative Democracy? 12 Religious and Cultural Diversity in Belgium: Finding the Common Denominator 13 'Making a difference': Dialogue and compromise in the Belgian Federal Round Tables of Interculturalism Part V 14 Religion in the Retreat of Multiculturalism 15 Religion, Culture and Liberal Democracy: The Issue of Majority Cultural Precedence 16 The European Court of Human Rights: Fundamental Assumptions that have a Chilling Effect on the Protection of Religious Diversity 17 Charting Perspectives, Positions and Recommendations in Four Commission Reports: Reasonable Accommodation for Religion or Belief as Barometer