The project was conceptualized as the Austrian participation to an international project on 'Multiculturalism and Political Integration in European Cities' initiated by Prof. John Rex of the University of Warwick within the European Commission's COST A2 Migration Programme on 'International Migration and Ethnic Relations' (Programme 3: Multiculturalism, Democracy and European Integration). The Austrian study focused on three cities, namely, Vienna, Graz and Linz. All three cities have a significant ethnic minority population. The study explored the interaction between the national and local levels of public policy-making and implementation with respect to multiculturalism, and specifically, social and political integration, in seeking to identify points of congruence as well as points of contention. An especial focal point of interest for the project was the notion of ethnic mobilization: how ethnic minorities are drawn into the political process of decision-making with respect to integration policies and how the interaction is perceived and evaluated by both the 'majority' and 'minority' political cultures.
|
