The author of a new report launched by the British Academy (9 February 2012) will suggest that models of integration need to be tailored to different migrant groups at the first of the Dialogue Society’s HardTALK series.

In the event, ‘Multiculturalism: has it a future?’, Professor Tariq Modood will argue that the challenge of integrating the growing Muslim population of Western Europe, has to include multiculturalism alongside other modes of integration. He will be interviewed by David Goodhart, Founder of Prospect Magazine and Director of think tank Demos, at the Dialogue Society’s headquarters in London.

Professor Tariq Modood, Professor of Sociology, Politics and Public Policy at the University of Bristol, says:

‘Minority groups and individuals vary. For many an individual-based approach to integration or a mixing of identities will be attractive, but more community-oriented groups such as Muslims will in addition require a more group-based multiculturalist approach.’

Professor Modood’s report, ‘Post-immigration ‘difference’ and integration: The case of Muslims in Western Europe’, will be available at the event or can be downloaded from here

Ozcan Keles, Executive Director at the Dialogue Society said:

‘We are delighted to be launching the Dialogue Society HardTALK series with such valued speakers especially on such an important and topical issue as multiculturalism. We’re privileged to be working with The British Academy on the launch of Professor Tariq Modood’s publication and recommend it to all those researching and working in this area.’

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Notes to editors

The Dialogue Society is a registered charity, established in London in 1999, with the aim of advancing social cohesion by connecting communities through dialogue. It does this by bringing people together through discussion forums, courses, capacity building publications and outreach. It operates nation-wide with nine regional branches across the UK. The Dialogue Society aims to facilitate dialogue on a whole range of social issues, regardless of any particular faith or religion. It stands for democracy, human rights, the non-instrumentalisation of religion in politics, equality and freedom of speech.

For more information see www.dialoguesociety.org

The British Academy, established by Royal Charter in 1902, champions and supports the humanities and social sciences across the UK and internationally. As a Fellowship of 900 UK humanities scholars and social scientists, elected for their distinction in research, the Academy is an independent and self-governing organisation, in receipt of public funding. Its Policy Centre, which draws on funding from ESRC and AHRC, oversees a programme of activity, engaging the expertise within the humanities and social sciences to shed light on policy issues, and commissioning experts to draw up reports to help improve understanding of issues of topical concern. This report has been peer reviewed to ensure its academic quality. Views expressed in it are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the British Academy but are commended as contributing to public debate.

For more information visit http://www.britac.ac.uk/policy/Post-immigration-difference.cfm