Pluralistic Societies: Challenges and opportunities of cultural diversity in liberal democracies

In an age of increasing globalization, rapid communication of ideas, and movement of people across historical boundaries of place and identity, both societies and individuals themselves seem to be becoming more diverse. The realities of migration and increasing diversity raises a challenge for social scientists: How to create and maintain pluralistic societies in which difference contributes to, rather than jeopardizes, social cohesion?

We invite contributions for a two-day small group meeting exploring issues of cultural diversity, pluralism, and social cohesion, through the lens of different disciplinary, theoretical, and methodological standpoints, using multiple forms of data.

We aim to create a space within which both junior and senior researchers feel free to debate and discuss the tensions and possibilities within pluralistic societies.

To anchor discussions, we have confirmed two keynote speakers:
• Jolanda Jetten, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia.
• Richard Shweder, Harold H. Swift Distinguished Service Professor of Human Development, University of Chicago, USA.

Thanks to generous support from the Carlsberg Foundation, we are able to offer up to 5 bursaries to support the travel and accommodation costs of junior scholars (i.e., PhDs, postdocs, early career researchers without an ongoing academic contract) who wish to present at the small group meeting. Bursaries are worth 4000DKK (approximately €500) each and will be allocated competitively, based on quality of submission and fit to theme, but also to ensure diverse representation among attendees and speakers. Please indicate in your submission your eligibility for a bursary and whether your attendance would be dependent on receiving this.

Further details and submission information can be found here: https://www.seamusapower.com/_files/ugd/68a3e3_05fe5a68051c4d1c87d92081f5aba9e9.pdf

Deadline for submissions is 1st March 2023.

Séamus Power & Thomas Morton, University of Copenhagen