The pursuit of integration requires that citizens have a sense of belonging to the whole, as well as to their own ‘little platoon’

Tariq Modood discusses the historical relationship between political multiculturalism and national identity, arguing that what some have construed as the ‘death’ of multiculturalism can better be understood as a change of focus. Any attempt to cultivate conditions conducive to integration necessitates that national identity be taken seriously, but in a manner which enlarges and pluralises conceptions of what it means to be a member of the nation.