In this subject we examine the social, political and ideological consequences of the emergence of multicultural societies. Immigration has transformed the world, and has certainly transformed Australia. The nineteenth and early twentieth century idea of the state as composed of a homogeneous people with a common heritage has increasingly been challenged by the contemporary reality of an increasing number of plural multicultural societies. What does it mean, today, to have an ethnicity, an identity, a religion or race? Can nations, or even individuals, have more than one identity? These and other questions are addressed with a focus on Australia as a point of comparison with other countries.

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