Cultural diversity is a structuring element of modern societies and its management in the democratic systems is a matter of urgency. This diversity tends to be mostly associated with plurality, which comes hand in hand with immigration, sometimes met with mistrust. The multiple challenges of plurality are now in the attempt to manage it in order to obtain rich, constructive and respectful interaction with human rights.

There are several elements of potential conflict which, along with the context of crisis and the dismantling of the Welfare State, make it even more plausible for a racist discourse to exist. The way to deal with these conflicts demands human and material resources, as well as avoiding social discomfort and pathologies that affect all social groups, which lead to fear and national tendencies. Therefore, the rampant necessity of articulating public policies and implementing measures that allow for peaceful coexistence, facing and dealing with possible disagreements.

Analysing the challenges linked to managing cultural diversity demands tackling the existing tension of plural societies between freedom and equality, as well as the controversial notion of culture and its relation with identity. From this perspective, both private and public cultural conflicts can be examined and tackled.

In order to critically reflect on these topics, the Human Rights Institute presents this book by Ángeles Solanes.

The University Institute for Human Rights was created in 2005 as a multidisciplinary research centre of the Universitat of Valencia. It contributes in the advance of the knowledge in human rights from awareness, promotion, reflexion and dialogue. Today is International Migrant Day and as such, the Universitat is aligning itself with the compromise of the United Nations to effectively protect such rights.