Leading international scholars will discuss the topic of learning to live together in diversity at a public lecture hosted by º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ.

The lecture will include contributions from Professor Tariq Modood MBE from the University of Bristol and Professor Ted Cantle CBE who established the former Institute of Community Cohesion (now the iCoCo Foundation). They will debate ‘interculturalism versus multiculturalism’, which will be followed by a question and answer session.

Professor Modood is the author of over 30 books and reports on multiculturalism, as well as racism, racial equality, secularism, and the politics of being Muslim in the West, with a special reference to British Asian Muslims. A director of the Centre for Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol, he is also the co-founding editor of the international journal Ethnicities and was awarded an MBE for services to social sciences and ethnic relations in 2001.

Professor Cantle authored the term ‘community cohesion’ in 2001, when he led the review team that produced the Cantle Report for the Home Office. The Report analysed civic disturbances in Bradford, Burnley and Oldham.More recently, he has championed interculturalism as a way to move beyond multiculturalism. A visiting professor at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University, Ted Cantle is also chief executive of Nottingham City Council and a former undersecretary at the Association of Metropolitan Authorities.

Professor Darren Smith, Migration, Identity and the State (MIS) Research Cluster Leader at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, said: “We are delighted to welcome two such prominent public figures in the domain of migration and diversity to the University. As part of this public lecture, both professors will be presenting their case on ways of living together in diversity. We will be inviting the public to get involved in the debate as part of a question and answer session.”

The free public lecture takes place on Wednesday 25 March 2015, from 1pm to 3pm, in Room HE010 in the Clyde Williams Building. It will be chaired by Dr Marco Antonsich from the School of Social, Political and Geographical Sciences. No booking is necessary.