"Conceptually complicated and with wide-ranging empirical
investigations, this volume is most likely to appeal to readers with
some prior exposure to Central European history and theoretical
approaches to nationalism. They will find in it plentiful food for
thought." - The American Historical Review
"The volume is highly recommended for anyone researching
multiculturalism, and one can only agree with Csáky's assertion that
Habsburg Central Europe was a "laboratory" of experiences that can be
usefully discussed in a broader context." - Austrian History
Yearbook
Multiculturalism has long been linked to calls for tolerance of cultural
diversity, but today many observers are subjecting the concept to close
scrutiny. After the political upheavals of 1968, the commitment to
multiculturalism was perceived as a liberal manifesto, but in the
post-9/11 era, it is under attack for its relativizing, particularist,
and essentializing implications. The essays in this collection offer a
nuanced analysis of the multifaceted cultural experience of Central
Europe under the late Habsburg monarchy and beyond. The authors examine
how culturally coded social spaces can be described and understood
historically without adopting categories formerly employed to justify
the definition and separation of groups into nations, ethnicities, or
homogeneous cultures. As we consider the issues of multiculturalism
today, this volume offers new approaches to understanding
multiculturalism in Central Europe freed of the effects of politically
exploited concepts of social spaces.
