Diversity, Standardization and Social Transformation ─ Gender, Ethnicity and Inequality in Europe

Arranged around the themes of theorizing and policy-making, race, ethnicity and religion, gender, and class, inequality and welfare, this book addresses the question of whether the European Union tends towards diversification or standardization. It engages with issues of identity, citizenship and social justice, changes throughout the life course, social movements, the reconciliation of work and life, the increasing diversity of cultural values, and integration and immigration, whilst also examining questions of social inclusion and exclusion. Presenting a general theoretical framework for the simultaneous analysis of standardization and diversification processes, alongside detailed case studies at EU and national levels, Diversity, Standardization and Social Transformation explores the interactions between national, European and regional regulatory spaces.

Max Koch is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Welfare at Lund University, Sweden, Lesley McMillan is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Glasgow Caledonian University, UK and Bram Peper is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands