Flora Botelho’s research while affiliated with University of Copenhagen and other places

This study examines nineteenth-century United States anti-polygamy legislation, focusing on its intersections with multiculturalism and minority rights. By analyzing the historical and legal aspects of these laws, we identify their impact on Mormon communities and immigrant groups, aimed at enforcing cultural assimilation. Our findings reveal tensions between religious freedom and societal concerns over polygamy, particularly in Christian contexts. The research highlights a paradox in liberal democracies, where safeguarding minority rights often clashes with societal values, leading to legislation against practices seen as disruptive. It emphasizes the delicate balance between cultural pluralism, multiculturalism, minority rights, and societal cohesion in nineteenth-century America, shedding light on the ongoing relevance of these debates today. This study calls for further exploration of arguments against culturally or religiously inspired practices in Western democracies.

We locate our review of recent social scientific literature on non-western migrants in western liberal democracies within two opposing master narratives: a subtractive and an additive view of migration. Within this framework, we bring to light the contemporary conceptualizations of non-western migrants in psychology by focusing on trauma. We then examine the cultural and moral clashes that sometimes arise from trans-global migration and the psychology of integration. We end by highlighting the importance of further research on cultural pluralism and omniculturalism to help foster more peaceful and diverse societies.