Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part C (2024)

This paper examines interculturalism as an alternative framework for integrating migrants and refugees in the European Union, contrasting it with the multicultural policies that have shaped integration since the 1990s. While multiculturalism focused on recognising cultural identities, it often failed to confront structural inequalities, racialised exclusion, and the colonial legacies that continue to shape migration patterns. Drawing on case studies from Barcelona, Malmö, and the Erasmus+ programme, the analysis shows how interculturalism’s emphasis on dialogue, everyday interaction, and shared civic identity offers a more relational vision of integration. Yet, in practice, its transformative promise is undermined by austerity-driven governance, tokenistic diversity initiatives, and security policies that erode trust. The paper develops the idea of critical interculturalism, which links cultural exchange to economic justice, participatory governance, and decolonial education. By integrating intercultural dialogue with material redistribution and historical reckoning, the study argues that integration should not be understood as migrants adapting to a fixed European model, but as a process through which migration can reshape and democratise Europe itself.