American multiculturalism, Nathan Glazer holds, has been ‘exceptional’, in its benign version reflecting America's positive legacy of multi‐ethnic immigrant nation, and in its less benign version compounding America's original sin of slavery. Glazer also points to a unique limitation (or conversely, strength) of American multiculturalism. For all its ethnic pluralism, the US has held firm to its rejection of foreign enclaves. There is nothing ‘multicultural’ about its formal citizenship regime yet, which requires a change of identity and loyalty.

American multiculturalism, Nathan Glazer holds, has been ‘exceptional’, in its benign version reflecting America's positive legacy of multi‐ethnic immigrant nation, and in its less benign version compounding America's original sin of slavery. Glazer also points to a unique limitation (or conversely, strength) of American multiculturalism. For all its ethnic pluralism, the US has held firm to its rejection of foreign enclaves. There is nothing ‘multicultural’ about its formal citizenship regime yet, which requires a change of identity and loyalty.