Starting from the observation that the European multicultural policies are coming under increasing pressure, the A. demonstrates the urgency to go beyond multiculturalism to answer to the claim to redefine citizenship and democracy in Europe. After a review of the most important theories on multiculturalism, the A. shows that innovative guidelines for better dealing with the challenges of multicultural society can be found in fields like post-colonial studies, deconstructivism, feminist theory. These approaches assume that culture is not “natural” but a socio-political construct and that democracy is not defined by identity-based policies, but as an open space where both the differences and the need for greater equality and justice are recognised by all.