Democracy and Human Rights in Multicultural Societies

Democracy and Human Rights in Multicultural Societies
Author: Matthias Koenig
Publisher: UNESCO
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2007-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9231040502

By unanimous adoption of the Universal Declaration of Cultural Diversity, the UNESCO Member States accepted a new ethical approach to respect diversity as a guiding principle for democratic societies. While support for the Declaration remains strong, there is a general awareness that the democratic management of multicultural societies needs rethinking and further development. This publication examines the political governance of cultural diversity, specifically how public policy-making has dealt with the claims for cultural recognition that have increasingly been expressed by ethno-national movements, language groups, religious minorities, indigenous peoples and migrant communities. Its principle aim is to understand, explain and assess public policy responses to ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity. Adopting interdisciplinary perspectives of comparative social sciences, the contributors address the conditions, forms, and consequences of democratic and human-rights-based governance of multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-faith societies.--Publisher's description.

Governance in Multicultural Societies

Governance in Multicultural Societies
Author: Gurharpal Singh
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 445
Release: 2017-09-08
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 135193256X

In the last decade the study of multiculturalism has become an established field in political and social theory. This in-depth and engaging volume focuses on public policy and the dilemmas faced by the governments of increasingly diverse societies. Offering a theoretically and empirically rich collection of essays from some of the leading specialists in the field, it fills the gap between the social and political theory of multiculturalism and institutionally based national case studies. The book is distinctive in combining a robust theoretical introduction to recent developments in multiculturalism with a critical evaluation of contemporary public policy in a variety of countries in Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Far East and South Africa. It incorporates a strong comparative dimension both within and across the case studies, with a regional focus enabling comparisons of regional, national and international experience.

Democracy and Human Rights in Multicultural Societies

Democracy and Human Rights in Multicultural Societies
Author: Matthias Koenig
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2017-07-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1351569856

Published in association with UNESCO, Democracy and Human Rights in Multicultural Societies examines the political governance of cultural diversity, specifically how public policy-making has dealt with the claims for cultural recognition that have increasingly been expressed by ethno-national movements, language groups, religious minorities, indigenous peoples and migrant communities. Its principle aim is to understand, explain and assess public-policy responses to ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity. Adopting interdisciplinary perspectives of comparative social sciences, the contributors address the conditions, forms, and consequences of democratic and human-rights-based governance of multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-faith societies.

Swiss Democracy

Swiss Democracy
Author: Wolf Linder
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2021-01-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3030632660

This open access book provides an updated and fully revised 4th edition of this authoritative analysis of Swiss democracy. It particularly explains the institutions of federalism and consensus government through political power sharing. In this new edition, the authors also address several important changes and challenges that have affected Swiss democracy, including the country's relationship with the EU, fiscal equalisation, direct democracy and the legitimacy of national referendums, territorial conflict, as well as the polarisation of party politics.

Citizenship and Rights in Multicultural Societies

Citizenship and Rights in Multicultural Societies
Author: Dunne Michael Dunne
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2019-07-29
Genre: POLITICAL SCIENCE
ISBN: 1474467911

This topical book examines the debates around contemporary conflicts between liberal democracies and increasingly vociferous special interest groups within society. It analyses the way a new sense of difference and the growth of multi-culturalism are straining modern notions of citizenship and rights, looking in particular at how ethnic conflicts in Eastern Europe have escalated to international tragedies, while in the US and Canada, race, ethnicity and radical feminism are at the heart of a social conflict which challenges national identity and the unity of the state.

Deliberative Democracy, Political Legitimacy, And Self-determination In Multi-cultural Societies

Deliberative Democracy, Political Legitimacy, And Self-determination In Multi-cultural Societies
Author: Jorge Valadez
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 357
Release: 2018-03-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429980698

Most foundational works in political philosophy have made fundamentally false and far-reaching assumptions concerning the culturally homogeneous character of the polity.Deliberative Democracy, Political Legitimacy, andSelf-Determination in Multicultural Societies provides a much needed corrective to conventional accounts of the normative foundations of the state by reconceptualizing some of the fundamental issues in political theory from a perspective that recognizes the culturally pluralistic character of contemporary democracies. Among the issues considered are democratic deliberation in multicultural societies, the justification and function of political communities, the nature of self-determination, the justification of cultural rights, and the moral rationale for regional self-governance and secession. This work is suitable for graduate and upper-division undergraduate courses in political philosophy and political science, as well as the lay reader interested in understanding the major sources of conflict and instability in democratic societies.

Democracy and Multicultural Education

Democracy and Multicultural Education
Author: Farideh Salili
Publisher: IAP
Total Pages: 395
Release: 2010-04-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1607524244

Democratic political systems and the democratic way of life is aspired by most people around the world. Democracy is considered to be morally superior to other forms of political systems as it aspires to secure civil liberties, human rights, social justice and equality before the law for everyone regardless of their gender, culture, religion and national origin. Enshrined in democracy is separation of religion and state, fair and competitive elections of leaders according to a country’s constitution which in turn is based on democratic ideals. Democracy aspires for people of different backgrounds to live together with their differences intact, but all contributing towards a better life for all. In today’s increasingly pluralistic societies many people of different cultural and national backgrounds are brought together. Many have migrated from countries with autocratic political systems. Some with religions that require them to behave in different way, others with cultures teaching them values of harmony, collectivism and conformity as opposed to the culture of their host country emphasizing individualism and cherishing differences. Hence, in multicultural societies development of pluralistic democracy, a democracy which includes respect for diversity is essential. A truly multicultural education which is based on the assumption that different cultures will be equally represented in education goes a long way towards education for democratic citizenship. Such an education would make students aware of issues of human rights and justice and encourage them to define their own values and ways in which they could contribute to a better world. The aim of this volume is to provide a forum for discussion of how multiple social perspectives and personal values can be brought together on common grounds around matters related to democracy. Contributions from research, and scholarly theoretical work as well as presentation of existing creative models of democracy education will be included. Authors from the major democracies will comment on the models and practice of multicultural education in their respective countries, to facilitate discussion and learning from each others’ experiences.

Swiss Democracy

Swiss Democracy
Author: W. Linder
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 230
Release: 1998-02-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1349260452

An authoriative analysis of Swiss democracy, the institutions of federalism, and consensus democracy through political power sharing. Linder analyses the scope and limits of citizen's participation in direct democracy, which distinguishes Switzerland most from parliamentary systems. Central and Eastern Europe and all countries with minority problems could learn much of value from this study.

The Politics of Reconciliation in Multicultural Societies

The Politics of Reconciliation in Multicultural Societies
Author: Will Kymlicka
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2008
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0199233802

Most countries around the world exhibit a long history of exclusion and discrimination directed against ethnic, racial, national, religious, or ideological groups. The underlying justifications for these forms of exclusion have been increasingly discredited by the post-war human rights revolution, decolonization, and by contemporary norms of liberal-democratic constitutionalism, with their commitment to equal rights and non-discrimination. However, even as these older practices and ideologies of exclusion are discredited and repudiated, they continue to have enduring effects. The legacies of exclusion can still be seen in a wide range of social attitudes, cultural practices, economic and demographic patterns, and institutional rules that obstruct efforts to build genuinely inclusive societies of equal citizens. Finding ways to overcome this problem is a major challenge facing virtually every society around the world. The Politics of Reconciliation in Multicultural Societies focuses on two parallel intellectual and political movements that have arisen to address this challenge: the 'politics of reconciliation', with its focus on reparations, truth-telling and healing amongst former adversaries, and the 'politics of difference', with its focus on the recognition and empowerment of minorities in multicultural societies. Both the politics of reconciliation and the politics of difference are having a profound impact on the theory and practice of democracy around the world, but remarkably little has been written about the relationship between them. This book aims to fill that gap. Drawing on both theoretical analysis and case studies from around the world, the authors explore how the politics of reconciliation and the politics of difference often interact in mutually supportive ways, as reconciliation leads to more multicultural conceptions of citizenship. But there are also important ways in which the two may compete in their aims and methods. The Politics of Reconciliation in Multicultural Societies is the first attempt to systematically explore these areas of potential convergence and divergence.