Citizenship and Multiculturalism in Western Liberal Democracies

Citizenship and Multiculturalism in Western Liberal Democracies
Author: David Edward Tabachnick
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2017-03-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1498511732

This volume explores some of the tensions and pressures of citizenship in Western liberal democracies. Citizenship has adopted many guises in the Western context, although historically citizenship is attached only to some variant of democracy. How democracy is configured is thus at the core of citizenship. Beginning in ancient Greece, citizenship is attached to the notion of a public sphere of deliberation, open only to a small number of males. Nonetheless, we take from these origins an understanding of citizenship that is attached to friendship, preservation of a distinct community, and adherence to law. These early conceptions of citizenship in the west have been dramatically altered in the modern context by the ascendancy of individual rights and equality, expanding the inclusiveness of definition of citizenship. The universality of rights claims has led to debate about the legitimacy of the nation state and questioning of borders. A further development in our understanding of citizenship, and one that has shifted citizenship studies considerably in the last few decades, is the backlash against the universalism of rights in the defense of cultural recognition within democratic polities. Multiculturalism as a broad spectrum of citizenship studies defends the autonomy and recognition of cultural, and sometimes religious, identity within an overarching scheme of rights and equality. This collection draws upon the many threads of citizenship in the Western tradition to consider how all of them are still extant, and contentious, in contemporary liberal democracy.

Multicultural Citizenship

Multicultural Citizenship
Author: Will Kymlicka
Publisher: Clarendon Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 1996-09-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0191622451

The increasingly multicultural fabric of modern societies has given rise to many new issues and conflicts, as ethnic and national minorities demand recognition and support for their cultural identity. This book presents a new conception of the rights and status of minority cultures. It argues that certain sorts of `collective rights' for minority cultures are consistent with liberal democratic principles, and that standard liberal objections to recognizing such rights on grounds of individual freedom, social justice, and national unity, can be answered. However, Professor Kymlicka emphasises that no single formula can be applied to all groups and that the needs and aspirations of immigrants are very different from those of indigenous peoples and national minorities. The book discusses issues such as language rights, group representation, religious education, federalism, and secession - issues which are central to understanding multicultural politics, but which have been surprisingly neglected in contemporary liberal theory.

Engaging Cultural Differences

Engaging Cultural Differences
Author: Richard A., Shweder
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
Total Pages: 518
Release: 2002-06-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780871547910

What does tolerance mean and how does it work in practice, in such countries as the U.S., Germany, France, India, Norway, and South Africa? Twenty-five scholars--all but one from the U.S.--from the fields of law, anthropology, psychology, and political theory explore how liberal democracies do and should respond legally to differences in cultural and religious practices of minority group residents. The 21 essays explore the processes that create diversity, forms of cultural accommodation other than group status or rights, ways in which minority groups position themselves in relation to universal human rights claims, and the contrasting conceptions of group differences as they affect institutional and legal practices. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

Politics in the Vernacular

Politics in the Vernacular
Author: Will Kymlicka
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 392
Release: 2001-01-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0191522724

This volume brings together eighteen of Will Kymlicka's recent essays on nationalism, multiculturalism and citizenship. These essays expand on the well-known theory of minority rights first developed in his Multicultural Citizenship. In these new essays, Kymlicka applies his theory to several pressing controversies regarding ethnic relations today, responds to some of his critics, and situates the debate over minority rights within the larger context of issues of nationalism, democratic citizenship and globalization. The essays are divided into four sections. The first section summarizes 'the state of the debate' over minority rights, and explains how the debate has evolved over the past 15 years. The second section explores the requirements of ethnocultural justice in a liberal democracy. Kymlicka argues that the protection of individual human rights is insufficient to ensure justice between ethnocultural groups, and that minority rights must supplement human rights. In particular, Kymlicka explores why some form of power-sharing (such as federalism) is often required to ensure justice for national minorities; why indigenous peoples have distinctive rights relating to economic development and environmental protection; and why we need to define fairer terms of integration for immigrants. The third section focuses on nationalism. Kymlicka discusses some of the familiar misinterpretations and preconceptions which liberals have about nationalism, and defends the need to recognize that there are genuinely liberal forms of nationalism. He discusses the familiar (but misleading) contrast between 'cosmopolitanism' and 'nationalism', and discusses why liberals have gradually moved towards a position that combines elements of both. The final section explores how these increasing demands by ethnic and national groups for minority rights affect the practice of democratic citizenship. Kymlicka surveys recent theories of citizenship, and raises questions about how they are challenged by ethnocultural diversity. He emphasizes the importance of education as a site of conflict between demands for accommodating ethnocultural diversity and demands for promoting the common virtues and loyalties required by democratic citizenship. And, finally, he explores the extent to which 'globalization' requires us to think about citizenship in more global terms, or whether citizenship will remain tied to national institutions and political processes. Taken together, these essays make a major contribution to enriching our understanding of the theory and practice of ethnocultural relations in Western democracies.

Culture and Order in World Politics

Culture and Order in World Politics
Author: Andrew Phillips
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 397
Release: 2020-01-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108484972

Provides a new framework for reconceptualizing the historical and contemporary relationship between cultural diversity, political authority, and international order.

Toleration, Identity and Difference

Toleration, Identity and Difference
Author: J. Horton
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 212
Release: 1999-02-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0333983378

In this collection of essays distinguished political philosophers discuss the problems of toleration which arise in multi-cultural and multi-racial society. They ask whether allegiance to the group should take priority over allegiance to the wider society.

Secularism, Religion and Multicultural Citizenship

Secularism, Religion and Multicultural Citizenship
Author: Geoffrey Brahm Levey
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2009
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0521873606

Highly topical examination of the central problems raised by the relationship between religion, multiculturalism and secularism in western democracies.

Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism
Author: Tariq Modood
Publisher: Polity
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2007-07-23
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0745632882

Modood provides a distinctive contribution to public debates about multiculturalism at a most opportune time. He engages with the work of other leading commentators like Bhikhu Parekh and Will Kymlicka and offers new perspectives on the issue ofracial integration and citizenship today.

Multiculturalism, Religion and Women

Multiculturalism, Religion and Women
Author: M. Macey
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2009-09-02
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 023024517X

This book is the first sociological and feminist critique of multicultural theory and practice. Using empirical research, it answers the question: is multiculturalism bad for women? arguing that it is not only bad for (minority ethnic) women, but for minority and majority communities, and for society as a whole.

Trust, Democracy, and Multicultural Challenges

Trust, Democracy, and Multicultural Challenges
Author: Patti Tamara Lenard
Publisher: Penn State Press
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2012
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0271052538

"Examines the potential for distrust in an environment of ethnocultural diversity arising from increasing rates of immigration, and its implications for a democratic society. Incorporates democratic theory, multiculturalism theory, and migration theory"--Provided by publisher.