Multiculturalism Flashcards
why do multiculturalists defend minority rights on the grounds that they guarantee individual freedoms and personal autonomy
Liberals
recognition of culture helps to promote personal self-respect and help individuals towards self-actualization and self-empowerment
culture is a vital tool that enables people to live autonomous lives. This was asserted by Charles Taylor, who in ‘The Politics of Recognition’, argues that individual self-respect is intrinsically bound up with cultural membership.
Protecting minorities from cultural erosion helps to build a more vigorous and vibrant society, preventing the ‘dull conformism’ that defines a culturally homogenous nation.
why do pluralist multiculturalists defend minority rights
allow minorities to take pride in culture and sense of belonging, preventing them from feeling alienated, isolated and rootless.
Within a community, distinctive practices or traditions should be preserved and cultural identity celebrated in order to prevent anomie and confusion in society.
In addition, pluralists argue these rights are a defense against oppression, preventing the values and lifestyles of minority communities being devalued, trivialized or ridiculed – a “failure of recognition” (Charles Taylor).
Pluralists argue that minority groups are always threatened or vulnerable because the state, as a neutral body, aligns with the dominant culture.
This culture is universalized as its language is used, history is taught, and whose cultural and religious practices are observed in public life.
why do multiculturalists defend minority rights on the grounds that they redress social injustice
E.g. through positive discrimination due to past injustices or present disadvantages.
They are compensation for unfair disadvantages and for under representation, usually addressed through a programme of positive discrimination.
For example, in the USA the political advancement of African Americans has been associated with affirmative action. The Supreme Court upheld the principle of reverse discrimination in educational admissions, allowing black students to gain admission to US universities with lower qualifications than white students.
why have conservatives criticised multiculturalism as it promotes instability
nationalism over multiculturalism: particularly critical of pluralist multiculturalism
shared values and cultural homogeny are a necessary precondition for a stable and successful society.
Human beings are drawn to others similar to themselves, fearing and distrusting strangers or foreigners is something that is natural and unavoidable.
Multiculturalism is therefore inherently flawed: they are fractured and conflict ridden, hostility and violence are common place. “Diversity within unity is a myth”, opposed by the social psychology of human beings.
Absolute assimilation e.g. Norman Tebbit’ cricket test
why do multiculturalists criticise liberal universalism
Liberals tend to believe in universal values that are applicable to all societies and cultures, which is seen as a form of oppression, or even cultural imperialism.
They believe it tends to marginalize and demoralize subordinate groups and peoples. It does this because behind the façade of universalism, the culture of liberal societies is constructed in line with the values and interests of its dominant groups: men, whites, wealthy etc.
Subordinate groups and peoples are either consigned an inferior or demeaning stereotype, or they are encouraged to identify with the supposedly ‘universal’ values of the dominant groups (the oppressors).
Additionally, universalism also gives rise to a modern liberal tendency towards ‘block thinking’ – the tendency to view cultural groups as monolithic giving them a single identity. Multicultualists argue that in fact all groups are internally varied and have a great number of subgroups.
why do multiculturalists believe egalitarianism is limited
in its legal and political forms
is limited
may even be part of the problem (it conceals deeper structures of cultural marginalisation)
therefore multiculturalists emphasise difference rather than equality
what type of politics do multiculturalists subscribe to
the politics of recognition
developed out of the collapse of the reopen empires early post world war II
the positive endorsement or celebration of cultural difference, allowing marginalised groups to assert themselves by reclaiming an authentic sense of cultural identity
why do multiculturalists argue cultural self-assertion and pride is so important
Pride in ones culture and a public acknowledgment of one’s cultural identity gives people a sense of social and historical rootedness
By contrast, a weak or fractured sense of cultural identity leaves people feeling isolated and confused
why does identity view culture as a source of liberation and empowerment
it seeks to cultivate a pure or authentic sense of identity
embracing this identity is a political act - a statement of intent and a form of defiance
identity politics is a pyscho-emotional force
attempt to fuse the personal with the political
what is the multiculturalist view on human nature
essentially communitarian, stressing people can’t be understood outside of society but are intrinsically shaped by the social cultural and other structures within which they live and develop
only groups and communities can give people a genuine sense of identity and moral purpose
the abstract individual - the “unencumbered self” - is a recipe for rootless atomism
- Sandel and MacIntyre
what are polyethnic rights
rights that help ethnic groups and religious minorities which have developed through immigration, to express and maintain their cultural distinctiveness
Kymlicka
example of polyethnic rights in practice
the exemption of Jews and Muslims from animal slaughtering laws, the exemption of Muslim girls from school dress codes, Sikhs to carry their ceremonial daggers
how are minority rights distinct from traditional liberal rights
they belongs to groups not individuals
multiculturalists subscribe to collectivism to a great extent rather than individualism
describe minority rights
special rights
specific to the groups which they belong, each cultural group having different needs for recognition based on the specific character of religion, tradition and way of life
e.g. Sikhs can ride motorcycles and not wear crash helmets
what are representation rights
special legal status that attempts to redress the underrepresentation of minority or disadvantaged groups in education and in senior positions in public and political life
achieved through positive discrimination
Kymlicka
how is positive discrimination defended by Kymlicka
it is the only way of ensuring the full and equal participation of all groups in the life of their society, thus ensuring that public policy reflects the interests of diverse groups and peoples and not merely the traditionally dominant groups.
who do self government rights belong to
national minorities
indigenous peoples
territorially concentrated
sharing a language
e.g. the native americans, the maoris in new Zealand;
the aboriginal people in Australia;
the Sami people in parts of northern Sweden, Norway and Finland
what does the right to self government mean in practice
the devolution of political power, usually through federalism to political its that are substantially controlled by members of the national minority
they can extend to the right succession - sovereign independence
example of self government rights
the territory of Nunavut in Canda formed in 1999
largely self governing and has its own territorial legislation
how has positive discrimination (representation rights) been criticised
it amounts to unfair discrimination
some members of minority groups argue it is demeaning and possibly counter productive (as it implies the group can’t gain advancement through their own efforts)
how have polyethnic rights been criticised
they block integration into larger society
the issue of the veil worn by some Muslim woman has attracted particular attention on this grounds
supporters of the right of to wear the veil argue it is basic to their cultural identity
critics argue it discriminates against women and is a symbol of separateness
explain the tension between minority rights and individual rights
cultural belonging when it is based on ethnicity and religion, is usually the product of family or social background, not personal choice
as most people don’t join an ethnic or religious group, it is difficult to see why they should be obliged to accept its beliefs or follow its practices
liberal-multicultural conflict
how does ‘offence’ conflict to liberalism
If offence amounts to evidence of oppression it has implications for traditional liberal rights – notably freedom of expression.
If freedom of expression has any value, it surely means that the right to express views that others may find objectionable or offensive.
Thus, harm involves physical threat and not a failure of recognition.
what does multiculturalism have in common with nationalism
both emphasise the capacity of culture to generate social and political cohesion
both seek to bring political arrangements in line with patterns of cultural differentiation
how do multiculturalists and nationalists differ
nationalists believe that stable and successful societies are ones in which nationality (in the sense of shared cultural identity) coincides with citizenship
on the other hand
multiculturalists believe cultural diversity is compatible with, and provides the best basis for, political cohesion
why do multiculturalist believe diversity is desirable
benefits to individual: strong sense of cultural identity and belonging
society at large:
vigour and vibrancy of society when there are a variety of cultural practices life sales traditions and beliefs
toleration and understanding:
by promoting cross cultural exchange between groups that live side by side next to one another, there is understanding and a willingness to respect difference - ANTIDOTE TO SOCIAL POLARISATION
description liberal multiculturalism
toleration
desire to uphold freedom of choice in the moral sphere
difference blind: liberalism is neutral in regard to culture race religion and gender
individuals should be evaluated as morally autonomous individuals
Rawls championed the belief that liberalism strives to establish conditions in which people can establish the good life as each defines it
but does not try to promote any particular value or moral belief
how is liberal toleration applied to multiculturalism
only extends to views values and social practices that are in themselves tolerant - compatible with personal freedom and autonomy
opposition to deep diversity
e.g. liberals unwilling to endorse FGM forced and arranged marriages female dress codes
the individuals rights and their freedom of choice comes before the rights of the cultural group
how do liberal multiculturalists distinguish between private and public life
private - cultural identity
realm of freedom
people express cultural religious and language identity
public - citizenship
bedrock of civic allegiance
example of the liberal multiculturalists public sphere
USA
African Americans
Integration rather than diversity emphasised in PUBLIC
Stress English proficiency, knowledge of US political history of preconditions for gaining citizenship
France
Secularism in public life lead to the banning of hijab and since 2003 a ban on overt religious affiliation in french schools
explain why liberal multiculturalists regard liberal democracy as the sole legitimate political system
They argue the virtue of democracy as it ensures that the government is based on the consent of the people
in guaranteeing personal freedom and toleration, it helps to uphold diversity
they would thus oppose calls for the establishment of an Islamic state based on the adoption of Sharia law
describe cosmopolitan multiculturalism
endorse cultural diversity - a melting pot of different ideas values and traditions
not a cultural mosaic of separate ethnic and religious groups
identity politics
pick and mix multiculturalism - cultural exchange and mixing are positively encouraged
why do cosmopolitan multiculturalists endorse diversity
individuals can experience different parts of culture other than their own, ‘cherry picking’ or ‘pick and mix multiculturalism’.
society benefits from cultures new hybrid cultures emerge, bringing people together for something they can all share in. this benefits society because it generates vigour and vibrancy, based on the existence of a variety of lifestyles, cultural practices, traditions and beliefs.
Cultures can mix, mingle and blend making us all feel connected to them. This cross-cultural exchange promotes understanding and a willingness to respect ‘difference’.
Diversity, in this sense, is the antidote to social polarisation and prejudice; advancing social justice and enabling marginalised groups and peoples to counteract subordination.
theorist of cosmopolitan multiculturalism
Jeremy Waldron
what is the core goal of pluralist multiculturalism
strong diversity
recognition of the legitimacy of non liberal and liberal values
what are the key themes of liberal multiculturalism
minority rights
diversity strengthens toleration and personal autonomy
communitarianism
