Introduction to Political Theory

• Disentangle various concepts that
  often get run together in debates over
  multiculturalism; in particular, we will
  distinguish between culture, race,
  ethnicity and religion.


• Set out a number of theories of
  multiculturalism.
  
  
  • Consider whether multiculturalism is
    bad for women.
  
  
  • Apply these theoretical perspectives to
    real-life case studies.
  
  
  
  

Chapter 15 Multiculturalism

Introduction

Beliefs and values, language and family traditions, dress and diet, are central

to an individual’s sense of identity. Most people would say that these things

should be respected, and liberal democracy has developed into an ideology

that places great stress on respecting diversity of belief and lifestyle. A fully

human existence entails the freedom to live according to your cultural

traditions. But what if a particular cultural tradition is hostile to liberalism? What

if, for example, it holds that girls should be educated to fulfil a subservient

role, limited strictly to the private sphere of the family? What if it advocates

discrimination, or even violence, against adherents of other religions, or gay

and lesbian people or different ethnic groups? These are questions raised by

multiculturalism, an ideology that has emerged since the 1960s, but which

stands in a complex relationship to older ideologies.

Chapter map

In this chapter we will: