Multicultural Odysseys: Navigating the New International Politics of DiversityWe are currently witnessing the global diffusion of multiculturalism, both as a political discourse and as a set of international legal norms. States today are under increasing international scrutiny regarding their treatment of ethnocultural groups, and are expected to meet evolving international standards regarding the rights of indigenous peoples, national minorities, and immigrants. This phenomenon represents a veritable revolution in international relations, yet has received little public or scholarly attention. In this book, Kymlicka examines the factors underlying this change, and the challenges it raises. Against those critics who argue that multiculturalism is a threat to universal human rights, Kymlicka shows that the sort of multiculturalism that is being globalized is inspired and constrained by the human rights revolution, and embedded in a framework of liberal-democratic values. However, the formulation and implementation of these international norms has generated a number of dilemmas. The policies adopted by international organizations to deal with ethnic diversity are driven by conflicting impulses. Pessimism about the destabilizing consequences of ethnic politics alternates with optimism about the prospects for a peaceful and democratic form of multicultural politics. The result is often an unstable mix of paralyzing fear and naïve hope, rooted in conflicting imperatives of security and justice. Moreover, given the enormous differences in the characteristics of minorities (eg., their size, territorial concentration, cultural markers, historic relationship to the state), it is difficult to formulate standards that apply to all groups. Yet attempts to formulate more targeted norms that apply only to specific categories of minorities (eg., "indigenous peoples" or "national minorities") have proven controversial and unstable. Kymlicka examines these dilemmas as they have played out in both the theory and practice of international minority rights protection, including recent developments regarding the rights of national minorities in Europe, the rights of indigenous peoples in the Americas, as well as emerging debates on multiculturalism in Asia and Africa. |
Contents
Part II Making Sense of Liberal Multiculturalism | 57 |
Part III Paradoxes in the Global Diffusion of Liberal Multiculturalism | 169 |
317 | |
Other editions - View all
Multicultural Odysseys: Navigating the New International Politics of Diversity Will Kymlicka No preview available - 2007 |
Multicultural Odysseys: Navigating the New International Politics of Diversity Will Kymlicka No preview available - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
accept accommodation According adopted American apply approach attempt autonomy become Chapter civil claims clear concern context Convention countries cultural debates democratic diffusion discuss distinct diversity dominant economic effective emerged equality ethnic Europe European example existing expected fact factors fears federalism forms formulate framework global goal groups historic homeland human rights idea identity immigrants important indigenous individual institutions international community involved issues Italy language liberal multiculturalism majority minority rights models moral multiculturalism policies national minorities norms official organizations participation particular political post-colonial post-communist potential practices principle problem promote protection question racial reasons recognition recognized reflect regional relations result Roma seen self-government shift simply society sort standards status strategy substate success targeted term territorial autonomy threat tion track traditional types United universal values various West Western Western democracies