Publisher's Synopsis
The attempt to make democratic processes more inclusive has led to the problematic notion of 'multiculturalism'. It is based on a new principle that 'all voices should be heard' and 'equal respect' has become the irreducible core of the liberal state. However mere dialogue is not enough. First, it tends to privilege those who are already privileged. To change this needs active, exploratory listening that is allowed to challenge everyone's picture of the world. Second, since the tensions and ambiguities are here to stay, practical ways to cope and negotiate have to be found, although it is not at all clear what is involved. The contributors to this volume explore both dimensions and in particular point to what it means when the language game of dialogicality meets its limit. However, as they point out, the limits are not absolute, but can be the entry point into more complex language-games. The authors in this volume, from Canada, the Netherlands, Britain and Belgium, bring a vast repertoire of resources, examples and interpretive frames to bear on the task of opening up what might be understood by political-ethical-aesthetic notions of 'multiculturalism', both contemporary and historical. The contrasting approaches indicate what is at stake, questioning as they do whether any one of the key concepts is stale across time and place. In these contributions one can hear a plea for an enhanced conception of democratic dialogue, for the need to embrace different ontological aesthetic-moral assumptions, and for an ethics and politics that are more generous and receptive. Part one of Whither Multiculturalism? is an overview of the philosophical issues; part two thematises a variety of trends in multiculturalism debates; part three concerns contemporary and historical case studies of ' identity politics'. Whither Multiculturalism? eschews simple dichotomies and oppositions, offers valuable insights into the contested terrains of multiculturalism and provides all those whether students, scholars, lawyers policymakers, with conceptual tools tackle the perplexing ground of multiculturalism debates.
