Multiculturalism and Political Theory

Over the past twenty-five years debate surrounding cultural diversity has become one of the most active areas of contemporary political theory and philosophy. The impact of taking cultural diversity seriously in modern political societies has led to challenges to the dominance of liberal theory and to a more serious engagement of political theory with actual political struggles. This 2007 volume of essays by leading political theorists reviews the development of multiculturalism, surveys the major approaches, addresses the critical questions posed and highlights directions in research. Multiculturalism and Political Theory provides an overview for both students and researchers.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; Part I. Trajectories: 1. The new debate on minority rights Will Kymlicka; 2. Structural injustice and the politics of difference Iris Marion Young; 3. Multiculturalism as/and/or anti-racism? Charles W. Mills; 4. Feminism and multiculturalism: mapping the terrain Ayelet Shachar; Part II. Approaches: 5. Egalitarian liberalism and universalism Simon Caney; 6. Contextualism, constitutionalism and Modus Vivendi approaches Jacob T. Levy; 7. Negotiation, deliberation and the claims of politics Anthony Laden; Part III. Critical Issues: 8. Multiculturalism and the critique of essentialism Andrew Mason; 9. Liberalism, multiculturalism and the problem of internal minorities Daniel Weinstock; 10. Redistribution and recognition: two approaches David Owen and James Tully; 11. A critical theory of multicultural toleration Rainer Forst; Part IV. New Directions: 12. Law's necessary forcefulness: Ralph Ellison and Hannah Arendt on the battle of Little Rock Danielle Allen; 13. Imagining civic relations in the moment of their breakdown: a crisis of civic integrity in the Netherlands Bert van den Brink; 14. Democracy and foreignness: democratic cosmopolitanism and the myth of an immigrant America Bonnie Honig.

About the Author :
Anthony Simon Laden is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is the author of Reasonably Radical: Deliberative Liberalism and the Politics of Identity (2001). David Owen is Professor of Social and Political Philosophy in the Division of Politics and International Relations at the University of Southampton. He is the author of Maturity and Modernity (1994) and Nietzsche, Politics and Modernity (1995).

Review :
'This is an excellent state of the art book on multiculturalism. The contributors are all distinguished scholars and the articles are first rate. Highly recommended for scholars and their students.' Joseph H. Carens, University of Toronto 'This book brings together important theorists who have contributed significantly to the discussion of the place of multiculturalism in political theory, while offering many insights about its practice as well.' K. Anthony Appiah, Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy and the University Center for Human Values, Princeton University