Cultural Identity and the Nation-State

by Gould, Carol C.; Pasquino, Pasquale; Dahbour, Omar; Morris, Christopher W.; Cunningham, Frank; Barber, Benjamin R.; Audard, Catherine; Cohen, James A.

• ISBN13: 9780847696772
• ISBN10: 0847696774
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-06-06
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

In this collection, several distinguished political philosophers consider alternative models of the recognition of diverse cultures and the significance of cultural and national identity within democratic societies. The impact of this recognition for conceptions of citizenship and the supposed neutrality of the democratic state is examined, in the framework of economic and political globalization on the one hand, and the widespread assertion of cultural and ethnic differences on the other. The tension between the recognition of diverse cultures and universal frameworks of human rights is discussed, as are the idea of national self-determination and the new forms of democratic and civic institutions that may be required in order to deal with present political conflicts.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
The Ethics of Self-Determination: Democratic, National, Regional	1	(18)
Omar Dahbour
Peoples, nations, and the Unity of Societies	19	(12)
Christopher W. Morris
Could Canada Turn into Bosnia?	31	(26)
Frank Cunningham
Blood Brothers, Consumers, or Citizens? Three Models of Identity---Ethnic, Commercial, and Civic	57	(10)
Benjamin R. Barber
Two Concepts of Universality and the Problem of Cultural Relativism	67	(18)
Carol C. Gould
The French Republic and the Claims of Diversity	85	(24)
Catherine Audard
Value Judgments and Political Assessments about National Models of Citizenship: The U.S. and French Cases	109	(22)
James A. Cohen
Constitutional Adjudication and Democracy: Comparative Perspectives---The United States, France, and Italy	131	(14)
Pasquale Pasquino
Index	145	(8)
About the Contributors	153