寛容の罠

～歴史的視点で読み解くジェンダー差別と移民政策～

抄録

This paper reconsiders the genealogy of toleration based on my 2020 monograph Fukanyōron. It begins by tracing how toleration emerged as a political compromise in early modern Europe, designed to manage sectarian division rather than embrace diversity. In contrast to this strategic origin, Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, offered a vision of toleration rooted in religious conviction: he argued that true faith required the freedom to differ, even radically, from the majority. In contemporary life, toleration has become a kind of social etiquette—an expected attitude among ‘decent’ citizens. However, this seemingly neutral stance can conceal hierarchies and power structures. The paper also addresses current immigration debates that have troubled many Western countries since the late 1990s. In the context of contemporary American politics, a common misunderstanding of toleration as a liberal mandate to be unconditionally and wholeheartedly open to immigrants contributes to the failure to formulate realistic border control policies.