A Critical Examination about the Multiculturalism: As a theoretical foundation for constructing the public and dialogical space

Abstract

Recently, the argument about multiculturalism is increasing its importance more and more. This paper intends to examine it critically and find the way we should choose in the near future.

From theoretical point of view, multiculturalism will be placed at the middle of Liberalism and Communitarianism. Above all, for example, C. Taylor’s “the politics of difference” tends toward Communitarianism. This paper intends to show that such kind of multiculturalism involves a certain type of relativism, which does not adequately estimate but overestimates the incommensurability between one culture and another.

We think this relativist tendency stems from considering the cultural identity as something essentialist. Such cultural relativism turns groups into crowds, and causes absolute in-toleration toward the other culture and absolute toleration toward “collective purpose” among their own culture. In fact, like the case of the Affirmative Actions in the United States, the policy involving such relativism seems to have cause unfortunate friction between one and another.

We must re-grasp the identity to abandon this troublesome aspect of multiculturalism. Essentially, the identity should contextually change in various condition of dialogue. If one group’s identity had been politically recognized or fixed as such by public government, they would be confusing public and private matters, and each person’s identities would have been treated inadequately. Limitless public recognition of collective purpose may cause dangerous nationalism. In order to keep both diversity and mutual understanding among cultures in the future, we must ease the incommensurability between one culture and another and elaborate a plan of constructing the truly public and dialogical space now.