Abstract
This paper is an introduction to a special issue on “Nationalism, Multiculturalism and Liberal Democracy”. It attempts to describe the state of the debate on issues of multiculturalism and nationalism within liberal-democratic theory. I suggest that there may be an emerging consensus on “liberal culturalism” – the view that certain group-specific rights or policies aimed at recognizing or accommodating ethnic and national groups are legitimate so long as they operate within certain constraints of liberal justice. I explore the possible reasons for this emerging consensus (including the lack of clear alternatives), and conclude with some suggestions about the likely avenues for future research in this area.
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Kymlicka, W. Introduction: An Emerging Consensus?. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 1, 143–157 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009986723807
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009986723807