Skip main navigation

Multiculturalism and Its Variants

Overview of multiculturalism by Dr Rahul
© Freepik
Will Kymlicka is one of the most important scholars in the field of multiculturalism. He, along with Allen Patten, have been the two key proponents of liberal egalitarianist form of multiculturalism. Will and Allen argue that:

  1. Individuals have legitimate interests in their culture, language, and identity.

  2. Public institutions must fairly take those interests into account.

  3. When specifying those (individual) interests, and fairly taking them into account, we must do so in a way that respects individual autonomy and responsibility.

  4. Individuals must be free to form and revise their conception of the good, and are responsible for those choices.

  5. In essence, it means that Will’s liberal multiculturalism rests on a moral division of labour. Liberal multiculturalism is focused on the provision of fair opportunities to freely pursue culture-related interests rather than the imposition of duties to maintain any particular identity or way of life.

© Universiti Malaya
This article is from the free online

Multiculturalism In ASEAN

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now