European inventory of
societal values of culture

Joppke & Lukes - Multicultural Questions

Joppke, C. and Lukes, S. (eds.) (1999). Multicultural Questions. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Eleven prominent contributors to this collection of essays critically examined ideas and practices associated with the concept of ‘multiculturalism’ at a time when it was already widely accepted and practised in liberal democratic states. Their questioning of some of the main tenets of multicultural theory is structured around the following four ‘multicultural questions’: (1) Is universalism ethnocentric? (2) Does multiculturalism threaten citizenship? (3) Do minorities require group rights? and (4) What can Europe learn from North America? The essays written in response to these questions discuss many controversies surrounding multicultural policies, revolving around their implications for individual and community rights and, on the other hand, social cohesion and national identity. The roles of the state, public opinion, and political ideologies are addressed, as are the specificities of the varying approaches adopted by different countries in diversity management.

Joppke and Lukes (eds.) “Multicultural Questions”