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Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism
All major Western countries contain groups that differ from the mainstream and from each other in religious beliefs, customary practices, or cultural ideas. How should public policy respond to this diversity? Brian Barry challenges the currently orthodox answer and develops a powerful restatement of an egalitarian liberalism for the twenty-first century.
418 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2001
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About the author
Brian M. Barry
22 books16 followersBrian Barry [Fellow of the British Academy] was a moral and political philosopher. He was educated at the Queen's College, Oxford, obtaining the degrees of B.A. and D.Phil under the direction of H. L. A. Hart.
Along with David Braybrooke, Richard E. Flathman, Felix Oppenheim, and Abraham Kaplan, he is widely credited with having fused analytic philosophy and political science.[citation needed] Barry also fused political theory and social choice theory and was a persistent critic of public choice theory.
During his early career, Barry held teaching posts at the University of Birmingham, Keele University and the University of Southampton. In 1965 he was appointed a teaching fellow at University College, and then Nuffield College. In 1969 he became a professor at Essex University.
Barry was Lieber Professor Emeritus of Political Philosophy at Columbia University and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the London School of Economics. He was awarded the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science in 2001. Barry also taught at the University of Chicago, in the departments of philosophy and political science. During this time he edited the journal Ethics, helping raise its publication standards. Under his editorship, it became perhaps the leading journal for moral and political philosophy.
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1978. Barry was a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of York in 2006.
Selected publications
* Why Social Justice Matters (Polity 2005)
* Culture & Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism (2001)
* Justice as Impartiality (1995)
* Theories of Justice (Berkeley, 1989)
* Democracy, Power, and Justice: Essays in Political Theory (Oxford, 1989)
* The Liberal Theory of Justice (1973)
* Sociologists, Economists and Democracy (1970)
* Political Argument (1965, Reissue 1990)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Barry
Along with David Braybrooke, Richard E. Flathman, Felix Oppenheim, and Abraham Kaplan, he is widely credited with having fused analytic philosophy and political science.[citation needed] Barry also fused political theory and social choice theory and was a persistent critic of public choice theory.
During his early career, Barry held teaching posts at the University of Birmingham, Keele University and the University of Southampton. In 1965 he was appointed a teaching fellow at University College, and then Nuffield College. In 1969 he became a professor at Essex University.
Barry was Lieber Professor Emeritus of Political Philosophy at Columbia University and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the London School of Economics. He was awarded the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science in 2001. Barry also taught at the University of Chicago, in the departments of philosophy and political science. During this time he edited the journal Ethics, helping raise its publication standards. Under his editorship, it became perhaps the leading journal for moral and political philosophy.
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1978. Barry was a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of York in 2006.
Selected publications
* Why Social Justice Matters (Polity 2005)
* Culture & Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism (2001)
* Justice as Impartiality (1995)
* Theories of Justice (Berkeley, 1989)
* Democracy, Power, and Justice: Essays in Political Theory (Oxford, 1989)
* The Liberal Theory of Justice (1973)
* Sociologists, Economists and Democracy (1970)
* Political Argument (1965, Reissue 1990)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Barry
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 30, 2023
god this guy is so annoying im literally going to email my teacher about it
February 22, 2019
After reading Taylor's and Kymlicka's essays for my phD required course in Canadian politics, I had my doubts. Although Taylor is a brilliant writer and serious philosopher, the arguments for multiculturalism, and the framework derived for it within the Canadian context, seemed confusing and contradictory.
Brian Barry offers a smart critique of Canada's biggest multiculturalists, including Kymlicka, Taylor, and Tully. He deconstructs various aspects of their philosophies, systematically demonstrating how and why their ideas fall short of equalitarian liberalism, his own political leaning. He is clear, unapologetic, and very funny, making this book a pleasure to read. I will be re-reading it.
This book is great if you want to understand the weaknesses of the multiculturalist philosophy and hone your understanding of equalitarian liberalism. Although there is much to be agreed upon in his book, I personally had some reservations, especially in regard to Barry's understanding of the state's role in language education.
I'm not sure this is a definitive negation of multiculturalism nor does it resolve the tensions that exist within liberal democracies due to difference amongst people (regardless of Barry's insistence), however for someone who has not quite opting into the postmodern, relativist mode of thinking so prevalent today, this is a great read.
Brian Barry offers a smart critique of Canada's biggest multiculturalists, including Kymlicka, Taylor, and Tully. He deconstructs various aspects of their philosophies, systematically demonstrating how and why their ideas fall short of equalitarian liberalism, his own political leaning. He is clear, unapologetic, and very funny, making this book a pleasure to read. I will be re-reading it.
This book is great if you want to understand the weaknesses of the multiculturalist philosophy and hone your understanding of equalitarian liberalism. Although there is much to be agreed upon in his book, I personally had some reservations, especially in regard to Barry's understanding of the state's role in language education.
I'm not sure this is a definitive negation of multiculturalism nor does it resolve the tensions that exist within liberal democracies due to difference amongst people (regardless of Barry's insistence), however for someone who has not quite opting into the postmodern, relativist mode of thinking so prevalent today, this is a great read.
March 10, 2022
I read the Introduction, and four chapters: Ch2 "The Strategy of Privatization", Ch3 "The Dynamics of Identity: Assimilation, Acculturation and Difference, Ch7 "The Abuse of 'Culture' and Ch8 "The Politics of Multiculturalism". I skipped the three chapters on theories of group rights, claims of free association, and the chapter on education. If you are short on time I would read the Introduction, Ch2 and Ch 7.
This is a very humorously written (containing a truck-load of quizzical real-world examples of cultural special pleading) and well-argued book. Brian Barry champions the cause of egalitarian liberalism, carefully exposing the flaws in the arguments of multiculturalists like Will Kymlicka, Charles Taylor, Iris Marion Young, James Tully and Bikhu Parekh (the latter two I had not heard of).
A minor point of criticism: I did not agree with his arguments on the treatment of national communities such as Quebec in Canada. I think this is due to an undue conflation of national groups and other sorts of cultural groups. The former, in my view, have rights that trump a liberal political order which the latter do not. But this is more about nationalism than about multiculturalism.
This is a very humorously written (containing a truck-load of quizzical real-world examples of cultural special pleading) and well-argued book. Brian Barry champions the cause of egalitarian liberalism, carefully exposing the flaws in the arguments of multiculturalists like Will Kymlicka, Charles Taylor, Iris Marion Young, James Tully and Bikhu Parekh (the latter two I had not heard of).
A minor point of criticism: I did not agree with his arguments on the treatment of national communities such as Quebec in Canada. I think this is due to an undue conflation of national groups and other sorts of cultural groups. The former, in my view, have rights that trump a liberal political order which the latter do not. But this is more about nationalism than about multiculturalism.
December 13, 2016
I don't remember much except the consensus in class that Brian Barry is a complete dick
December 22, 2015
As evidenced by this book, Barry is clearly brilliant. He provides deep insight into a variety of topics which remain as relevant today as they were when he wrote his manuscript. In particular, he does an excellent job of addressing and deconstructing the arguments put forth by authors proposing the legal enshrinement of multiculturalism.
Despite his brilliance, however, Barry's book feels disorganized and lacking in overarching purpose. While all of the chapters address different aspects of multiculturalism, the work lacks a feeling of an overall argument--instead, I got the sense that Barry merely jumps from one argument to another, rarely even bothering to illustrate their connection.
Despite his brilliance, however, Barry's book feels disorganized and lacking in overarching purpose. While all of the chapters address different aspects of multiculturalism, the work lacks a feeling of an overall argument--instead, I got the sense that Barry merely jumps from one argument to another, rarely even bothering to illustrate their connection.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews