Engaging Cultural Differences: The Multicultural Challenge in Liberal Democracies

by Richard A. Shweder (Editor), Martha Minow (Editor), Hazel Rose Markus (Editor)

Liberal democracies are based on principles of inclusion and tolerance. But how does the principle of tolerance work in practice in countries such as Germany, France, India, South Africa, and the United States, where an increasingly wide range of cultural groups holds often contradictory beliefs about appropriate social and family life practices? As these democracies expand to include peoples of vastly different cultural backgrounds, the limits of tolerance are being tested as never before. Engaging Cultural Differences explores how liberal democracies respond socially and legally to differences in the cultural and religious practices of their minority groups.

Building on such examples, the contributors examine the role of tolerance in practical encounters between state officials and immigrants, and between members of longstanding majority groups and increasing numbers of minority groups. The volume also considers the theoretical implications of expanding the realm of tolerance. Some contributors are reluctant to broaden the scope of tolerance, while others insist that the notion of "tolerance" is itself potentially confining and demeaning and that modern nations should aspire to celebrate cultural differences.

Coming to terms with ethnic diversity and cultural differences has become a major public policy concern in contemporary liberal democracies, as they struggle to adjust to burgeoning immigrant populations. Engaging Cultural Differences provides a compelling examination of the challenges of multiculturalism and reveals a deep understanding of the challenges democracies face as they seek to accommodate their citizens' diverse beliefs and practices.

Genres: Nonfiction

499 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2002

About the author

Richard Allan Shweder is an American cultural anthropologist and a figure in cultural psychology. He is currently Harold H. Swift Distinguished Service Professor of Human Development in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging Cultural Differences: The Multicultural Challenge in Liberal Democracies: The Multicultural Challenge in Liberal Democracies (Paperback)
by Richard A. Shweder (Editor)


this au/editor is sited by psychologist Linda Skitka on Hidden Brain Moral Combat on the radio on Oct 24 2020 on the subject of objectivity and science/ knowledge about FGM. https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/...

this book ordered from the library this date.
book found from citation in pdf of The goose and the gander: the genital wars by
Richard A. Shweder
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/1...

[Liliane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wake-up call for well-meaning "outsiders".