INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP RIGHTS IN CONTEMPORARY LIBERALISM
In today's society we hear a common plea for identity and recognition especially from Minority groups, some forms of feminism and the politics of "multiculturalism." They claim identity is partly shaped by recognition or its absence, and thus a person can suffer distortion of identity: an inferior image of themselves from demeaning social conditions.
Raging debate over multiculturalism permeates nearly every facet of academic endeavor. Political philosophers are as embroiled in these discussions as any others. Theoretical traditions are being reexamined in light of demands for group representation in political participation and resource distribution. Scholarly attention to the "recognition" and "difference" of cultural groups suggests that a multicultural agenda must address histories of exclusion and domination. Multiculturalism aspires to replace discriminatory practices with equal status relationships in an inclusionary public realm. For political philosophers this agenda raises the question: What theoretical orientation is most hospitable to the ideals of multiculturalism, and consistent with a multicultural public ethos?
William J. Meyer, writing in "the Politics of Differentiated Citizenship," says of the tension between individual and group rights in contemporary socio-political analysis:
The 'new pluralism,' however narrowly or broadly it conceives relevant groups, does not address the fragmentation of society into competing interests but rather the underlying variability of culture and identity in modern society, and the influence of these on the practices of democratic politics. The new pluralism raises questions about the impact of such groups on civic identity and civic rights (Meyer, 1998, p. 57).
The problem is rooted in the age-old American problem of racism. Every ethnic group that has migrated to America has found itself denigrated by thos...