Revealing the multiculturalist's illusion: a liberal critique

Baillie, Carole (2015) Revealing the multiculturalist's illusion: a liberal critique. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Multiculturalism has become a hot topic in political philosophy. This thesis investigates the philosophical foundations of multicultural theories through examining the key concepts commonly relied upon. A careful examination of each concept and the way in which they are interconnected, reveals an interesting strategy that the multiculturalist employs. It is my contention that the multiculturalist relies on a complex web of nebulous concepts which fools the reader into thinking that their theory rests on strong foundations. However, when we clear away the fog of confusion, we can see that the multiculturalist has presented us with an illusion, and none of the concepts remain strong enough to hold any of the normative weight they need them to. Multiculturalism relies on grandiloquent rhetoric and muddled thinking, and will ultimately fail to achieve the liberal goals it purports to.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Multiculturalism, group rights, culture, recognition, nationality, ethnicity, race, cosmopolitanism.
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General); J Political Science > JC Political theory
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Philosophy
• Supervisor's Name: Colburn, Dr. Ben
• Date of Award: 2015
• Depositing User: Ms. Carole Baillie
• Unique ID: glathesis:2015-6332
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 26 May 2015 08:24
• Last Modified: 29 May 2015 15:43
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/6332