Reassessing the multicultural project: comments on Chin/Levey’s “Recognition as acknowledgment: symbolic politics in multicultural democracies”

ABSTRACT

The article stresses two strong points in the essay by Chin/Levey: first, the emphasis on the symbolic dimension of the multicultural project, and second, the novel understanding of recognition as an acknowledgment of minority members as full citizens in the polity. The comments then focus on (1) Charles Taylor’s view of recognition as equal respect for culture; (2) politicizing differences; (3) the distinction between recognition and rights (4) social standards.

KEYWORDS:

• Multicultural project
• recognition
• symbolic politics
• social standards
• equal status of citizenship
• equal respect

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).