Liberal Multiculturalism and Human Rights Discourse: The Contribution of Will Kymlicka

Multiculturalism formulates inclusive and accommodative ways to respond to culturally and religiously diverse Western societies. Liberal multiculturalists such as Will Kymlicka are the pioneers in providing normative relevance of cultural membership to liberal theory and human rights paradigm. This paper will examine Kymlicka’s re-evaluation of liberalism in justifying cultural practice as a right. Kymlicka highlights the importance of the community and group to the individual’s private and public life, insisting that the realization of human rights is intrinsically bound with minority and cultural rights. His liberal multiculturalist rationale for cultural accommodation is individualistic as Kymlicka appeals to the importance of national and ethnic culture only as a result of their impact on individuals. This paper demonstrates how Kymlicka's liberal multiculturalism extends the agenda of human rights discourse within the context of cultural accommodation.

Liberal Çokkültürlülük ve İnsan Hakları Söylemi: Will Kymlicka’nın Katkısı

Çokkültürlülük, Batı toplumları bağlamında kültürel ve dini çeşitliliğe yanıt vermek için kapsayıcı ve uzlaşmacı çözümler ortaya koyar. Will Kymlicka gibi liberal çokkültürcüler, kültürel kimliğin/aidiyetin liberal teori ve insan hakları paradigmasıyla normatif ilişkisini ortaya koyan öncülerdir. Bu çalışma, Kymlicka’nın kültürel pratiği bir hak olarak meşrulaştıran liberal anlayışı yeniden değerlendirmesini inceleyecektir. Kymlicka, cemaatlerin ve grupların bireyin özel ve kamusal yaşamı için önemini vurgularken insan haklarının hayata geçirilmesinin özünde azınlık haklarıyla ve kültürel haklarla bağlantılı olduğunu iddia etmektedir. Kymlicka, ulusal ve etnik kültürün önemini yalnızca bireyler üzerindeki etkisinin bir sonucu olarak ele aldığı için onun kültürel uyum için öne sürdüğü liberal çokkültürlülük anlayışı bireyselcidir. Bu çalışma, Kymlicka’nın liberal çokkültürlülük anlayışının kültürel uyum bağlamında insan hakları söylemini nasıl genişlettiğini ortaya koyacaktır.

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