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June 2002, Volume 1, Number 2, Pages 157-180
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| Article |
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| Negotiating the 'Modern Wilderness of Interests': Bernard Bosanquet on Cultural Diversity† |
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| Colin Tyler |
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Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX, UK. E-mail: c.tyler@hull.ac.uk; Homepage: http://www.hull.ac.uk/pas/ctyler.htm
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†Earlier versions of parts of this paper were read at the University of York, Harris Manchester College, Oxford, and the London School of Economics. Particular thanks are due to Peter Nicholson, Stamatoula Panagakou, William Sweet, Geoffrey Thomas and two anonymous referees. The usual disclaimer applies.
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| Abstract |
| This article argues that, despite its reputation as a homogenising and authoritarian system, the political thought of Bernard Bosanquet contains resources with which to develop a robust and culturally sensitive model of liberal multiculturalism. Throughout the discussion, Bosanquet's thought is located within contemporary theoretical debates. The first section rehearses the critique of Millian liberalism developed by Bhikhu Parekh and others, which alleges that the considerations of individuality and autonomy underlying such a political order preclude it from showing adequate respect for cultures which do not conceive of personal identity in essentially individualistic terms. The next section sketches Bosanquet's social theory, as a preclude to the rebuttal of allegedly insurmountable barriers to the theory's accommodation of cultural diversity. Specifically, section three counters the objection that Bosanquet sanctions the imposition of internal restrictions on personal dissent. The final section rebuts the claim that a General Will cannot exist within a culturally diverse society, showing that in reality Bosanquet's theory leads us to endorse the 'fundamental beliefs' of a multi-ethnic society outlined recently in the Parekh Report. It is concluded that, when drawing on Bosanquet's thought, a liberal multicultural society can take different forms and yet still show proper respect for cultural diversity. Contemporary Political Theory (2002) 1, 157-180. doi:10.1057/palgrave.cpt.9300027 |
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| Keywords |
| multiculturalism; Bosanquet; general will; liberalism; idealism |
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