Political Multiculturalism

Many prominent theoretical defenses of multiculturalism are applications of more general liberal, libertarian, democratic or egalitarian theories to specific issues related to diversity. But not all theories of multiculturalism are like this. The so-called Bristol School of Multiculturalism (BSM) seems to be an example of another kind of approach, since its prominent representatives, such as Bhikhu Parekh and Tariq Modood, stress that their multiculturalism does not presuppose liberal principles. This raises questions about how we should understand such defenses of multiculturalism, which Modood on several occasions has labelled as “political multiculturalism”. The chapter considers a number of interpretations of what might characterize “political multiculturalism” as a type of theoretical defense of multiculturalism and shows how the BSM exemplifies these. This leads to questions about the normative implications of political approaches, and whether and how the different political approaches fit together.