Multiculturalism and cultural diversity in modern nation state

In the established political system of liberal nation-states built up on a principle of coherence between culture and nation as territorially defined groups, the occurrence of cultural differences has brought to the dissolution of this formula crucial for a unity of a nation-state. Nationalism holds that cultural differences are results of a hierarchy between “us” and “them” and consequently the existence of cultural differences was interpreted as differences among cultures as closed units. During recent years the politics has been confronted with various demands for recognition of cultural and ethnic plurality coming from groups of citizens, cultural and ethnic minorities. In this respect the interest in the issues of multiculturalism has increase both on scholar and public level. On one hand there are liberal theories promoting multiculturalism as a model of defense of cultural rights having its source in the universal right of an individual. From the liberal viewpoint multiculturalism aims to promote the recognition of cultural and ethnic plurality but still this plurality is intended as a plurality of cultures as closed units. Such concepts of multiculturalism has been criticised to endorse existing differences and to perpetuate existing cultural stereotypes by using “culture” as a mean to solve the social and political inequalities. On the other hand cultural relativism demonstrates that liberal concept of a nation-state ignored for many decades the idea of culture as a system based on a multiple relations and meanings, which go beyond nation-states boundaries and where cultural differences are intended as variations existing side by side. The aim of my paper is to critically explore these two concepts of multiculturalism and to point out their dilemmas in addressing the equality in pluri-cultural societies.