Term paper on: Cultural liberty in
today’s diverse world
Finding Key Thoughts: Human
Development Report (2004)
Course Name: Human Development
Course Code: BDS-2418
ID 18121017
Overview
• a)Introduction
• b)Cultural liberty and human development
• c)Multicultural Policies
• d)Cultural Domination
• e)Globalization
• f)Conclusion point here
Cultural Liberty
•Ability to choose one’s identity
•A vital part of human development
•Freedom to practice their religion openly
•To speak their language
•To celebrate their ethnic or religious heritage .
Managing Cultural Diversity
The existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic
groups within a society.
Cultural Diversity
• States need to forge national unity amid this
diversity
• Cannot be ignored by any state or the
international community
• Confrontations over culture and identity
likely to grow
Cultural liberty and human
development
Cultural liberty is a human right and an
important aspect of human development
And thus worthy of state attention and
action
Human Development
•Health, education, a decent standard of living and
political freedom
•People’s cultural identity must be recognized and
accommodated by the states
•People must be free to express these identities without
being discriminated
Multicultural Policies
•Cultural liberty will not just happen
•Governments need to adoptive them even if there is no clear
policies of oppression or discrimination
•States must recognize cultural differences in their
constitutions, laws and institutions
•Must ensure that interests of minorities, or historically
marginalized majorities are not ignored by the majority or by
dominant groups
•Should focus on five central policy areas
Multicultural Policies
(1)Policies for ensuring political participation
(2) Policies for ensuring religious freedom
(3) Policies for legal pluralism
(4) Language Policies
(5) Socio-economic Policies
Cultural Domination
•Takes different forms: political parties, militias, violent
groups, international networks and even the state
•Underlying causes include manipulative leadership,
poverty and inequality, weak or ineffectual states, outside
political interventions and linkages with the diaspora
•Assert cultural superiority and intolerance, targeting
freedom and diversity
•Democratic accommodation works; intolerance is a real
challenge for cultural liberty and legitimate means must be
used
Globalization
•Expanding cultural freedom presents new challenges and
dilemmas
•Policies need to explicitly recognize and respect cultural
differences
•Also need to address imbalances in economic and political
power
•An approach that respects and promotes diversity while
keeping countries open to global flows of capital, goods and
people is advocated
Cultural liberty in today’s diverse world relate
to Bangladesh context:
• The report, 'Cultural Liberty in Today's Diverse World', lauds Bangladesh
as the third best performer among developing countries in reducing child
mortality from 144 deaths a thousand in 1990 to 77 in 2000.
• Bangladesh with more than 45 different ethnic groups is also considered a
multicultural society, as the groups make up approximately two percent of
the population
• Reduction in income poverty was also referred to as a sector where
Bangladesh was effective as the percentage of citizens living under the
poverty line came down from 51 to 49.8 percent
• Bangladesh's life expectancy also jumped up to 61.1 years.
• Bangladesh as a non-secular country, citing the government's formal
alliance with Islam is exclusively benefiting the religion, which goes
Expanding Cultural Freedoms
•An important goal in human development, needing
urgent attention in the 21stcentury
`•All people want to be free to be who they are and to
express their identity
•In the era of globalization, there must be greater
respect for diversity and stronger commitment to unity