Multiculturalism and Toleration
Prof. Bhandary
Study guide (Part I).
Instructions: Complete the study guide, using your notes and the reading. Feel free to download this
document and type your notes into it.
The midterm will evaluate depth of understanding of material covered prior to the midterm.
Terms, topics, and questions
1. The politics of equal dignity
Equal freedom for all, no differentiation in rights. Directly following the fall of hierarchal
society.
2. The politics of difference
Equal freedom for all, but rights and entitlements are differentiated on the basis of
recognizing differences.
3. Explain the harm of misrecognition. Give an example.
Misrecognition harms the individual’s security in their identity. It can even be a form of
oppression.
4. The dialogical self
The idea that every individual’s identity is reliant on the recognition and dialogue with
others.
5. A fusion of horizons
The idea that in order to begin evaluating another culture’s material we must first understand
that we inherently use a background of value that is engrained with ideals from our own
culture. Fusion of horizons is an attempt to understand the unfamiliar culture’s background
of value and use that to judge the material. For this to be successful one must use an entirely
new vocabulary of comparison.
6. Why does Taylor think cultural groups should be recognized?
Recognition is needed in order to support the dialogical self.
7. Explain the goal of cultural survival. What kind of state action might be required to ensure
cultural survival?
The goal of cultural survival is to preserve cultural practices so that they are not lost in future
generations. This act of preservation allows minority cultures among dominant cultures to
preserve their integrity and avoid losing important aspects of their cultural practices, beliefs,
etc. to the assimilation into the dominant culture. Many kinds of state action may be required
to ensure cultural survival such as the French language preservation in Quebec.
8. What is the problem that Taylor’s fusion of horizons is meant to solve?
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Taylor’s fusion of horizons is meant to solve the problem of misvaluing cultural material.
Without fusion of horizons one may arrogantly assume that they already have the tools in
place to correctly assess another culture’s material.
9. What are the aims of the ethnic studies program in Tucson, as depicted in the documentary
film Precious Knowledge?
The aim of the ethnic studies program in Tucson was to teach minority students about their
own culture’s history in order to disrupt the pattern of engrained devaluation that is the
current curriculum in high school general education in the U.S. To clarify, when women and
minority students are taught a curriculum that fails to recognize their contributions
historically, the issue isn’t that they are left out of the curriculum, but rather the curriculum
instills a demeaning or ‘lesser-than’ image of the groups. The ethnic studies program
intended to combat this. IMPROVE GRADUATION RATES ETC
10. Which differences are evaluated in Taylor’s defense of multiculturalism? Identify the kinds
of differences he describes and also: identify whether there are some differences that he
conflates.
Taylor evaluates which types of differences we should accommodate in the politics of
difference specifically in social roles. The way that we have social systems structured around
different forms of hierarchy ultimately leads to a need for recognition for our different
forms of social groups. This could be roles, identities, cultures, and language groups.
11. Do you think recognition of cultural difference is necessary for a society to treat all of its
members equally?
12. Do you think the identity groups to which you belong are identities you were born into?
Have you made decisions to participate in these groups? Use examples.
I think that many of the identity groups that I belong to I was, in fact, born into; however,
there are many identity groups to which I belong that I was not born into. For example, I
was born into being an American, a member of a middle-class family, and a woman. I chose
to be an anthropologist, I chose my own political affiliations, and I chose to be a Hawkeye. I
think overall, the identities we choose to align ourselves with
13. What is the intersectional challenge to identity politics? (See Heyes)
The intersectional challenge to identity politics is that many individuals belong to multiple
identity groups and cannot form exclusive alliances with one group in particular without
interfering with other aspects of their own identities.
14. What does Taylor say is wrong with judging cultures to have equal worth?
Taylor says it is not practical to judge cultures to have equal worth because they don’t exist
on the same scale of valuation. It would be ludicrous to say that two cultures have the examt
same worth because it presupposes that you already know how to evaluate a culture other
than your own. You can’t accurately so this because your system of valuation comes from
your own culture.
15. Does Taylor think that liberalism always takes a cultural stand? Explain the role of his
discussion of Islam in this context.
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Taylor does think that liberalism always takes a cultural stand. In Taylor’s opinion,
liberalism’s assumption that everyone can be treated equally in a neutral society fails to
recognize that many cultures cannot be separated into public and private spheres. He uses
Islam as an example describing that Muslim’s public and private lives are influenced heavily
by their practicing of Islam and cannot separate church and state because in Islam they are
one.
16. What is an aim of multicultural educational curricula?
Looking for Taylor’s description of multicultural curricula
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