Global Human
Development Report
2004
Cultural Liberty in Today’s
Diverse World

Identifies Global Threats:
• Racism
• Sexism
• Xenophobia
• Ethnicity & Nationalism
• Religious intolerance
• Cultural hegemony
• Economic, social and political discrimination
South Africa
Outlines Global Challenges:
• Recognising that cultural diversity is an inescapable feature of the landscape of politics in the 21 st century
• Managing cultural identities through policies that explicitly recognise diversity
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The Report Articulates a Normative
Perspective
South Africa
• Cultural diversity flourishes within a rights-based, democratic context
• Cultural determinism is an obstacle to freedom, equitable development and self-determination
• Cultural identities are fluid, multiple and dynamic
• Multicultural policies are a way to build diverse and unifies states
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South Africa
• Cultural liberty is a vital part of sustainable human development
• Cultural liberty is a human right
• Cultural liberty is a simple notion, but profoundly unsettling for narrower agendas of identity politics
• States need to find progressive ways of forging national unity amid cultural diversity
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South Africa
• People’s ethnic identities compete with their attachment to the State, so there is a tradeoff between recognising diversity and recognising the State;
• Ethnic groups are prone to violent conflict with each other in clashes of values, so there is a trade-off between respecting diversity & sustaining peace;
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South Africa
• Cultural liberty requires defending traditional practices, so there could be a trade-off between recognising cultural diversity & other human development priorities such as progress in development, democracy & human rights;
• Ethnically diverse countries are less able to develop, so there is a trade-off between ….
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• ……Respecting diversity and promoting development;
• Some cultures are more likely to make developmental progress than others, and some cultures have inherent democratic values while others do not, so there is a trade-off between accommodating certain cultures & promoting dev & democracy.
South Africa
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South Africa
• Policies for ensuring political participation
• Policies for ensuring religious freedom
• Policies for ensuring legal pluralism and access to justice
• Policies for ensuring equitable treatment of languages
• Policies for ensuring access to socioeconomic opportunities
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• Poverty, unemployment and inequality
• Forces of globalisation and cultural homogenisation
• Stigmatisation and Stereotyping
• Gender violence and discrimination
• Migration and refugees
• Xenophobia and related violence
• Religious and ethnic intolerance
• Neglect of indigenous minorities
South Africa
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Report Provides Roadmap for
Building Multicultural Democracies
South Africa
• Multicultural policies that explicitly recognise cultural differences
• Policies that address the cultural exclusion of minorities and other marginalised groups
• Political and governance mechanisms that ensure inclusion
• Legal systems that conform to international standards of human rights and gender equality
• Legal systems that accommodate customary law/practices
• Multiple language policies that ensure full democratic participation
• Public spending regimes that promote equity and inclusion
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South Africa
• Building humane & just societies requires both freedom & equity;
• Cultural diversity gives people in societies the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of cultural choice;
• Exercise of cultural liberty may lead to reduction in cultural diversity;
• Need for liberty & equity in assessing the demands of social inclusion & contingent merits of cultural diversity,
• Unexamined traditionalism is not part of the exercise of cultural liberty.
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