Deep diversity versus constitutional patriotism

Abstract

In discussing Canada, many analysts argue that if the country is to be kept together, it is necessary to revise the standard liberal conception of citizenship. The essential problem currently facing Canada, they claim, is how diverse claims for difference can be accommodated. This article is intended to shed light on this debate by contrasting Charles Taylor's concept of ‘deep diversity’ with Jürgen Habermas's notion of ‘constitutional patriotism’. The purpose of the article is twofold. First, I seek to clarify the salience of the terms ‘deep diversity’ and ‘constitutional patriotism’, by locating each term in the relevant author's larger philosophical framework and by discussing their relevance to the case of Canada. Second, I use the two terms as the basis for a discussion of what precisely constitutes the nature of the problems facing Canada. Taylor and Habermas offer different diagnoses in this respect. The article concludes that Habermas's diagnosis is not only more positive but also points us in a different direction than Taylor in our search for solutions.