The politics of multiculturalism in the contemporary liberal-democratic countries

Abstract

The article discusses the concept of multiculturalism in the normative and political sense as one of the possible models of a relation of liberal-democratic states to ethno-cultural pluralism of modern societies, and the need for integration of different ethno-cultural communities, particularly national minorities and immigrant communities. Extremely affirmative attitude towards the policy of multiculturalism and identity politics in academic and general public, which existed in the last decade of the twentieth century, was replaced by the period of criticism of the concept. It was criticized as being inefficient with negative effects produced by the process of integration of immigrants and encouraging the rise of minority nationalism, isolationism and separation. According to that criticism, the public discourse of liberal democracy is overwhelmed by statements about total failure of multiculturalism and its abandonment. However, certain researches show that the trend of abandoning the politics of multiculturalism is not so expressed, although it might be concluded from the current 'political rebellion' of the critics and opponents of multiculturalism.