Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory

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Macmillan Education UK, Oct 31, 2005 - Political Science - 432 pages
This important and much acclaimed book rapidly became a classic on first publication. In it, Bhikhu Parekh shows that the Western tradition of political philosophy has very limited theoretical resources to cope with cultural diversity. He then discusses how it can be revised and what new conceptual tools are needed. The core of the book addresses the important theoretical questions raised by contemporary multicultural society, especially the nature and limits of intercultural equality and fairness, national identity, citizenship, and cross-cultural political discourse. The new second edition includes a substantial additional chapter addressing key issues.

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About the author (2005)

BHIKHU PAREKH is Professor in the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster, UK. He was Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics and before that for many years was Professor of Political Theory, University of Hull. A political theorist of international renown he has held visiting chairs at many of the top US universities as well as in Vienna and Barcelona. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Baroda and a member of India's University Grants Commission in the early 1980s. On his return to the UK he became Deputy Chairman and Acting Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality. He was chair of the Commission on the Future of Multi-Ethnic. He was elected British Asian of the Year in 1992 and received the BBC's award for special lifetime achievement in 1999. He was awarded The Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize for lifetime contribution to political studies by the Political Studies Association in 2003.

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