Individual and Group Rights of Liberal Multiculturalism

Abstract

The paper discusses the implementation of minority members’ protection through political and civil rights. In the debates on minority members’ rights, the issue is whether the very individual rights of traditional liberalism are sufficient for minority members’ protection or if there is a need for group rights based on liberal principles of justice, equality and freedom. On these foundations, liberal multiculturalism considers that it is necessary to introduce group rights in order to be used by minority members, but as individual group members. Liberal multiculturalism’s perception of group rights is based on liberal postulates of respect for freedom and individuals’ autonomy, at the same time introducing the recognition of diversity imposed by multiculturalism in its conception of minority rights protection. The author concludes that minority rights, taking into account their internationalisation, should be regarded as a supplement to the perception of classical and contemporary liberalism, because correctly perceived individual rights conception does not neglect cultural diversities. The importance of such perception of minority protection is also visible within the framework proposed by the EU as an obligatory condition for the integration of future member states.

Keywords

• liberalism
• multiculturalism
• nation building
• national minorities
• individual rights
• minority group rights