Cultural Pluralism and Citizenship

Abstract

Several scientists and politicians state that society will disintegrate if its members are not strung more or less like beads on a string of common motives, cognitions and values. They uphold the view that a plural society can only function adequately if there is a consensus about fundamental common standards and values between the various groups in society. In this article this 'integrative' view is rejected. Instead the coordinative view is presented as an alternative. This latter does not deal with commonality, but with compatibility of views and practices. The consequences of this conception for the discussion on citizenship are discussed, in particular with regard to the legal domain. The key question here is whether one is prepared to accept legal pluralism—to what extent, under what conditions and in which subsectors of society?