The ties that bind us: Kymlicka on culture and education

Abstract

Most societies today are culturally diverse. Increasingly, minority groups are demanding recognition and self-governing rights to protect their ways of life against that of the majority. These demands represent a serious challenge for the state: how is it to balance between the equally legitimate claims of the many cultures inhabiting its territories, all the while promoting a set of common practices and democratic institutions? In several influential publications, Will Kymlicka has offered persuasive answers to those questions. This article examines his theory, with particular emphasis on the distinction he draws between what he calls national minorities and polyethnic (or immigrant) groups. Given his hierarchical structuring of both groups, this article attempts to show that Kymlicka falls into somewhat contradictory positions, especially evident when considering the implications of his theory on how education is structured within multicultural states.