如果多元文化主义是答案,它的问题是什么

If Multiculturalism Is the Answer,What Is the Question

本文试图追问这样一个总体问题:如果自由多元文化主义是答案,它的问题是什么。在这个问题的指引下,检讨自由多元文化主义的问题意识和效力边界。本文首先区分多元文化主义的三种表现形式,初步澄清常见的一些范畴错误和归因谬误。其次,本文把论题聚焦在以威尔·金里卡为代表的自由多元文化主义,指出金里卡的初始问题——自由主义国家应该如何对待少数群体存在理论上的盲点,这将造成自由多元文化主义理论的不一致性,并在现实效果上伤害个体权利。面对移民问题和宗教右翼保守势力的挑战时,自由多元文化主义必须修正问题意识,承担起成为社会统一体共同纽带的理论任务。这意味着自由多元文化主义必须与宗教右翼和激进左翼一起,竞答“我们是谁”这个问题。至于能否成为答案,关键在于能否讲述一个令人信服、而且引人追随的“化多为一”的故事。最后,本文通过分析多元文化主义得以成立的两个前提条件,指出自由多元文化主义面临着丧失作为独立政治理论地位的困境。

This article aims to pursue a general question:If liberal multiculturalism is the answer,what is the question?Firstly,I will clarify some categorical mistakes and attribution errors through distinguishing three forms of multiculturalism.Secondly,I will focus on Will Kymlicka s liberal multiculturalism.His work starts from a certain question,namely,“how should liberal states treat minorities?”However,there are some tensions between liberalism and multiculturalism,which will lead to the internal incoherence of liberal multiculturalism and threaten individual rights.Furthermore,in order to respond to the challenge of immigrants and right-wing religious conservatives,the supporters of liberal multiculturalism have to change the previous question into“whether can it become the common bond of social unity and solidarity?”In this sense,liberal multiculturalism will compete with religious rights and radical lefts to answer the“who are we?”question.Finally,by analyzing two preconditions of multicultural citizenship,I will raise the question that whether liberal multiculturalism should be understood as an independent and distinctive political theory.