Combining intercultural dialogue and critical multiculturalism

Abstract

In the last two decades, the concept of multiculturalism has come under attack in political and academic discourses. Simultaneously, European governments have accommodated key aspects of multicultural policies, both nationally and internationally. In academic debates, it has been suggested that ‘multiculturalism’ can be replaced by ‘interculturalism’. This paper responds to those suggestions. We argue that, while liberal state multiculturalism risks essentializing minority groups, critical multiculturalism as a social movement refers to minority struggles to be recognized as equals in relation to the majority. Interculturalism as policy opens up a space for dialogue where minoritized people, individually and collectively, can find their own voices and negotiate their own identities and interests as well as the shared values of larger society. While multiculturalism is partly about legal rights and policies, it is also about possibilities for participation, opening up public spaces for dialogue and negotiations where the voices of minoritized groups and individuals are heard, providing an opportunity for living together in a diverse society marked by mutual understanding and adjustment. We conclude with the suggestion that intercultural dialogue should be combined with critical multiculturalism. In other words, the theory and practice of intercultural dialogue need to go beyond liberalism and take into account critical multiculturalism’s emphasis on the positionality of all perspectives. A theory and practice of genuine intercultural dialogue cannot ignore power relations, the empirical fact that some people speak ‘from above’ and others ‘from below’.