ANTH 23 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Individual And Group Rights, Cultural Relativism, Liberal Democracy
March 7th Wednesday
ANTH 23
Multiculturalism: A Feminist Critique!
Group Rights and Women !
• Kymlicka argues that minorities should be granted group rights as long as they don’t conflict
with individual rights !
•such rights could include political representation, self-government, or protected cultural
practices!
•But Okin asserts that such rights facilitate gender discrimination that happens subtly and in
private !
•Does allowing traditional gender roles, like patriarchal families, polygamy, or arranged
marriage infringe on individual rights? (A:Yes, B: No)!
-When you have group rights who would be the representatives who choose? Often they are
men. So if we guarantee political representation, it gives most of the power to men. Most
gender discrimination happens subtly in private so we don’t notice what happens in the
home. !
With which statement do you most agree?
•A: We are better off without some sexist cultures, so some or all cultures should not be
protected by multicultural policies. !
•B: Public policies should protect all minority cultures, but try to weed out sexist practices.!
•C: American society is less sexist than most, but trying to eliminate practices we perceive to
be sexist is a type of colonial feminism. !
•D: American society is not significantly less sexist than others, so we are in no position to
enforce sexual equality on minority cultures.!
Feminism vs. Multiculturalism:
•Feminism: “belief that women should not be disadvantaged by their sex, that they should be
recognized as having human dignity equal to that of men, and that they should have the
opportunity to live as fulfilling and as freely chosen lives as men can” !
•Multiculturalism: “claim, made in the context of liberal democracies, that minority cultures or
ways of life are not sufficiently protected by the practices of ensuring the individual rights of
their members, and as a consequence these should also be protected through special group
rights or privileges” (10-11) !
•Cultural relativism: the belief that an individual’s beliefs and actions must be understood
from in relation to his or her culture. !
•This makes it difficult to establish universal standards.!
-Feminism: Some cultures do not agree with the last line.
-Multiculturalism: In terms of group rights, specific rights protecting these groups then have
demeaning traditions is where the conflict comes in. She looks at it in a culturally particular
belief while she believes feminism is more universal.
-She wants to limit the idea of cultural relativism, things form the outside that might look
bad to us if we grew up in that environment its acceptable. The culture in which we are
raised defines what we think are okay and what aren’t. Form the outside it foist look like
they have that much fo a degree of freedom.
Why do group rights endanger minority women?
•Advocates of group rights tend to ignore groups’ internal differences and power differentials
that tend to favor men !
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
So if we guarantee political representation, it gives most of the power to men. Most gender discrimination happens subtly in private so we don"t notice what happens in the home. Feminism: some cultures do not agree with the last line. Multiculturalism: in terms of group rights, speci c rights protecting these groups then have demeaning traditions is where the con ict comes in. She looks at it in a culturally particular belief while she believes feminism is more universal. She wants to limit the idea of cultural relativism, things form the outside that might look bad to us if we grew up in that environment its acceptable. The culture in which we are raised de nes what we think are okay and what aren"t. Form the outside it foist look like they have that much fo a degree of freedom.
