To Be or Not to Be: Charles Taylor and the Politics of Recognition

In: Constellations: an international journal of critical and democratic theory, Band 3, Heft 1, S. 1-16

Abstract

(Opens a special section entitled "Identity and the Politics of Religion" [see related abstracts in SA 44:4].) A comment on an essay by Charles Taylor entitled "The Politics of Recognition" (1994), questioning Taylor's generalization of the central issues of identity across social groups. It is argued that the meaning of identity & recognition has actually varied widely among social groups, & that Taylor's analysis of multiculturalism is overly simplistic & somewhat divisive. His account assumes that those demanding recognition are a separate group from those who can bestow it, & that the contributions of those demanding recognition must be examined in a different way from those of other groups. It is recommended that studies of multiculturalism cease examining the judgments of worth of particular groups, & rather, begin to examine the process by which such judgments are made. 20 References. M. Wagner