Will Kymlicka Goes Practical: Politics Meets (Political) Theory

Will Kymlicka’s liberal theory of justice and of minority rights provides a useful explanation of why the rights of national cultural minorities are worthy of being protected. Kymlicka argues in particular that minorities’ exploitation of their own cultures (read: languages) supplies them with the possibility to make some meaningful (life) choices. It follows, then, that deprivation of such exploitation constitutes a deprivation of individuals’ liberty. Kymlicka’s liberal theory of justice and of minority rights, however, is deficient in the two major respects. In the first respect, it is plagued by ambiguities as regards Kymlicka’s theoretical treatment of justice as a factor that helps to account for the change of states’ policies towards national cultural minorities. In the second respect, it accords remarkably little room, at the end of the day, to the possibility of there being legitimate concerns shareable by majorities rather than minorities regarding minority rights claims in ethnic politics. It follows, then, that re-thinking of received insights is called for.