Liberalism, Community, and Culture

This is Will Kymlicka's first book, based on his doctoral dissertation, and it is his best. It is an outstanding defense of liberal theory's capacity to accomodate cultural concerns, particularly the concerns of minority groups. Kymlicka argues that culture need not be separated from the state in liberal theory because cultures provide the context of meaningful choice for individuals. Cultural rights, then, are an integral part of liberal theory because of their value to individuals. This thesis is of enourmous significance within the field of political theory since most contemporary advocates of identity politics argue in favour of group rights without real concern for the status of the individual. There are, to be sure, some weaknesses in the book, but these are far outweighed by Kymlicka's carefully constructed arguments which nicely blend theory with actual cases. The book, unlike some of Kymlicka's more recent works, is not for a general audience, but it is a very sophisticated academic text and should be required reading in all graduate courses in contemporary liberal theory.