1. Georgia – Council of Europe Democracy and Civil society June 9th 2005
Basic Principles of
Multicultural States
Conference
Georgia – Council of Europe
Democracy and Civil society
June 9th 2005
Thomas Fleiner

2. Principles to bring or hold A Multicultural Society together
Fourteen
Major Institutional
Principles to bring or hold
A Multicultural Society
together

3. The major Issue: To hold or to bring multicultural societies together
we have to ask:
How should they be governed?
Who should govern whom?
And even more explosiv:
Who should decide, who should govern?

4. Multicul- turality Challenges of the Na- tion-State The Actors Nation-
The issues:
Multicul-
turality
Challenges
of the Na-
tion-State
The
Actors
Nation-
state
Diversi-
tiy con-
flicts
Glocali-
sation
Fragmen-
tation

5. Why is multiculturalism a problem?
Do federalism and decentralization
help to bring or to hold
multicultural societies together?

6. Is a fragmented civil society as nation builder of a multicultural
state conceivable and realistic?
Based on what concepts does
the international community
intervene and/or manage
conflicts of multicutlural societies?

7. State of Modernity: all individuals are equal as being
Nation-State facing
Multiculturality
Egocentric
Hobbes
What
Universal values, but they do not take
culture as legtimacy fundament
for politcal identity serious
Bearers of
unalienable
rights
Locke
What is the main problem?
Rational
Citoyens
Rousseau
Exploiters or
exploited
Marx
for all? is
good
Capable of rea-
son and judge-
ment Kant
Cost-benefit driven
Homo oeconomicus

8. Legitimacy
Rule of Law
Shared
Rule
Self-Rule
Democracy

9. 1. Take cultural diversity seriously
Legitimacy
1. Take cultural diversity seriously
2. Fatherland for minorities
3. Composed Nation
4. Multiple loaylty

10. 5. The Right to be unequal, or: equal rights
Rule of Law
5. The Right to be unequal, or: equal rights
versus the right to be equal
6. Four Dimension of Freedom:
From, By, Within, To the State
7. Liberty and Peace

11. 8. Participation of ethnic Groups In Constitution making
Shared Rule
8. Participation of ethnic Groups
In Constitution making
9. Power sharing of cultural communities

12. 11. Enhancing diversity to overcome ethnification
Self
Rule
10. Autonomy
11. Enhancing diversity to overcome ethnification
of politics

13. 12. Self-determination of individuals as aim of democracy
13. Value of compromise as alternative to the
winner takes all democracy
14. Conflict management