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Institut für Philosophie Institut für Philosophie

Univ.-Prof. i. R. Dr. Hans Köchler Univ.-Prof. i. R. Dr. Hans Köchler

602009

NATION-STATE VERSUS MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY: THE EUROPEAN DILEMMA?

SE 2

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The seminar will continue the discussion on the philosophical foundations of civilizational dialogue ( Seminar Winter Semester 2004/05) and expand the topic towards the political and legal implications of "multiculturalism" at the European level. The deep identity crisis faced by 21st century Europe as to the definition of the traditional notions of state, citizenship and democracy will have to be addressed in dealing with the socio-cultural realities created by immigration over the last several decades. Within this context, the seminar will have to analyze the concept of the nation-state and explore that notion's applicability to the "multicultural reality" of present-day Europe. The different conceptual levels of "nation," "people," "state" will first have to be identified so as to avoid misunderstandings caused by terminology. The status of ethnic, cultural and religious communities within the framework of the unified nation-state will have to be explored in detail. A case study may deal with constitutional questions of the status of Islam in the secular state system of Europe.

The question of religious "fundamentalism" should be explored in its implications for European identity and the overall approach towards human rights. In this context, the problem of "secular fundamentalism" may also be addressed: does it impinge on human rights, particularly the right to religious freedom and freedom of opinion? The issues of multiculturalism and citizenship should be explored not only in regard to the consistency of the normative (constitutional) system within a given state, but also as to their implications in terms of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the ethical principles of "liberalism" in general. The modern notion of democratic citizenship will further have to be explored within the antagonistic framework of nation-state "uniformity" and cultural (civilizational) pluralism. The role the European Union can play in working out a framework of "peaceful co-existence" between state and community will have to be assessed eventually. The dichtomoy between the socio-cultural identity of the political individual (as member of a community) and that individual's loyalty towards a distant, abstract nation-state (as a citizen) should be analyzed in its hermeneutical and ethical implications. The future of the European Union's unification project may be determined, to a considerable extent, by the answers to these questions. Topics of presentations: A list of topics will be established in the course of the preparatory meeting. Lectures may be delivered in English or German. Suggested introductory reading: Michael Dunn and Tiziano Bonazzi (eds.), Citizenship and Rights in Multicultural Societies. Keele: Keele University Press, 1995.

Each participant has to choose a specific subtopic. (The list of subtopics will be established in the course of the preparatory session.) On each subtopic a lecture is to be presented which will be followed by a question and answer session. A summary of the presentation should be handed out at the beginning of each lecture meeting. A written paper on the topic of the lecture is to be prepared until the end of the semester (30 June 2005). Working languages: English and German.

Course literature at http://hanskoechler.com/koechler-lv-ss2005.htm

Seminar assistant: Mr. Christoph Wurnitsch. Interdisciplinary seminar for students of philosophy, psychology, education, and theology.
Beginn: 8.03.2005