The resurgence of ethnic identity and internal nationalism is among the strongest centrifugal forces straining democratic states. With the decline of centralized authoritarian governments, official policies that suppressed ethnic and national identity have been eliminated or weakened, and this has created the political space for minority groups to seek self governance.
This tendency is clearly discernible in the political events following the disintegration of the Soviet Bloc and the decline of military dictatorships in Latin America and Africa. Another factor contributing to minority group empowerment is a changing global political climate in which greater legitimacy is granted to the rights of indigenous peoples and ethno cultural groups to exercise political self-determination. Supragovernmental organizations like the United Nations now explicitly disavow both external and internal forms of colonialism, and recognize that other collectivities besides states can be legitimate bearers of political rights of self-governance. In addition, countries such as India and Mexico, that have long experienced pervasive and systematic political corruption despite having had formal democratic institutions in place for many years, have recently revitalized these institutions so that they conform better to true democratic ideals.
This move towards more genuine democratic governance has introduced new elements of civic tension, as formerly marginalized minorities challenge the status quo and demand fair inclusion in their country's political life. (McRoberts, K, 1997).
Contemporary discussions of multiculturalism often fail to distinguish between the different categories of ethno cultural groups seeking self-determination. Indigenous peoples, national minorities, linguistic minorities, and ethnic immigrant groups, for instance, are indiscriminately classified under the general rubric of "racial and ethnic minorities," without noting the important differences between them. Failure to distinguish between these different minority groups is likely to lead to a clouded understanding of the nature and legitimacy of their various claims to empowerment.
In Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal........
