Liberalism and Culture: The legitimacy of the "Cultural Defense"

Abstract: The thesis examines selected “cultural conflicts” that can be said to exist in majority/minority relations within the context of Western liberal democratic societies. A normative analysis regarding when it is justified for a minority to claim certain rights with reference to culture is conducted. Four controversial examples are included: The ban of religious symbols in public schools in France (the Muslim headscarf being the specific symbol discussed), polygamy, female circumcision and underage/child marriage. The examples presented are treated as cultural traditions that serve to exemplify how the normative guidelines in the study regarding the “cultural defense” can be applied in practice. The value hierarchy in the study is constructed using a theoretical framework based on liberal theory. The central premise that the study is based on is the liberal principle of freedom, and the importance of culture for said freedom. A central argument in the study is that acceptance of cultural variation is crucial in every society with the ambition to call itself liberal; it is also evident in the study that sometimes when it comes to cultural dilemmas in the West, the concept of “Western values” have been inaccurately equalized with the values of liberalism.