Can Liberal Pluralism be Exported? Western Political Theory and Ethnic Relations in Eastern Europe

...an extremely important book...

Stefan Wolff, Ethnopolitics

Many post-communist countries in Central/Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are being encouraged and indeed pressured by Western countries to improve their treatment of ethnic and national minorities, and to adopt Western models of minority rights. But what are these Western models, and will they work in Eastern Europe? In the first half of this volume, Will Kymlicka describes a model of 'liberal pluralism' which has gradually emerged in most Western democracies, and discusses what would be involved in adopting it in Eastern Europe. This is followed by 15 commentaries from people actively involved in minority rights issues in the region, as practitioners or academics, and by Kymlicka's reply. This volume will be of interest to anyone concerned with ethnic conflict in Eastern Europe, and with the more general question of whether Western liberal values can or should be promoted in the rest of the world.

...an exciting venture in the field of applying normative ideas to an often refractory and complex social reality...

John Schwartzmantel, Nations and Nationalism

Table of Contents

• Will Kymlicka and Magda Opalski, "Introduction"

• Part 1. Western Political Theory and Ethnic Relations in Eastern Europe, Will Kymlicka

• Part 2: Commentaries

  1. George Schopflin, "Liberal Pluralism and Post-Communism"
  2. Ursula Doroszewska, "Rethinking the State and National Security in Eastern Europe"
  3. Tibor Varady, "On the Chances of Ethnocultural Justice in East-Central Europe"
  4. Michael Walzer, "Nation-States and Immigrant Societies"
  5. Boris Tsilevich, "New Democracies in the Old World"
  6. Alexander Ossipov, "Some Doubts aboutEthnocultural Justice?"
  7. Panayote Dimitras and Nafsika Papanikolatos, "Reflections on Minority Rights Politics for East Central European Countries"
  8. Pal Kolsto, "Territorial Autonomy as a Minority Rights Regime in Post-Communist Countries"
  9. Janos Kis, "Nation-Building and Beyond"
  10. Pavel Barsa, "Ethnocultural Justice in East European States and the Case of the Czech Roma"
  11. Vello Pettai, "Definitions and Discourse: Applying Kymlicka?s Models to Estonia and Latvia"
  12. Gabriel Andreescu, "Universal Thought, Eastern Facts: Scrutinizing National Minority Rights in Romania"
  13. Vladimir Fesenko, "Perspectives on a Liberal-Pluralist Approach to Ethnic Minorities in Ukraine"
  14. Magda Opalski, "Can Liberal Nationalities Policy be Implemented in Post-Soviet Russia?"
  15. Alexander Djumaev, "Nation-Building, Culture and Problems of Ethnocultural Identity in Central Asia: The Case of Uzbekistan"

• Part 3. Reply and Conclusion Will Kymlicka