Should the State Tell Us What to Believe and Wear?

We may hear the words “multiculturalism”, “citizenship” and “justice” thrown around in political discourse but do we know what they mean, and do we know what is involved? In a free and democratic society, can the state legislate on issues related to belief and dress?

In this workshop, Professor Gianni will tackle some of the controversies about the accommodation of minority groups in Europe and North America. In particular, he will explore the main empirical, analytical, and normative issues related to the challenges multiculturalism entails for citizenship, democracy and justice, and will focus on the modalities through which specific public policies are mobilized, legitimized, and debated in public space.

He will also address the implications that such policies have on the recognition / misrecognition of “other”, and their normative implications for culturally divided societies. The case study of Muslim integration in Europe will be taken as a guiding example in the discussion. Focus will also be directed at recent events in Quebec surrounding the ban of the religious symbols while providing or receiving public services.