ABSTRACT
The cases to be considered in this chapter relate to groups united by religious or cultural beliefs requiring – or expressed in – practices which create oppositions between members of these groups and the state. Prima facie, what marks out these groups from other groups (such as ‘the group of library card holders at the University of Reading’, ‘teenagers’, or neighbourhoods) is that they are ‘communities of meaning’:2 the norms, values, and practices of such groups not only influence the practical rhythms of members’ lives, but furthermore inform the way in which members interpret their experiences, relationships, and place in the world. That the practices required by, or associated with, membership can conflict with the requirements of liberal citizenship means that cultural and religious groups are often in the circumstances of toleration vis-à-vis the liberal state.
