ABSTRACT
In France, in order to understand the issues raised by the question of cultural diversity, it is necessary to refer this notion to that of cultural exception. The concept of diversity can be employed either to support the principle of cultural exception or, more frequently, to challenge it. In the latter case, the emphasis is on the radical differences between these two notions, diversity then being considered ‘superior’ to exception. Diversity would correspond to the flow of history, whereas exception would be an archaism in the age of globalization. It is therefore essential to conduct a critical approach to the notion of cultural diversity and to identify the way in which it is used, which are, at times, very ideological.
