ABSTRACT
My working definition of multiculturalism is shaped by the following two influences: a critical dialogue with Kymlicka (1995, 1998b) and with Levy’s (1997) classificatory efforts; and by my exposure to the debate of multiculturalism in Northern California, which focuses on the fairness of affirmative action in public contracts, school curricula, bilingual education, access to higher education, and recruiting and promotion practices. I will follow Levy’s (1997: 25) classification and Kymlicka’s (1998b: 42) simpler listing as complementary checklists for multiculturalism at the EU level. In this chapter, especially in the section on affirmative action and special rights for women, I apply this understanding of multiculturalism to disputed cases of preference given to a specific group of EU citizens. My approach may seem altogether too influenced by the US and utterly forced upon the EU as a multinational entity. I would like to discuss this objection first.
