ABSTRACT
Diversity – of values, cultures, religions, ways of life, beliefs – has become since the 1980s a primary focus for political theory in the academy. University courses on social justice will often now start with this topic – or, if not, treat it as an early port of call. Cases which might once have seemed marginal to liberal academic debate – the Islamic veil, the rights of the Amish, Kosher animal slaughter – are now well-worn talking points. And while these discussions draw on long-standing aspects of political theory and practice, they have also changed and extended the parameters of both. Among the gains in this process has been the establishment, in the mainstream of political thought, of a nuanced, reflexive sensitivity to the sources, significances, layers and dimensions of cultural, religious and ethical diversity – and sustained reflection on how minorities holding controversial cultural, religious and ethical views should be treated.
