ABSTRACT
A conflict is often posited between protecting individual autonomy and protecting cultural practices and identities that seem to eschew the value of individual self-determination. This chapter suggests that this apparent clash rests on an overly narrow understanding of self-government and the relationship between autonomy and choice over the nature and meaning of one’s social identity. The author develops a notion of autonomy that does not presuppose that self-governing individuals necessarily have a fundamental interest in reflectively reassessing their deepest commitments, and that can significantly lessen the clash between autonomy-based legal protections and the interest in protecting the stability and dignity of entrenched cultural forms.
