ABSTRACT
The main, common aim of the contributions collected in this book has been to explore the impact of cultural, religious and ethical diversity on the institutional arrangements of contemporary democracies, with a special regard for the European context. This aim has been pursued through a multilayered and multidisciplinary discussion of the various forms of differential treatment (cultural group rights, legal exemptions, rights to conscientious objection, cultural defence) through which democratic institutions may respond to the challenges to political integration and social cohesion associated with a growing number of minority claims for accommodation. Institutions willing to accommodate minority requests are expected to take the appropriate legal and/or political actions so as to make the terms of social cooperation acceptable to a heterogeneous citizenry. What principles should inform such actions in contemporary democracies? Does the basic democratic commitment to treat all citizens as equals require necessarily a universalist approach to law and morality? Or is there some room for treating different citizens differently on the grounds of their requests for the accommodation of their ethical, cultural and religious diversity?
