ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses the import of the idea of difference in contemporary political theory and practice. It argues that while an emphasis on difference is a useful antidote to the false universalism of many theories of emancipation, the significance of difference in any large sense is more difficult to make out. The chapter suggests grounds for disquiet about the role of difference in theories or movements which aspire to equality and justice. Liberal political theories standardly employ rights to defend and resolve individual differences. The idea of impartiality is the usual response in liberal theory. A posture of impartiality is assumed as a political theory establishes rights, and the mechanisms of the rule of law are said to ensure that rights are impartially enforced. The ideal of impartiality can figure as part of a struggle for social justice, and our demand for impartial treatment will thus cause us to challenge the unfairness of the advantages of property and social position.
