Abstract
© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Drawing on the particularities of Catalonia (and related cases), the general point of this contribution is to argue that Patten’s equal recognition theory is modeled upon a too-restricted set of empirical assumptions, a circumstance that might harm its value as a tool for the orientation, evaluation, and reform of public policy. What is absent in Patten’s account–or at least not properly inserted into it–are four built-in modules that we have named ‘history’, ‘democracy’, ‘international relations’, and ‘migration’. When it comes to recognition of minorities, the past matters more often than Patten is willing to accept; democracy can lead to permanent departures from equal recognition on the part of self-governing national minorities; in the recognition game, there are other relevant players than simply states and their minorities; and one of these players, namely immigrant groups, can (albeit involuntarily) distort equal recognition schemes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 114-126 |
Journal | Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Jan 2017 |
Keywords
- Catalonia
- equal recognition
- minority culture
- political theory
- secession