Can the Liberal State Support Cultural Identity Schools?

Abstract

Recently, several groups in the United States and Canada--for example, American Indian/First Nations people, African-American males, and the deaf--have claimed the right to receive state support for cultural identity schools--that is, separate schools whose educational aims and practices are designed to reinforce a particular cultural identity. It is widely assumed that liberalism must be committed to a principle of cultural neutrality that prevents a liberal state from assigning legitimacy to such demands. This article provides a close examination of the ethical principles a liberal state may adduce in making political judgments about such matters. First, two dominant perspectives that have emerged recently within liberal political and educational theory are developed and critically evaluated and their educational implications examined. Specifically, a distinction between "strong" and "moderate" cultural identity schools is identified, and it is argued that a liberal state may legitimately support the latter but not the former. I conclude by considering several contextual factors a liberal state may have to consider in determining the legitimacy of specific demands for moderate cultural identity schools, especially demands made by disadvantaged minority cultural groups.