Identity and freedom

“This theory tries to challenge the way in which individuals and groups are categorised and classified.”

An analysis of identity and freedom seeks to challenge the way individuals and groups are categorised and classified. This classification puts people into a box marked, for example, nationality, ethnicity, or religion and assigns people to communities, which then ignores affiliation to language, class, social relations, political affiliations and civil roles. This can stop the interaction that Interculturalism requires, through the continuance of inaccurate stereotypes and the value it places on community identity over individual identity. By assigning categories in this way, individuals are denied the opportunity to interact with others as citizens, rather than as representatives of a designated community. Given that the classifications and categories are in a sense artificial constructs caused by, for example, geographical features, political expedience, and control, they should not be given pre-eminence over notions of humanity. People should be able to choose the extent to which they want to be labelled and what those labels should be.

Although this approach seems idealistic and aspirational, intercultural dialogue can be the process by which people learn to understand the classifications and then become a critical mass of individuals who are willing to go against longstanding historical, cultural, and ideological notions.

Interculturalism: Theory and Policy (61.24KB)