Voirol, Olivier

Cultural Plurality and Democracy in the Eyes of John Dewey - 2008.


42

Caught up in the debate between liberalism and multiculturalism, reflections on cultural pluralism have often been led astray by over-rigid distinctions between difference and equality, between common ground and singularity. John Dewey’s pragmatism offers a number of avenues for reflection on cultural pluralism and mutual recognition not so much between cultural identities but rather as a continuous, mutual process that shapes the common ground and the singularity of different cultures. By including the cultural role of the media in this process, Dewey’s approach sees cultural pluralism as the very foundation of democracy.