Homogeniteit versus diversiteit – schuivende verhoudingen

Auteurs

  • Wibren van der Burg Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54195/RS.13074

Samenvatting

This paper starts from the thesis, recently suggested by various sociologists and historians, that the Netherlands are no longer a country of minorities, but a country with a dominant liberal majority. The aim of this paper is to reconstruct this majority ideology. This ideology can be characterized as partly liberal and partly republican (in the French tradition of republicanism). We may discern seven characteristics of this ideology: 1. a strong emphasis on liberty in the private sphere; 2. a privatization of identities; 3. a voluntaristic understanding of identities; 4. an understanding of equality as conformity with the average or standard citizen; 5. a French republican view on citizenship; 6. rising moral expectations; 7. a Protestant understanding of religion (e.g. a focus on religious texts and on orthodoxy). In this contribution the argument is put forward that the rise of this new moral majority leads to a diminishing understanding and a diminishing empathy not only for religion, but for everyone who is not similar to the standard of a white, Dutch/speaking, secular and straight male. This has implications for liberal politics, for democratic minority rights and for liberal Protestantism: their bases of support are vulnerable.

Biografie auteur

Wibren van der Burg, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam

Wibren van der Burg is rechtsfilosoof en ethicus. Hij is hoogleraar rechtsfilosofie en rechtstheorie aan de Erasmus School of Law (EUR).

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Gepubliceerd

01-09-2010

Citeerhulp

van der Burg, W. (2010). Homogeniteit versus diversiteit – schuivende verhoudingen. Religie &Amp; Samenleving, 5(2), 103–123. https://doi.org/10.54195/RS.13074

Nummer

Sectie

Artikel
Received 2022-09-29
Published 2010-09-01