Democracy depends on recognizing politically unequal differences

Evidence

Bigotry, not difference, is the enemy of democracy, and it is difficult, if not impossible, for students to believe in democracy without recognizing cultural and political diversity as a primary condition for learning multiple literacies, experiencing the vitality of diverse public cultures, and refusing the comfort of monolithic cultures defined by racist exclusions. Differences in this instance become important not simply as rigid identity markers, but as differences marked by unequal relations of power, sites of contestation, and changing histories, experiences, and possibilities. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 2692

Categorization

• XREF: Reverses the common ‘democracy requires shared common culture’ position; resonates with critique of colorblindness. — connects to: Liberal democracy’s neutral ideals mask racial and gendered domination — Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s…, 406; Pluralist democracy amplifies the already privileged — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 1187; Democratic equality cannot exist without a correlate of inequality and exclusion — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 173 (+3 more)