Liberal state neutrality presupposes cultural homogeneity among the governed

Evidence

Universal citizenship and the cultural neutrality of the state are two cornerstones of Western liberal universalism. Of course, citizenship rights have never been universally applicable—either to African Americans at the hands of the founding fathers or to colonial subjects at the dispensation of imperial rule. This gap between ideal and practice, between formal and substantive equality, between negative and positive freedom, has haunted liberalism’s conception of citizenship from its inception. As to the cultural neutrality of the liberal state, its achievements are not to be lightly discarded. Religious toleration, free speech, the rule of law, formal equality, and procedural legality, a universal franchise—though seriously contested—are positive achievements. However, the neutrality of the state only works when a broad cultural homogeneity among the governed can be assumed. This assumption has indeed underpinned Western liberal democracies until recently. Under the new multicultural conditions, however, this premise seems less and less valid. — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 358

John Rex, who supports the general proposition of the cultural neutrality of the state, correctly argues that this approach differs from that of liberal individualism. It has been underpinned, at least until the advent of New Labour, by a social-democratic welfare program including substantial redistributive measures, which it would be misleading to subsume under an all-inclusive liberal rubric just because it respects the rights of the individual. — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 405

Categorization

• XREF: The formal-versus-substantive equality gap anticipates how Islamophobia critiques will deploy the same liberal-universalism critique of citizenship vis-à-vis Muslim minorities. — connects to: Nation-states require population homogeneity and soil rootedness to function — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 673; Liberal World Government would eliminate authentic politics among peoples; Liberalism is a culture that won, not a culture beyond cultures. — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 357 (+9 more)
• DEFINE: Defines the two cornerstones of Western liberal universalism and names the assumption underpinning state neutrality.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 358; Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 405

Broader Connections

• Formal liberal citizenship equality masks an assimilationist strategy #expands (0.88)
• Liberal tolerance disguises cultural privilege and collapses into assimilation demands when tested. #expands (0.82)
• Groups invoke state neutrality only when they cannot dominate it #complicates (0.75)