Liberalism and multicultural recognition may require a reformed rights framework.

Evidence

Taylor (1994) suggests that they are not; first, because of the individualistic foundational assumptions of liberalism, and second, because the protection of collective identities conflicts with the right to individual liberties. Liberalism therefore requires to be reformed in order to accommodate the multicultural demand for “recognition.” Habermas (1998), however, argues that, of course, individuality is constituted intersubjectively, but that, correctly understood, a theory of rights not only accommodates but requires a politics of recognition that protects the integrity of the individual as a bearer of rights; this is compatible with liberalism, provided there is “the consistent actualization of the system of rights.” — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 404

Categorization

• XREF: The Taylor-Habermas exchange on recognition is a load-bearing reference for later identity-and-recognition arguments in Islamophobia theory.
• DEFINE: Distinguishes Taylor’s and Habermas’s positions on whether liberal individualism can accommodate collective-recognition demands.