Liberalism must be reformed to accommodate recognition of collective identities

Evidence

The foundation of this view is that an individual person’s identity is constituted by her fellows in community. The purpose of this view is mainly stated in contrast to what is assumed to be the standard Western Cartesian location of an individual’s identity in the “I”. The African view contrasts the “I” emphasis, with a collectivist view of the “We” as foundational to the definition of the individual. In African philosophy, this view has come to be known as the communitarian view of personhood, and among its fierce proponents are the theologian John Mbiti (1970) and the philosopher Ifeanyi Menkiti (1984). — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 434 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Equality plus recognition of difference must avoid both liberal atomism and absolutist community; Formal liberal citizenship equality masks an assimilationist strategy; Communitarian personhood defines identity through community rather than the Cartesian I — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 434 (+1 more)

Related

• Communitarian personhood defines identity through community rather than the Cartesian I (similarity 0.86)
• Communal philosophy need not imply unanimous belief among members (similarity 0.84)
• The communitarian personhood idea was deployed to reinforce African distinctness and authorize authenticity claims (similarity 0.80)
• In African thought the collective community precedes and grounds individual identity (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Equality plus recognition of difference must avoid both liberal atomism and absolutist community #expands (0.92)
• Formal liberal citizenship equality masks an assimilationist strategy #complicates (0.78)
• Communitarian personhood defines identity through community rather than the Cartesian I #corroborates (0.74) — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 434