Review article

A Feminist Perspective on Multiculturalism

Amina Memić ; Faculty of Political Science, University of Sarajevo, Department of Sociology

Abstract

Feminism is generally defined as a social movement whose primary goal is to promote and protect women’s rights. However, today feminism not only encompasses the protection of women’s rights but also seeks to protect the rights of all marginalized social groups such as members of the LGBT population, persons with disabilities, or the rights of minority ethnic groups within the wider society. Multiculturalism is defined as a public policy to promote the values of different cultures and their undisturbed existence within a liberal society without the tendency to erase the cultural identities
of existing groups. When we talk about feminism as an exclusively social movement for the protection of women’s rights, and in the context of multiculturalism, attention is often drawn to the disenfranchisement of women and their position in the patriarchal ethnic groups in which these women live. An important question that arises is whether it is possible to establish the boundaries of group rights but also individual rights given that multiculturalism and feminism have the same goal and that is the protection of human rights and the establishment of a just society of equal opportunities for all members of society but different methods. That is why there is a constant tension between feminism and multiculturalism. How and in what way is it possible to reduce tension and find at least a minimum of tolerance among these ideologies? The attitude of some religions towards women and the protection of women’s rights is particularly interesting. To properly answer the question of whether feminism has a place in the discourse on religions, it is necessary to know the concept of religion and the context in which those religions originated, and it is necessary to understand religious sources. Finally, we should not forget the rights of other marginal groups, but also the rights of men who are increasingly victims of violence due to misunderstandings of women’s rights and are a priori characterized as instigators of violent behavior against women and children. The most important thing for the establishment of a just society of equal rights and opportunities for all is to speak openly about the rights of children, people with disabilities and, men who, due to the deep-rooted opinion that men are “stronger”, do not believe when few dare to speak publicly about violence. it is about war or violence in partner and family relations.

Keywords

Feminism, multiculturalism, human rights, community, equality

Hrčak ID:

273056

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/273056

Publication date:

29.12.2021.

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