This episode of The IR thinker explores Professor Chandran Kukathas’s Theory of Diversity and Freedom and its implications for state sovereignty, multiculturalism and democratic governance. The conversation examines how his liberal–pluralist approach reframes debates on citizenship, tolerance, migration and state intervention, offering an alternative vision of how diverse societies might be organised and governed.
Professor Chandran Kukathas is Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Political Science at Singapore Management University and a leading political theorist of liberalism, multiculturalism and freedom. Formerly Head of the Department of Government at the London School of Economics, he has also held chairs and teaching positions at the University of Utah, the University of New South Wales, Oxford University and the Australian National University. He is widely known for his work on Hayek’s political philosophy and for his recent book A Theory of Diversity and Freedom, which develops a distinctive account of liberal pluralism and the minimal state.
Publications:
Rawls ‘A Theory of Justice’ and Its Critics
Liberalism and Multiculturalism: The Politics of Indifference
Responsibility for Past Injustice: How to Shift the Burden
Content
00:00 - Introduction
02:10 - Inspiration Behind Professor Chandran Kukathas’ Theory of Diversity and Freedom
04:49 - Key Characteristics of the Theory of Diversity and Freedom
09:58 - The Theory’s Position within International Relations Theories
12:12 - Perspectives on State Sovereignty
16:16 - Concept of the Minimum State
19:55 - The Theory’s Relationship with Democratic Governance: Challenge or Complement?
27:22 - Implications for Multiculturalism
33:52 - Examination of Universal Values
37:30 - Freedom of Association vs. Citizenship
44:45 - Perspectives on Migration
52:45 - Understanding Tolerance within the Theory
58:07 - Role of State Interventions
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