Does multiculturalism pose a problem for the implementation of individual rights? : the case of forced marriage in the context of the United Kingdom

Abstract

Do some principles of multiculturalism pose a problem for the implementation of individual rights? How? In the western context, conceptions of human rights are grounded in the liberal traditions of what could be considered, a moderately homogenous Western culture. However, within the recent past, as a result of globalisation and the increase of the migration flows, this culture has changed into a more heterogeneous one. Together with the notable diversity of beliefs and subcultures, some new challenges to these liberal traditions have appeared. An example of where such challenges evoke expressly contrasting opinions is the issue of forced marriages, where the social and cultural rights of different minority groups seem to be in tension with concepts concerning the human rights of an individual. Therefore, this question challenges a number of positions, including principles of multiculturalism. With this thesis I will investigate, whether and how some principles of multiculturalism can be in conflict with the realisation of individual rights. Accordingly, I will analyse my question through the case of forced marriages in a context of migration in Europe, concentrating my research in the concrete social, legal and political frame of the United Kingdom.