El fuste de la democracia liberal sigue siendo demasiado recto

This article analyzes the difficulties that liberal democracies face in accommodating a diversity of values, interests and identities in contexts of national pluralism (plurinational states). The first section analyzes the fallacy of abstraction and the distortions of the concept of pluralism that occur in enlightenment-based theories. The second section begins with a brief description of three classic institutional solutions for accommodating plurinational societies in liberal democracies: federalism, consociationalism and secession. A comparative analysis of nineteen decentralized federal or regional democracies is then discussed in order to evaluate the adequacy of federalism in regulating political recognition and accommodation in contexts of national pluralism. My conclusion suggests that these two objectives can only be achieved by means of plurinational federalism or partnership, which may also include consociational processes that regulate the possible secession of minority nations.Este artículo analiza las dificultades de las democracias liberales en el momento de acomodar la diversidad de valores, intereses e identidades en contextos de pluralismo nacional (estados plurinacionales). en la primera sección, se analizan dos distorsiones presentes en la tradición liberal: la falacia de la abstracción y el modo de tratar el pluralismo en las teorías que arrancan de la Ilustración. en la segunda sección, se mencionan las tres soluciones institucionales clásicas para acomodar sociedades plurinacionales en las democracias liberales: federalismo, consociacionalismo y secesión. A continuación, se examina la adecuación del federalismo para regular el reconocimiento y la acomodación política del pluralismo nacional a partir de un análisis comparado de diecinueve democracias federales o regionales descentralizadas. La conclusión es que el reconocimiento y la acomodación sólo pueden alcanzarse a través de los modelos de federalismo plurinacional o de partenariado (en combinación, o no, con instituciones y procesos consociacionales que regulen la posible secesión de las naciones minoritarias)

Democràcies plurinacionals, federalisme i secessió. Un enfocament des de la teoria política

This article deals with the suitability of the main normative political theories related to political liberalism, federalism and secession when they attempt to recognise and accommodate the national pluralism of plurinational democracies. Firstly, after considering the partial normative character of political theories, I analyse the relationship between liberal democratic theories (pragmatic, neutralists, perfectionists and value pluralists) and federal theories (monists, pluralists), pointing out a number of possibilities and shortcomings they display in contexts of national pluralism. The reasons for stressing the need for a ‘Hegelian turn’ in these theories is also highlighted (section 1). Secondly, after mentioning the classical institutional solutions for accommodating plurinational societies, I analyse the suitability of federalism and secession for achieving the political recognition and constitutional accommodation of national pluralism by means of a number of conclusions drawn from analyses of comparative politics in federations and secession processes (sections 2 and 3). Aquest article tracta sobre la idoneïtat de les principals teories polítiques normatives relacionades amb el liberalisme polític, el federalisme i la secessió quan intenten reconèixer i donar cabuda al pluralisme nacional en el marc de democràcies plurinacionals. En primer lloc, després de constatar el caràcter normatiu parcial d’aquestes teories polítiques, analitzo la relació entre les teories democràtiques liberals (pragmàtiques, neutralistes, perfeccionistes i teories que defensen el pluralisme de valors) i les teories federals (monistes, pluralistes), cosa que indica un seguit de possibilitats i limitacions en contextos de pluralisme nacional. També es posen de relleu les raons per subratllar la necessitat d’un “gir Hegelià” en aquestes teories (secció 1). En segon lloc, després d’esmentar les solucions institucionals clàssiques per trobar un encaix a les societats plurinacionals, s’analitza la idoneïtat del federalisme i la secessió com a vies per aconseguir el reconeixement polític i l’assumpció del pluralisme nacional, per mitjà d’una sèrie de conclusions que són fruit de l’anàlisi de polítiques comparades en federacions i processos secessionistes (seccions 2 i 3). Este artículo trata sobre la idoneidad de las principales teorías políticas relacionadas con el liberalismo político, el federalismo y la secesión cuando intentan reconocer y dar cabida al pluralismo nacional en el marco de democracias plurinacionales. En primer lugar, después de constatar la parcialidad de estas teorías políticas, analizo la relación entre las teorías democráticas liberales (pragmáticas, neutralistas, perfeccionistas y teorías que defienden el pluralismo de valores) y las teorías federales (monistas, pluralistas), indicando una serie de posibilidades y limitaciones que demuestran en contextos de pluralismo nacional. También destaco las razones para subrayar la necesidad de un "giro Hegeliano" en estas teorías (sección 1). En segundo lugar, después de mencionar las clásicas soluciones institucionales para encontrar un encaje en sociedades plurinacionales, analizo la idoneidad del federalismo y la secesión como vías para conseguir el reconocimiento político y la asunción del pluralismo nacional, por medio de una serie de conclusiones que son fruto del análisis de políticas comparadas en federaciones y procesos secesionistas (secciones 2 y 3)

Isaiah Berlin's value pluralism. Redifining theory to improve democratic practice

Isaiah Berlin’s humanistic liberalism is still an influential theory and an implacable antidote against extremism and fanaticism in all their guises. The author of this article notes that one of the main contributions of this theoretician born 100 years ago consists in gaining awareness that there is a multiplicity of values in plural societies which cannot be reduced to a single principle, or a universal permanent combination of values applicable to all individuals and all practical cases. However, Berlin’s defence of value pluralism is in no way a gratuitous concession to relativism or scepticism. Without a doubt, there is a role reserved for reason in moral conflicts. However, “reasonable” discrimination between values is much more contextdependent, even on an individual scale, than what moral, political or religious “rationalist” conceptions assume

Igualdad y valores morales en la posmodernidad politica

The questions which have come up for discussion and the answers given under the concept of post-modern philosophy express continuity rather than rupture whith the philosophy of the modern era. If the philosophy of that age was characterized by its enlightened faith in autonomous Reason, both critical and transformative, that very power of Reason has now split up into a variety of rationalities endowed with the same characteristics as their progenitor. In spite of the general disillusionment of our times, new hopes and new projects of thought to give life a meaning are trying to make themselves heard, conscious as they may be of their limitations and relaliveness. Modern rationalism is still present in the political post-modern age as a kind of background stage setting which we refer to when we distinguish the reasonable from the absurd. Even for the expression of doubt we need a firm foundation of logical reason

Democracy and national pluralism: Ethical and institutional features

The liberal, democratic and social rights included in constitutions are unable to regulate an egalitarian and equitable treatment of individuals belonging to national minorities. Moreover, it it impossible for states to play a culturally and nationally neutral role, the way they can regarding other phenomena, such as religion. Consequently, in many cases, national groups have an important moral role to play in not exhausting the individual components and dimensions of the basic values of liberty, pluralism and political equality.Original source: Revista de Catalunya, 298: 111-126 (2017

I fronti deboli del pluralismo politico. Le minoranze nazionali e culturali in Europa

Questo articolo si occupa delle sfide politiche che le liberaldemocrazie europee si trovano ad affrontare in rapporto al loro pluralismo nazionale interno. Dopo aver analizzato due distorsioni analitiche del pensiero politico occidentale – la fallacia dell’astrazione e le mancanze abituali di questa tradizione in rapporto al pluralismo – l’articolo presenta dodici elementi per un affinamento politico e morale delle liberaldemocrazie plurinazionali. Questi elementi sono collegati a una dimensione collettiva normativa e analitica che è solitamente marginalizzata e che non può essere ridotta all’approccio individualista, universalista e statista del liberalismo e del costituzionalismo democratici. Infine, l’articolo si occupa delle soluzioni pratiche offerte dalla politica comparata per cercare di inserire nei canoni liberaldemocratici riveduti le società che sono plurali da un punto di vista nazionale.  This article deals with the political challenges that European liberal democracies confront in relation to their internal national pluralism. After analyzing two analytical distortions of Western political thought –the fallacy of abstraction and the usual shortcomings of this tradition in relation to pluralism- the article presents twelve elements for a political and moral refinement of plurinational liberal democracies. These elements are linked with an analytical and normative collective dimension usually marginalized and which cannot be reduced to the individualist, universalist and stateist approach of traditional democratic liberalism and constitutionalism. Finally, the article deals with the practical solutions offered by comparative politics to try to accommodate nationally pluralist societies according to reviewed liberal-democratic patterns

Multiculturalidad, sociedad internacional y democracias liberales

La multiculturalidad no coincide con el multiculturalismo. La multiculturalidad es un concepto descriptivo que remite al carácter culturalmente heterogéneo de las personas que conviven en una sociedad. El multiculturalismo es un concepto normativo que remite a instituciones y políticas que propician que las distintas culturas de una sociedad puedan desarrollar sus capacidades y que propicia un política de respeto entre distintas culturas. En este breve artículo, tras una enumeración de algunos elementos analíticos destacados por los estudios recientes sobre multiculturalidad en las democracias liberales (sección 1), presentamos una discusión sobre el caso de los derecho humanos en la sociedad internacional desde una perspectiva transcultural (sección 2.1), así como tres modelos normativos para el tratamiento de la multiculturalidad en las democracias (sección 2.2).Multiculturality is not the same as multiculturalism. The former is a descriptive concept which refers to the culturally heterogeneous character of people that live in a society. The latter is a normative concept which refers to a set of institutions and policies that make it possible for these distinct cultures to develop their capabilities as well as encouraging a politics of respect between them. In this brief article, after presenting some analytical elements highlighted by recent multicultural studies of liberal democracies (section 1), I discuss the case of human rights in international society from a transcultural perspective (section 2.1). I also present three normative models for dealing with multiculturality in liberal democracies (section 2.2)