Liberalism, community, and culture /

Kymlicka is a philosopher concerned with the problem of liberalism as it is connected with community and culture. The author is particularly critical of socialists, Marxists, communitarians, and feminists because they put collective interests and freedoms above individual freedoms. He is also upset by the indifference and hostility of liberals towards minority cultures. He believes that this indifference should be reassessed by the liberals today in terms of the position of liberalism in the first part of this century. Kymlicka traces liberalism from J.S. Mill to the present, although he is more concerned with criticism of liberalism in the modern world than in the 17th century. Because Kymlicka is Canadian he uses cultural minorities in Canada as examples of the way liberals view and treat cultural minorities. Kymlicka also considers the problem of Marxism and justice and the criticism that Marx thought liberal theories failed to describe a genuine community. This book is well bound and well indexed, the type is clear, and there is a good reading list. Highly recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above. -R. V. Gardner, University of Rhode Island