Liberal Multicultural Theory in Cases of Macedonia and Croatia

Abstract

The aim of paper is to show is it possible to implement liberal multicultural theory in Croatia and Macedonia. The value of the liberal multicultural theory of minority rights is not in providing possibilities to participate in the political domain, but in respecting their demand for the recognition of equality, cultural differences with the right to participate in the process of decision making and the right of self-government. The most important things that need to be reconciled in both Croatia and Macedonia are the desires of national minorities for cultural autonomy and the territorial integrity of the national state. The arguments for introducing territorial autonomy are limited under the conditions that the minority group is large enough and territorially concentrated, and where the differences between the minority and the majority are significant.Although these countries accept the western pluralistic principles as a prerequisite for joining the EU, these principles do not automatically secure just reconciliation of ethnic and cultural diversity. The political practice has shown that the South East of Europe cannot decently copy the western-European liberal type of democracy, but can achieve a specific liberal type of democracy conditioned by the historical-political and cultural heritage, the present structural and cultural state of society and different international influence of that state.The cases of Croatia and Macedonia are examples that the western model of liberal multiculturalism could not just be transplanted into the societies, which did not have the same or even similar historical development as west, nor similar social structure.