Problems and possibilities of ethnic minority traditional rights within liberal democracies

Abstract

Problems and possibilities relating to claims to group rights within a liberal individualist democratic framework is explored here in two liberal democracies, viz., America and Canada. The tension inherent in individual rights and claims of ethnic minorities to traditional group rights are explore in selected Court cases. In our exploration we shall find that while liberal democracies are committed to individual rights and freedom, they had to, in few cases, interpret rights and freedom, so as to accommodate certain group rights. © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.