Cultural participation and postcoloniality: A U.S. case study

Abstract

The chapter discusses ways of imagining cultural authority. Part I outlines Samuel Fleischacker's liberal theory that cultures are "authoritative traditions" posited for coherent moral action. Part II evaluates this proposal through an examination of the writings of two U.S. Latino theologians, Roberto S. Goizueta and Ada Mara Isasi-Díaz. They articulate a practice of culture neglected by Fleischacker but constitutive of the (marginalized) cultural authority of U.S. Latinos, namely 'mestizaje': belonging to several cultures and not fully to any. Attending to 'mestizaje', the hidden prejudices of liberal egalitarianism can be addressed constructively for the sake of enhanced cultural participation. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.