СТАЊЕ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЕ МУЛТИКУЛТУРАЛИЗМА У ЦРНОЈ ГОРИ
STATE AND PERSPECTIVES OF MULTICULTURALISM IN MONTENEGRO

Author(s): Zoran Lutovac
Subject(s): Politics, Sociology, Inter-Ethnic Relations, Ethnic Minorities Studies
Published by: Институт друштвених наука
Keywords: Multiculturalism; Multiculturality; Intercultural Dialogue; Identity; Montenegro; Interethnic Relations
Summary/Abstract: Montenegro could be defined as a multicultural society without multiculturalism, as a society with a cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, but also as a society without integrative policies that manage these differences. It is a political community generally and largely institutionally committed to the civil state, but is in fact a nation-state where nationalism, based on the building of new elements of identity is nurtured as a state ideology, moreover it is promoted and established as the highest form of patriotism. The logical consequence of this orientation is the failure in building a unified “homeland identity,“ failure based on approach that impose one identity as general, one and only, instead of having an inclusive policy which strengthens the integrative idea, or fi rms interweaving and inclusion of different identities through socialization, education, institutions, and public policy. General and declarative commitment to multiculturalism is not transformed into public policy, but on the contrary, towards one part of citizens (who have a Serbian identity) an assimilation policy was applied, the policy of imposing a new identity, while another part of citizens, i.e., national minorities, were encouraged in their tendency to strengthen diversity without corresponding inclusive measures. One of the principal commitment of multiculturalism is to build a participatory political culture and civic community, but in practice, the servile political culture prevails - moreover it is encouraged, and that is not a fertile ground for civil and democratic society. Perspectives of multiculturalism (interculturalism) will depend largely on the acceptance and promotion of intercultural dialogue, the democratic governance of cultural diversity, governance based on human rights and fundamental freedoms, which promotes the respect of diversity as an element of political culture and strives to act in accordance with the maxim “from the same opportunities for all to the equal enjoyment of rights.“ It is necessary to create space for intercultural dialogue, to adopt and transmit intercultural values and knowledge which will help citizens to participate more and in a better way in social and political life. Only with this approach, the general commitment to multiculturalism, followed by the acts of institutions and normative framework that support this commitment, can get the full meaning.

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