Book Review: ‘The Cultural Defense of Nations: A Liberal Theory of Majority Rights’ by Liav Orgad (Oxford University Press, 2015).

Contemporary diversity is increasingly complex. As human movement increases in scale, countries are increasingly prompted to re-examine the policy frameworks they have established in building a multicultural society.1 One of the major issues concerns that of immigration and naturalization. To many, cultural differences as a result of the insufficient assimilation of migrants give rise to serious domestic tensions and discontent. This thought, however disagreeable, was shared by the political leaders of the European nations who denounced multiculturalism and introduced naturalization policies that are aimed at preserving different expressions of the national identity. Yet, can and must a nation defend itself culturally through the imposition of immigration rules and naturalization policies? To what extent are these rules and policies morally and politically justified?