Joseph H. Carens – författare

In The Ethics of Immigration, Joseph Carens synthesizes a lifetime of work to explore and illuminate one of the most pressing issues of our time. Immigration poses practical problems for western democracies and also challenges the ways in which people in democracies think about citizenship and belonging, about rights and responsibilities, and about freedom and equality. Carens begins by focusing on current immigration controversies in North America and Europe about access to citizenship, the integration of immigrants, temporary workers, irregular migrants and the admission of family members and refugees. Working within the moral framework provided by liberal democratic values, he argues that some of the practices of democratic states in these areas are morally defensible, while others need to be reformed. In the last part of the book he moves beyond the currently feasible to ask questions about immigration from a more fundamental perspective. He argues that democratic values of freedom and equality ultimately entail a commitment to open borders. Only in a world of open borders, he contends, will we live up to our most basic principles. Many will not agree with some of Carens' claims, especially his controversial conclusion, but none will be able to dismiss his views lightly. Powerfully argued by one of the world's leading political philosophers on the issue, The Ethics of Immigration is a landmark work on one of the most important global social trends of our era.

This book contributes to contemporary debates about multiculturalism and democratic theory by reflecting upon the ways in which claims about culture and identity are actually advanced by immigrants, national minorities, aboriginals and other groups in a number of different societies. Carens advocates a contextual approach to theory that explores the implications of theoretical views for actual cases, reflects on the normative principles embedded in practice, and takes account of the ways in which differences between societies matter. He argues that this sort of contextual approach will show why the conventional liberal understanding of justice as neutrality needs to be supplemented by a conception of justice as evenhandedness and why the conventional conception of citizenship is an intellectual and moral prison from which we can be liberated by an understanding of citizenship that is more open to multiplicity and that grows out of practices we judge to be just and beneficial.

This book contributes to contemporary debates about multiculturalism and democratic theory by reflecting upon the ways in which claims about culture and identity are actually advanced by immigrants, national minorities, aboriginals and other groups in a number of different societies. Carens advocates a contextual approach to theory that explores the implications of theoretical views for actual cases, reflects on the normative principles embedded in practice, and takes account of the ways in which differences between societies matter. He argues that this sort of contextual approach will show why the conventional liberal understanding of justice as neutrality needs to be supplemented by a conception of justice as evenhandedness and why the conventional conception of citizenship is an intellectual and moral prison from which we can be liberated by an understanding of citizenship that is more open to multiplicity and that grows out of practices we judge to be just and beneficial.

The relationship between liberalism and nationalism is of growing importance in many areas of the world. These essays simultaneously deepen our understanding of the specific case of Quebec and help to map a theoretical territory that, while vitally important in the modern world, is largely unexplored. Is Quebec Nationalism Just? will be of interest to those concerned with the relationship between Quebec and Canada as well as scholars in the fields of political theory, Canadian politics, constitutionalism, and public policy. Contents Liberalism, Justice, and Political Community: Theoretical Perspectives on Quebec's Liberal Nationalism - Joseph H. Carens (Toronto) - Immigration, Political Community, and the Transformation of Identity: Quebec's Immigration Politics in Critical Perspective - Joseph H. Carens - Canada, Quebec, and Refugee Claimants - Howard Adelman (York) - From Provincial Autonomy to Provincial Equality (Or, Clyde Wells and the Distinct Society) - Robert Vipond (Toronto) - Decline of Procedural Liberalism: The Slippery Slope to Secession - Janet Ajzenstat (McMaster) - The Ideology of Shared Values: A Myopic Vision of Unity in the Multi-nation State - Wayne J. Norman (Ottawa) - Quebec: The Morality of Secession - Howard Adelman - Quebec's Self-determination and Aboriginal Self-government: Conflict and Reconciliation? - Reg Whitaker (York).