Social Unity in Britain

Social unity is a challenge for all culturally diverse polities. Britain is no different, as the race riots of 2001 illustrated. Political theorists agree that social unity is important because it is a necessary precondition for social justice, peacefully resolving disputes and effective democratic institutions. Political theorists claim that shared identities can help to foster social unity in culturally diverse polities. Conspicuously, however, many have shied away from the one type of shared identity that has a proven track record of fostering social unity: national identity. This is because national identities are hostile to cultural diversity. I, however, argue that all alternatives to national identities are likely to be ineffective sources of social unity. I try therefore to describe a type of national identity that can foster social unity through cultural diversity. I call such a national identity a multicultural national identity, which Britain would do well to adopt.