The limits of culture in political theory: A critique of multiculturalism from the perspective of anthropology’s ontological turn
| Date | 01 April 2021 |
| Author | Ben Turner |
| Published date | 01 April 2021 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1474885117738117 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
EJPT
Article
The limits of culture in
political theory: A critique
of multiculturalism
from the perspective
of anthropology’s
ontological turn
Ben Turner
School of Politics and International Relations, University of Kent,
Canterbury, UK
Abstract
Political theorists have developed and refined the concept of culture through much
critical discussion with anthropology. This article will deepen this engagement by claim-
ing that political theory has glossed over a crucial aspect of the role of the concept of
culture, rather than defined it incorrectly. It will be argued that culture represents one
way of accounting for the variety of human groups by drawing on the recent ‘ontological
turn’ in anthropology. This rests on an understanding of ontology as a system of classify-
ing entities anterior to social relations rather than a philosophical position. The article
will argue against culture’s status as a neutral and universal method of understanding
human diversity by situating it within a pluralist approach to ontology, that posits mul-
tiple ontological schemas which form different social systems, each with their own
understanding of human difference. Through an investigation of the implicit ontological
commitments of multiculturalism it will be claimed that all political positions rest on a
set of ontological presuppositions, and that these classifications place restrictions on the
politics that they can express. Thus, political theorists should be vigilant of implicit
ontological biases, represented here by culture, if they are to positively accommodate
human difference.
Keywords
Anthropology, culture, Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, multiculturalism, ontological turn,
Philippe Descola, political ontology
European Journal of Political Theory
2021, Vol. 20(2) 252–271
!The Author(s) 2018
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/1474885117738117
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Corresponding author:
Ben Turner, School of Politics and International Relations, Rutherford College, University of KentCanterbury,
CT2 7NX, UK.
Email: b.turner@kent.ac.uk
Political theorists have developed and refined the concept of culture through much
critical discussion with anthropology. Debates within political theory and with this
anthropological exterior have largely been focused on the essentialising character
of the concept of culture used by political theorists of a liberal multiculturalist
persuasion.
1
Rather than intervene in this struggle over definition, this article
will claim that political theory has glossed over a crucial aspect of the role of the
concept of culture, rather than defined it incorrectly. It will be argued that culture’s
role in understanding human difference is distinct to one particular way of account-
ing for the variety of human groups. By drawing on the recent ‘ontological turn’ in
anthropology, this claim will rest on the classification of culture as an essential part
of the ontology of naturalism, where it is understood as a counterpart to nature.
2
This will involve a reconsideration of the character of ontology drawn from the
work of Philippe Descola, Bruno Latour and Eduardo Viveiros de Castro.
For these thinkers ontology is not simply a philosophical position, but rather a
system of classifying entities that is anterior to social relations. In understanding
ontology as such, culture’s status as a neutral and universal method of understand-
ing human diversity is challenged. Culture will be situated within a pluralist
approach to ontology, where there are multiple ontological schemas that
form different social systems, each with their own understanding of human
difference.
I will argue that political theory can be furthered by adopting the ontological
pluralism that underlies this critique of the status of culture. The lesson that this
article seeks to draw from anthropology’s ontological turn is that ontological pre-
suppositions are unavoidable in political theory, and their biases must be
unearthed if we are to pursue any pluralist political project that accommodates
human differences. Multiculturalism will be taken as a case that demonstrates the
relevance of this point for two reasons. First, multiculturalism has been the centre
of debates regarding culture in the discipline. These discussions, however, have
focused mainly upon the character of culture rather than the status or role of the
concept itself. Second, and more importantly, the ontological status of culture
plays a pivotal role in establishing the politics of multiculturalism. Turning to
anthropology’s ontological turn allows one to unearth the implicit ontological
biases of multiculturalism, that differences between ‘cultures’ are only conceivable
on the basis of the prior ontological assumptions of naturalism. This shift to ontol-
ogy will be seen to alter three questions fundamental to multiculturalism: what is
the source of human difference? How is one to understand and study these differ-
ences? What are the political ramifications of this understanding of difference?
By shifting the answer to these questions from culture to prior ontological systems
of classification, it will be seen that multiculturalism, based within just one of these
possible ontologies, is not adequate for understanding the diversity of other human
collectives. In what follows, this critique of the implicit ontological presuppositions
of multiculturalism will be used to show the reach of the consequences of the
ontological turn in anthropology for political theorists: that all political positions
rest on a set of ontological presuppositions, and that these classifications place
restrictions on the politics that they can express.
Turner 253
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