AROUND 'MULTICULTURALISM' (Wokól 'wielokulturowosci')

The aim of the paper is to present the descriptive definitions of 'multiculturalism'. The authoress shows that multiculturalism is an elusive concept. The definitions have been divided into three groups with each of them emphasizing various aspects of multiculturalism: socio-cultural one, political one and the one that regards multiculturalism as a dynamic social process. The authoress also presents philosophical concepts that are fundamental to the understanding of multiculturalism, namely postmodernism and cultural relativism, analyzed in the paper solely in the context of multiculturalism. Postmodernists affirmed the ideas of multiculturalism and political pluralism (i.e. Richard Rorty, Charles Taylor), while cultural relativists stressed that national diversification of various cultures is conditioned by historical development, and under no circumstances should cultures be judged. The authoress presents the philosophical concepts as the philosophical-cultural context of multiculturalism.