parallel lives

(...) many proponents of multiculturalism, and anti-racists more generally, have become so used to resisting attacks on minorities that they will defend all differences automatically, as though "cultural" attributes are also fixed and all worthy of defence, even though they might have fought for more liberal principles in another context that would have undermined these differences. And they are also defended on the basis of uniformity and oneness, rather than as a spectrum of difference within a fairly broad conception of a "culture".

In reality, there are many different conceptions of both majority and minority cultures and as much variation within "cultures" as there is between them – some may even lack the coherence to be called a "culture" – and what do we mean by "culture" anyway? But when identity is instrumentalised and it is under threat – and this can be in respect of either the majority or minority groups – we fall back on an exaggerated, almost stereotypical view of ourselves. We inevitably emphasise our differences rather than what we have in common.

It has taken many decades to defeat the idea that humanity is made up by separate "races", but we are now in danger of using ethnic and faith divisions to create equally spurious boundaries.

[Ted Cantle, para a Index on Censorship, via Eurozine]


http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2006-11-03-cantle-en.html
http://www.eurozine.com/
http://www.indexonline.org/