[lbo-talk] Multiculturism II: What I am working on...

Charles Brown charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us
Tue Sep 16 06:37:09 PDT 2008


In the US, the rightwing has been casting , what is at core racism, as "culture wars".


>>> Ismail Lagardien <ilagardien at yahoo.com> 09/12/2008 8:43 PM >>>
Whoa!

Thanks everyone, very much...

Perhaps I should explain: I am working on an hypothesis. White racists in South Africa seem to be using "cultural tolerance" to cast indigenous Africans as savage others... It is not uncommon to hear statements like; well, that is what THEY are like and we have to accept that - there is nothing we can do about it.

The point is that this is EXACTLY what European colonialists said about Africans! I also have a direct quote from the book, "Savage Constructions, in which a Dean at a university in the US said pretty much the same thing MORE RECENTLY.

So, I want to put something together for a column I write in the popular press in South Africa, get some feedback and then develop it further for a peer review scholarly journal.

I want to make the point, as per Zizek, that "cultural identity" "clash of civilisations" discourse has replaced race.... So "the blacks" are no longer evil, or bad, or.. whatever... we must simply accept that THEY are different and that is what cultual tolerance is all about.... Liberals tend to hide their racism behind multi-culturalism... Of course assimilated "blacks" (much like the colonial period) are not cast as "They" and savages... etc

In the meantime, I am working on it, reading etc...Because a) I am a Marxist, and b) i have never witten anything on multiculturalism - i am reading!!!! hence my request for help.

Everyone has been very kind with the advice... Cheers for that.

Ismail

Aluta Continua!

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