3/5/2013

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries and the Politics of Recognition

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Christian Giordano

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries

Primordialist approaches Biological Primordialism Cultural Primordialism

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries Constructivist approaches Instrumentalist approach Interactionist approach: The question of boundaries Processual approach: Historical development

3/5/2013

Ethnos and Ethnicity

Cultural diversities, Boundaries The concept of Nation: A) political community (State community) B) not an organic but an imagined community (B. Anderson

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries The controversy about the origin of Nations: Primordialists (A. Smith) versus Modernists (E. Gellner, E.J. Hobsbawm, B. Anderson)

3/5/2013

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries common origin, common culture (language, religion, customs, traditions etc.) and often but not always common territory

Cultural diversities, Boundaries Two models of modern nation: A) the German Model: The cultural and ethnic Nation B) The French Model: The Civic Nation

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries The Basic principle in both models one nation, one State, one territory, one culture The ideal of a homogeneous culture and a mono-ethnic territory

3/5/2013

Cultural Diversity, Boundaries

Strategies of homogenization: Forced cultural assimilation (Politics in Eastern Europe)

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries Deportation or expulsion (Soviet Union, Spain, Portugal, France) Ethnic cleansing (Former Yugoslavia: Kosovo) Ethnic wars (Former Yugoslavia: Croatia)

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries Exchange of populations (diplomatic solution: international treaties, Strategies of unmixing R. Brubaker) Organized immigration (Soviet Union)

3/5/2013

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries Genocide (Former Yugoslavia: Bosnia, Turkey) Holocaust (Nazi Germany) All policies to reduce cultural diversities in National States

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries Ethno-cultural Homogenization processes in Europe: Historical overview: 150 years of Homogenization: The reduction of multicultural regions (examples)

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries The Role of ethnocracies in National States: Ethnic elites (even in Democratic systems) The legal Basis: the different status between entitled nation and minorities

3/5/2013

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries

Definition of citizenship Included and excluded The Relevance of Citizenship for keeping homogeneous the Nation, the State and the territory

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries The Principle of Origin in the German Model (jus sanguinis) The Principle of Acculturation and Assimilation in the French Model (jus soli)

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries Two types of citizenship excluding cultural diversity The Dilemma for the recognition of ethno-cultural Minorities

3/5/2013

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries

Erasing cultural diversities, erasing minorities: The case of Riga Territorializing cultural Diversities: The case of Fribourg

Cultural diversities, boundaries

Disputed Memories, Contested Histories: Symbolic Wars Cluj Riga Sandanski Angkor Wat

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries Multiculturality and Multiculturalism Multiculturality: a descriptive concept Multiculturality as cultural diversity

3/5/2013

Cultural Diversities, Boundaries Multiculturalism: the Politics of Recognition of Cultural Diversity (Ch. Taylor) There is no general theory of multiculturalism

Multiculturalism
The role of different historical backgrounds and sociostructural conditions (East-West European differences)

Multiculturalism
A) old

(in the West) and late nations (in the East) B) The relevance of the Pluricultural Empires (in the East)

3/5/2013

Multiculturalism
C) immigration (in the West) since 1950 and historical minorities (in the East) D) The Role of Communism (in the East)

Multiculturalism
Two types of societies: Immigration societies and minority societies Two types of States: Polyethnic and Multination States (W. Kymlicka)

Multiculturalism
Today a mixing ot the two types has emerged in Western part of Europe Two different politics of Recognition? (W. Kymlicka)

3/5/2013

Multiculturalism
Recognition of special rights for minorities Integration policies for immigrants

Multiculturalism
The actual bad reputation of mutliculturalism in (Western) Europe: Immigration societies, polyethnic States The Fears of ethnic divided societies: Parallel societies

Multiculturalism
The fears of cultural relativism The threat of national identity, unity and cohesion (example of France)

10

3/5/2013

Multiculturalism
Ingenuous concepts of Multiculturalism: MultiKulti in Germany: spontaneous Multiculturalism Politics of laissez faire in UK Idealization of diversities in Italy

Multiculturalism
The illusion of a natural and harmonious coexistence between ethno-cultural communities. The case of Frankfurt and its failure

Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is always connected with intercultural tensions, contestations and conflict

11

3/5/2013

Multiculturalism
Therefore multiculturality (ethno-cultural diversity) has to be politically managed through permanent negotiations The culture of debate and compromise

Multiculturalism
The culture of consociationalism (consociational democracy, Arend Lijphard) To take decisions together

Multiculturalism
One thorny question connected with tensions: Individual and/or collective rights

12

3/5/2013

Multiculturalism
Europe citizenships and legal systems are based on merely individual rights: Three types of recognized individual rights (T. Marshall)

Multiculturalism
A) Civic rights (fundamental rights, human rights) The Role of French Revolution B) Political rights (the right to vote and to be elected)

Multiculturalism
The Role of class conflicts and feminism (end of 19th century and 20th century) C) Social rights (pensions, social security, health insurance, unemployment insurance etc.)

13

3/5/2013

Multiculturalism
The role of social policies mainly during the second part of 20th century

Multiculturalism
In the last 20 years it arises the question of the recognition of cultural rights Cultural rights = Collective rights Specific rights for specific ethnocultural communities

Multiculturalism
Examples: The exemption of helmet for the Sikh The headscarf in the schools (loi sur la laicit: law on secularism in France)

14

3/5/2013

Multiculturalism
Equality, uniformity, diversity (Bhikhu Parekh) How far it is possible to go in the recognition of cultural diversity: What to do with the cases of honor crimes?

Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism or integration ? At the moment is in integration What means integration? Social integration? Cultural intgeration (assimilation)?

Multiculturalism
Normative integration (Habermas: constitutional patriotism?) The issue of Transnationalism: Between two socio-cultural reference systems

15

3/5/2013

Multiculturalism
Malaysia: a very special case of multiculturalism The colonial past: What is a plural society The colonial heritage and the social contract on the basis of ethnic lines after independence

Multiculturalism
Images of Penang as multicultural setting

16