File spoon-archives/postcolonial.archive/postcolonial_2001/postcolonial.0111, message 281


Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 12:14:48 -0800 (PST)
From: Silvia Fernandez <sfernafelists-AT-yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: of racism and multiculturalism 


Obviously, I don't agree with you.

I don't think that Takaki's book deals with how well
different groups have "assimilated" into the US, but
it tries to explain the diversity of the country.
Education, in my opinion, is the only way of ending
racism. The book tries to "educate" people: by
understanding the origins we will be able to escape
racism.

Secondly, yes, it deals with American
multiculturalism... but I don't think Maldoror refered
to any especial kind of multiculturalism, or that s/he
said that s/he was NOT interested in THIS
multiculturalism... "A Different Mirror" is just a
study in which s/he will find a "global" vision of
what constitutes multiculturalism in the US... Maybe
you can provide her/im with other works in which s/he
can find a "global" vision of multiculturalism in
other countries...

> you seem to fall into the
> close-mindedness of American
> multiculturalists...America is not the only
> multicultural country...(read history of
> Africa,Mesopotamia, India, Egypt, etc....).

Well, it happens to be that I took a course last year
on the history of Australia too, but I don't know any
work that Maldoror can go to to study that kind of
multiculturalism, and I DO know of this, because I
finished it two weeks ago, so I thought it wouldn't
harm him/er to have that reference at hand.

And by the way, I'm Spanish, not American... although
my major is English, so maybe that puts me in the
"close-mindedness of American multiculturalists", as
you say...

> Thirdly, Takaki discuss only the groups that
> influenced the American culture and politics. he put
> groups into categories ...isn't that racist?

No, it's not... in any case it's "ethnicist", but not
racist... Racism, to me, is the belief in the
superiority and inferiority of a certain group of
people by virtue of their race (where race is believed
to be biological). I don't think that definition fits
Takaki at all. And yes, he puts them into groups. He
deals with African-Americans, Japanese-Americans,
Chinese-Americans, Mexican-Americans,
Native-Americans, Irish-Americans... and he compares
what they have in common, the experiences they have
shared... I don't see a problem with that, and I'm
sorry if you do, because I think you're getting the
wrong side of it. How do you suggest that he talk
about those groups, if it's not in the terms he does?

Sorry about this defence of myself...

You know... I'm tired of American nationalism. I've
been here since August 21st and have been through the
events of September 11th, so you can imagine HOW TIRED
I am of patriotic feelings... but I'm also tired of
those people who hold "prejudices" against the US...
The US is so diverse a country, that there is no way
that you can generalize about it... It has a lot of
flaws, but I refuse to forget all of the incredible
ideas and theories that have come out of its
intellectuals.

Silvia

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! GeoCities - quick and easy web site hosting, just $8.95/month.
http://geocities.yahoo.com/ps/info1


     --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---

   

Driftline Main Page

 

Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005