Multiculturalism and Its Discontents

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Kenan Malik’s small book, Multiculturalism and Its Discontents: Rethinking Diversity After 9/11, is the first book I read from Seagull Publishing’s Manifesto series. I found that it addressed an issue that I’ve been pondering frequently in the last few years, and I’ve since gone on to track down some other books from the series.

I had not really thought about multiculturalism as policy. I’d considered it an attitude: openness to people of other cultures, curiosity about how others do things, different food, dress, customs, of a positive, enriching nature. But when Malik begins by recounting the Anders Brevik murders in Norway and relating them not just to concerns about immigration in Europe, but to the policy of multiculturalism and its implications, I needed to read further.

South African Apartheid might be the ultimate example of vigorous Multiculturalism. Message: we are different, you and I; we have our values, you have yours; we’ll put you in an enclave and let you alone except when we need your labor; and no, by the way, we’re not equal. In Europe, it has played out differently, but the focus on differences is not bringing people together. So you have conservative types who are aggressively trying to remove the different ones from their society, liberal types who think it’s not polite to express concern about denying women full freedom if their “chosen” community restricts it, and tension all around.

As policy, multiculturalism begins by defining groups; we all become “other,” including the group with claims of native status. The problem is that as groups gain status, individuals may lose it. If I am viewed by legal authorities as part of a certain group, where are my rights rooted? Only within my group or with the laws or constitution of the nation. For women, especially, this is a very big deal since women have only recently obtained official recognition of their basic human rights in some communities, but clearly not all.

As they say at the end of every research article, more work is needed. I’ll be reading more on this matter!

Rez Life

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This book will humble you if you think you understand tribal issues in contemporary America. Author David Treuer covers a range of issues while interspersing personal stories with a bit of background on laws and court rulings that have altered the landscape of life on reservations over the years.

Stories center on life on several Ojibwe reservations south of the Great Lakes, but the legal issues are common to tribes throughout the US. As Treurer fleshes out the meaning of “denominated domestic dependent nations,” we learn how tribal sovereignty has been the focus of legal hassles since treaties were first signed with over three hundred tribes around the country. Indians and non-Indians have sought control of fish, forests, minerals, water, and simply the land itself; states have tried to tax and regulate activities on reservations; the federal government has tried to force assimilation through various strategies; and now that casino money is changing the fortunes of many tribes, the matter of who is and who isn’t a member of the various tribes carries new significance.

The Spies of Warsaw

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As soon as I started reading The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst, I needed to consult some maps to get my bearings. A bit of clicking about the Web led me to this fascinating site, courtesy of Wikipedia, which shows the evolution of boundaries in and around Poland for the last 400 years. I love the Internet!

Mysteries are my fallback when I’ve maxed out on serious stuff. But this wasn’t just any old mystery. This was mystery plus history of the best sort. Good story, well told, while uncovering some of the complexities of the era between WWI and WWII in Europe. No one really trusted anyone, and for good reason. Everyone watching, scheming, developing contingency plans. Officials ignoring information from people closest to events as they unfolded.

History as told by historians can be fascinating. But I’m happy to get some of my history from Alan Furst and others who mix it with interesting characters, good plot lines, and a feel for the locale.