6:05 - Chapter 4 group confers
6:15 - Discuss Chapter 4: The Multicultural Society
Facilitators: Samantha, Thelma, Carla, Michelle, and Amber
7:20 - Break
7:30 - Instructor-lead discussion...
Opening story of immigrant and bank clerk... relates to last week's discussion of Census categories? Comedy video: turning the tables makes it "weird"...
What about our identity does this convey?
How much of our identity categories is from the looking-glass self?
What does it mean on p.47 that a denial of American culture, a preference for "Latino," and a rejection of "Hispanic" mobilizes Spanish-speaking Americans to claim and assert a community of their own?
Conventional view of culture as passive social glue (source of solidarity) vs. newer focus of culture as dynamic and divisive?
Culture as POWER?
Multiculturalism as "threat to conventional elites"?
Discuss all the things MC is...(p.48)
- demographic fact
- social condition
- idea
- movement
- part of our economy
Stratification and the agency of culturally diverse elites to challenge a ranking system?
DIVERSITY as a social fact, but MULTICULTURALISM is a recent political achievement?
Difference from assimilation and pluralism as an historical way to respond to the increasing diversity in our society...
Assimilation means new or smaller groups become part of a larger or pre-existing group. They lose their unique characteristics and adopt the culture of the larger group (language, fashion, values, food, etc...)
to continue with the Star Trek line of thought from chapter 1...
"We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."
This is the ideology of the melting pot and E Pluribus Unum. But a criticism is that it assumes that cultural minorities are the ones that need to do all the changing; that cultural majorities (or the dominant culture) have the best/right way of life, and that minority/ethnic/native customs are not valuable. So it is associated with ethnocentrism and moral absolutism.
What does the book mean that the "assimilationist model fosters individuals, not groups"? (p.50)
Pluralism is the position that we should keep and maintain cultural differences, and that these are for the good of society overall (and particularly for mainstream society) so long as they don't threated the dominant culture's norms and values.
Associated with moral relativism, and emphasizes tolerance of diversity rather than acceptance and appreciation.
What does "social Darwinism" have to do with it? (p.51) What about stereotypes? Essentialism?
So this is where MULTICULTURALISM comes in, emphasizing not only coexistence, but viewing each "cultural core" as legitimate and promoting democratization and equity among groups.
Watch Kwame Anthony Appiah talk about cosmopolitanism in Examined Life.
- It's a description of present day reality - social fact.
- It's also an ideology that pushes for a new moral order of sociocultural equity.
- It's also policy and law that combats discrimination
- It is "mainstreamed" in an active process of workshops, school curricula reform, and media images.
- It permeates personal relationships that are regulated by Political Correctness (i.e. proper etiquette)
- MC as identity is basically cosmopolitanism - a psychosocial and political orientation that individuals construct and that is shared by people united by a common status or experience (p.52)
The "Asian American" affinity group largely formed as a political response to the hate crime killing of a Chinese American on this date (June 19th, 1982) that sparked a pan-racial coalescence of groups fighting for justice.
Overt vs. covert MC...
Overt diversity = obvious diversity with external markers (skin, hair, clothes, public behavior)
Covert diversity = not so obvious on the surface (religion, sexuality, class, nationality...)
"Dominant etiquette may suggest certain identities remain concealed. But... mobilizers bring such covert identities to the surface and use them for affirmative action. Other people may then resent the public expression of formerly concealed identities by social movements aimed at what they perceive to be 'special rights.'
An example: Dan Cathy and Chick-Fil-A vs. proponents of same-sex marriage.
related more recent story.
Sociocultural transformation and technology (p.53-4)
"ideational solidarity"
MC is the "political organization of culture", mobilized by agents who are "elite members of minority groups"
Commercialization and commodification of culture? (p.56)
New elite "selection criteria" on p.58?
Elite agents mobilize the formation of "clusters" around new, autonomous cores. These clusters help individuals resist assimilation into the dominant paradigm.
The story of PROUD (p.59)
Essentialism and constructionism (p.61)
Critiques of MC (p.64-5)
FOR NEXT TIME:
- Read Chapter 5: Ethnicity, and prepare your daily Top Ten List
- ONLY: April, Sarah, Kelley, and Valerie - prepare to facilitate a discussion on Chapter 5
Reminder - Ethnic Heritage presentations are due a week from Monday, get those interviews done!
Reminder - keep working on research for your Career Article Critique
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