Colonialism, Cultural Diversity and Human Rights : 679806

Question:

Course Requirements:

There are two formal requirements:

(1) The Research Paper which comprises 90% of the course mark.  I encourage you to write on a topic of your choice that evolves from as much of the subject matter and readings of the course as possible.  The essay should be 3,500-5,000 words in length. Importantly, while this is a research paper, and I expect you to use the module materials as a springboard for more exploration, your paper should refer to four or more readings from the module materials

Questions include:

 

• Can attacks on cultural diversity be understood as a necessity of living in an increasingly unequal world?
• Colonialism is essential to understanding contemporary human rights. Discuss with reference to specific issues in one or more countries, areas of the world or ecological zones.
• How effective are anti-colonial writers such as Cesaire and Fanon in understanding the interface between colonialism and human rights.
• How is a genuine decolonisation possible? Is violence necessary?
• Can human rights abuses be effectively understood through creative forms of cultural production such as journalistic writing, literature, photography and film?
• ‘The institutions of the nation state and capitalism are in very fundamental ways in opposition to human rights.’ Discuss
• Discuss the proposition that the law itself is the single most important cause of human rights violations.
• What, if any are the differences between the torture that was a technique of European colonial domination, such as the French in Algeria, and the US and Britain in the global war on terror?
• How did settlers in places as disparate as Canada, Australia and Israel/Palestine violate the human rights of those who already lived in these places? Is it accurate to refer to such places as settler colonial states?
• To what extent is it accurate to describe the past and ongoing colonial processes that are applied to indigenous peoples as genocide?
• To what extent is the upsurge in terrorism since 9/11 and the advent of the war on terror related to colonialism?

 

(2) Presentations:

 

Students will be asked to make short presentations on the films considered in the course.  The Presentation will count for 10% of the mark.

 

Each presenter will be responsible for a 15 minute presentation in which they should each address what they see as the pertinent issues of the film under discussion.  You can consider a number of questions and issues although your presentation need not be bound or limited by these:

 

• A critical appraisal of the script, aesthetics, or ‘message’ in the film, including some mention of how it might relates to other work considered in the course.
• How does the film in question illuminate the dynamics of colonialism, globalization and/or cultural difference?

 

Students are encouraged to take control of discussions, engage the class, approach the topic with originality and creativity.

Answer:

Cultural diversity refers to the existence of an array of ethnic and cultural groups within any society.  The term, ‘cultural diversity’ is also used in terms of showing respect towards different cultures of each other (Banks 2015). The term, ‘cultural diversities’ also refers to the various human cultures and societies within a particular territory, or within the whole universe. In order to understand the attacks on cultural diversity, it is important to analyze the influence of factors like globalization. Distinctive societies emerged all around the world that was markedly opposed from one another, and many of these varieties persist even today. The cultural differences, which are obvious to stay between people, are language, behavior, traditions and attire. The other differences lies in the manner societies arrange themselves, in their reciprocal conception of morality, and in the manner, they communicate with their environment. Cultural diversity can be considered as similar to biodiversity. As biodiversity is essential for the long term sustainability of life in the earth, cultural diversity is important in terms of long-term sustainability of humanity in the earth. The other important logic behind is that preservation of species and ecosystems is essential for the all forms of life in the earth. Therefore, there is importance to conserve indigenous cultures. In 2011, UNESCO asserted in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, “…cultural diversity is as necessary for human as biodiversity is for nature (Rico 2015).”

Culture and heritage are not about stone and buildings. These are important to take into consideration relating to identities and belongings. Culture and heritage are the carriers of values from the past which are important to understand the fundamental principles of today’s’ society. Moreover, culture and heritage are also important in order to get the vision about tomorrow’s society. It is essential to save the culture and heritage as it is the basis to bind human beings together in a society and community (McIntyre-Mills 2017). This assignment aims to analyze why it is important to protect cultural diversity and how it is related to build peace and communal harmony in the current world. On the other hand, this assignment focuses on the elements, which bring attack on cultural diversity. Attacks against heritage and cultural diversity are considered a recurrent phenomenon in a number of recent armed conflicts. Such attacks, attach with the torture of minorities, as seen in both Iraq and Syria, represent a form of cultural cleansing that seeks to destroy the legitimacy of the “other” to exist as such (Crabtree, Husain and Spalek 2016). Due to accomplishment of deliberate attack on minorities, cultural heritage sites, schools and property, the establishment of society is on the face of terrorism (Pennycook 2017). It causes social fragmentation, which is considered as the greatest destroyer of peace in the society of today. Social unjust on minorities are often related to the looting and illicit trafficking of cultural objects which lead to global organized crime and, in turn, to provoking armed conflict (Cvetkovich 2018). In this reference, it is important to protect cultural heritage and integrate cultural dimension for curing social conflicts, cultural emergency. It is also important to constitute resolution in promoting cultural pluralism.

On the other hand, rapid globalization is one of the important factors in order to take into consideration in terms of diminishing a number of colonial cultures (Weinert 2017). According to the World Culture Report 2000, the dimension of globalization is not limited within the context of economy and technology (Loisen and Pauwels 2015). Globalization brings a lot of changes in society and ethics which draws a bunch of inevitable questions on culture. These questions of cultural identity and expression, cultural variety and pluralism, cultural upliftment and heritage go to the heart of UNESCO’s direction in the ground of culture (Throsby and Petetskaya 2016). In order to look into the relevance of such kind of issues, it is essential to consider World Culture Report in search of the recent trends, statistical data, policies, research and debate related to culture. The people who are actively engaged in the exchange of global culture, express from their experience that today culture is not considered as a process, but a product. In order to sustain in the industrial and competitive environment their personal sensibility of cultural identity turns into an approach of receptivity towards the culture of others (Loisen and Pauwels 2015). However, the people who are not able to be expressive in cross-cultural communication have to retreat. It proves that the people rejects diversity are considered to have a narrow sense if cultural identity in the age of globalization. When politics takes advantage of this negative reaction and other factors exacerbate it, culture is bound to be engaged with conflict (Pohle 2015). It is also asserted hereby that in order to mitigate the risk of cultural tension and conflict, cultural inequality as central solution culture itself is regarded. It is firstly an aspect in terms of seeking ways for establishing respect for all kind of cultural identities and revitalizing cultural interchange (Gfeller 2015).

John Mackey said, “The world is getting more connected through technology and travel. Cuisines are evolving. Some people are scared of globalization, but I think people will always take pride in cultural heritage (Rico 2015).” Therefore, UNESCO and its partners have undertaken an urgent task in terms of searching ways of conserving the languages, arts, crafts and customs of the people most vulnerable for sweeping change (Loisen and Pauwels 2015). Changing the course of global conversion is certainly a far from easy task. UNESCO said in the world culture report 2000, “The speed of social and economic change often goes counter to rhythms of culture, which more often measure time in phases of experience, stages of life and even in generations than in the nano seconds of the digital networks (Pohle 2015).” Today, we are living in a age when almost many of us are able to experience multiple number of cultural goods. However, if we do not renew the goods constantly from the sources of tangible and intangible cultural diversity, the production of such goods will represent cultural impoverishment. The loss of cultural diversity, regional communities does not only leave a negative impact on culture but also on human development (Throsby and Petetskaya 2016). Like the other global issues, today this problem is continuously increasing and developing a gap between the haves and have-nots in the world. In the world culture report 2000, Koichiro Matsuura of Director-General of UNESCO informed, “Unequal access to both new and traditional means of cultural expression implies not only a denial of cultural recognition, and it can also seriously affect an individual’s or a community’s membership of, or exclusion from, the knowledge society. Culture has multiple and complex links with knowledge. The processing of information into knowledge is a creative and culturally informed act, as is the use to which that knowledge is put. A truly knowledge-rich world has to be a culturally diverse world (Gfeller 2015).”

Director-General of Unesco, Koichiro Matsuura opined, “It also has to be a world of cultural pluralism if we are to learn to live together (Loisen and Pauwels 2015).” The world culture report 2000 has had the vision of successful transition within the societies based on the fact of cultural diversity in terms of promoting cultural pluralism (Pohle 2015). In order to pave the way of developing cultural pluralism, it is important to have respect for all forms of cultures and acknowledgement for their interdependence. In order to preserve cultural diversities and identities, UNESCO has initiated a framework (Rico 2015). Koichiro Matsuura exclaimed that in following the framework, they would able to promote cultural diversity and pluralism again. He also added that the framework would be capable in bringing a measure of harmony into the lives of human beings in the twenty-first century (Gfeller 2015).

It is important to comprehend the reasons for these attacks on cultural properties thus damaging the diversity and integrity of different cultures. Unequal distribution of wealth, power and other resources have mainly contributed to the uprising of rebellion in many nations. On many occasions, some biased political and economic policies taken by state leaders lead to hurting sentiments of a certain cultural group. One instance of it could the policies introduced by the United States President, Donald Trump where he envisioned a country free from immigrants, Muslims and Mexicans in particular. One of his policies included banning the entry of citizens from Iran and six other Muslim nations into America (Reuters.com 2018). Many non-American residents expressed fear of being attacked and tormented (Usatoday.com, 2018). Immigrants mostly stay in other countries for better opportunities since they do not get those opportunities in their own country. This lack of opportunity largely arises out of inequality. As argued by Enamorado et al. (2016), income disparities in developing nations give rise to limited opportunities and this result in higher rate of migrating to developed nations.

Many scholars and experts claim that the world has managed to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ and most importantly between distinct cultures. However, a deeper scrutiny reveals the reality of these claims. The gap between rich and the poor has widened in the last few decades. According to a report published in Oxfam, the international confederation helping the poor, 82% of wealth generated in 2016 went to a handful of rich whereas those who are in need of this wealth received nothing (Oxfam.org 2018). Inglehart and Norris (2016) believe that inequality in the present world is likely to witness further increase owing to the economic disparity prevalent in most countries. The economically powerful nations have acquired the authority to prescribe other less powerful states of the ways and means to achieve equality.

Reardon (2013) views inequality from the perspective of education and comments that schools might not be the “great equalizer” between the rich and the concerning people do not find “ways to reduce the growing inequality in education outcomes”. It is true that educational institutions provide the base from where individuals could uphold cultural values and rights and promote actual equality. It is thus imperative to ensure that class, ethnical, and race differences do not affect educational institutions because it would create a permanent ideology of hate and superiority.

During the early 19^th and 20^th century, dominance over a territory was acclaimed by the ones who were militarily powerful. The Europeans and the Western countries dominated the scene during that era. Hardly any nation was barred from colonialism. Countries like France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, all possessed the intention to colonize other weaker nations either militarily or strategically. It needs mentioning that the U.S. itself was a victim of colonialism but achieved independence only to practice colonialism within its own territory. The African-American race has had to suffer years of torture and brutality at the hands of their people who were whites. Césaire (2000), while commenting on colonialism stated, “That a civilization which justifies colonization- and therefore force- is already a sick civilization, a civilization which is morally diseased…” What the author meant by this statement is that no one can justify colonization. It is a breach of humanity but the sad truth is that the Europeans have always tried to justify it.

Certainly attacks on cultural diversity can be understood as a necessity of living in an increasingly unequal world. Culture and heritage are not about stone and buildings. These are important to take into consideration relating to identities and belongings. Culture and heritage are the carriers of values from the past which are important to understand the fundamental principles of today’s’ society. Moreover, culture and heritage are also important in order to get the vision about tomorrow’s society. It is essential to save the culture and heritage as it is the basis to bind human beings together in a society and community. This assignment aims to analyze why it is important to protect cultural diversity and how it is related to build peace and communal harmony in the current world. On the other hand, this assignment focuses on the elements which bring attack on cultural diversity. Attacks against heritage and cultural diversity are considered a recurrent phenomenon in a number of recent armed conflicts. Such attacks, attach with the torture of minorities, as seen both in Iraq and Syria, represent a form of cultural cleansing that seeks to destroy the legitimacy of the “other” to exist as such. Due to accomplishment of deliberate attack on minorities, cultural heritage sites, schools and property, the establishment of society is on the face of terrorism. It causes social fragmentation which is considered as the greatest destroyer of peace in the society of today. Social unjust on minorities are often related to the looting and illicit trafficking of cultural objects which lead to global organized crime and, in turn, to provoking armed conflict. In this reference, it is important to protect cultural heritage and integrate cultural dimension for curing social conflicts, cultural emergency. It is also important to constitute resolution in promoting cultural pluralism.

One the other hand, rapid globalization is one of the important factors in order to take into consideration in terms of diminishing a number of colonial cultures.

 

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