- Race and Ethnicity in a Comparative Perspective
- The Meaning of Race: Race, History and Culture in Western Society by Kenan Malik
- According to the information on his book, Malik demonstrates the meaning of race in detail. He explains that discrimination towards race seems to be everywhere in the society. Many of the nation’s categories people according to their race. Malik demonstrates that race is one the issues that brings a lot of contradiction in the society. He explains how race emerged to be of great concern in the society since 18th and 19th century.
- Topic 1: Social Limits to Equality
- In order for the society to have a common aspect in relation to race, people ought to embrace respect to one another. Equality in the society cannot have any meaning in the plural (Malik 75). People in the society cannot be equal in terms of social and cultural groups. The society also cannot demonstrate equality in terms of sexual groups especially in the modern world. Equality in the society requires a common yardstick in order to have a proper meaning. Equality also needs to have a measure of judgment but not the plurality of various meanings. Malik demonstrates a case about the Gardner while explaining the meaning of equality (Malik 38). The case fully demonstrates the meaning of nature of equality in the society. There can only be a common meaning between racial difference and inequality in the world if people in the society accept the possibility of social equality. People also ought to understand the need to respect one another in order to minimize the social limits of equality. Failing to have equality in the society may cause hostility (Malik 68).
- Race and Culture
- The culture of different community translates how people understand the relationship between one another. History depicts that for the past two centuries, there has been some strides made in respect to how people refer to the issue of race to one another (Malik 133). The social life in the society nowadays depicts that all people are multiculturalists. In order to have unity among different communities, there is a need to have an education system that offers guidelines about plurality of cultures. In this way, the future generation will have to understand some of the negative aspects with the western culture. The culture depicts that most of the people thinks of their own ways without considering about how the other person is doing.
- The main cause of human differences according to many politicians and academics is cultural value of different community in a certain geographical area (Malik 119). History and tradition also plays a significant role in delineating a large number of people from one another. Scholars identify the three of the above issues as means of creating social differences in the society. Romantic encounter that some of the people in the society tend to challenge the three issues (Malik 73). Even though many of the academics view that civilization is one of the areas helping most of the communities resist from traditional cultures, romantics argue that more ought to be done in order to achieve a change in how the society reflect on pluralism. There is a difference between philosophers and romantics concerning how community ought to view the issue on race. Philosophers tend to illustrate their understanding on the issue of civilization in the singular way. Romantics illustrate their understanding on the issue of culture in the plural way (Malik 84). However, both of the two groups tend to agree that the difference in cultural values of different communities should not destroy peace by dividing people in terms of their race. However, they ought to cherish and protect all manners that can help in protecting the well-being of the society.
- Topic 2: Race, Democracy and Multiculturalism
- Most of the multiculturalists argue that the issue of culture diversity is one of those that contribute to ethnic disputes (Malik 169). Most people tend to hate one another due to their race and ethnic background. Yet every one ought to respect one another’s culture in order to create a peaceful environment. The government also has a part to play to encourage people to maintain the well-being of the society. There is a need to apply the recommended sections of law in order to make sure that everyone has an obligation of maintaining peace in the society.
- Multiculturalism being a political process tends to undermine the valuable aspects of nature. Most of the politicians fail to appreciate the fact that diversity is of significant important in creating social coherent in the community. The importance of diversity in relation to multiculturalism is that it helps to expand horizons and make judgment on how people values cultural diversity (Malik 120). Lack of the required information mainly in the political sphere contributes in making the process of building a diverse society impossible to achieve. Many of the politicians tend to divide people in their races for their own political and financial gains. The multicultural diverse created by many of the politicians tend to divide people and cause hostility in the society.
- Many things have changed during the past few decades and brought about a significant effect in relation to how many people few race and cultural diversity in the community (Malik 85). Most of the academics tend to argue that we are in the age of post modernity. Many of them argue that the enlightenment project that assisted the community in teaching the young one about various aspects of life is longer in action. The old principals in relation to how the community ought to apply culture issues in the right way. Most of the community tends to define culture as how people perform in their respective disciplines (Malik 55). Having the best culture value is much beyond the riches that most people in the society tend to claims as best in their lives. Many of those who go against the norms of the society associate their behavior with finding a better living. According to the research done about the new age, the opposition to democracy and imperialism illustrated that they have a great influence to the young people (Malik 80). The racial difference becomes identified because of transformation of the nature in the society in relation to different race of people. The identification of democracy and imperialist has helped in expanding the nature of various aspects related to race.
- Most of the people in the society relate the process of inequality as one of those that contribute to social inequalities. The westerns have cultural norms that exhibit their failure in respect the race of one another. Most of them fail to consider the need of having a valuable social relationship with one another. Most of the Western people only value gaining personal advantage in their daily careers but fail to build a strong relationship about racial aspects with one another (Malik 81). The reason why the issues about race and culture emerged is due to degradation of universalism. However, most of the academics and political leaders who had the opportunity of engaging in this form of discussions concerning culture and racial aspects in the society did it in various different ways. Most of racial theorists since the 19th century argue that the idea of reason will never able to maintain the correct social transformation.
- Topic 3: Race in the global Arena
- Despite globalization being a main source of hope in many significance areas, it also seems to create much fear in the lives of many people. One the social forms that seems to depict a large number of recognition in the global era is capitalism (Malik 167). The development of global markets indicates that they have contributed much in creating social crisis. The result of the crisis that most of these global markets create is a massive growth of inequality. A high percentage seems to affect both the communities in the global level and the local one. Globalization in the world also indicates negative effects in relation to racial aspects. One of these negative aspects includes a growing number of people being excluded from the global economy.
- Globalization indicates to be putting much pressure on the middle class. Most of the people who are not doing well in life due to their economic strengths face much pressure especially that of downward mobility. The cost of living seems to affect many of those people in the middle class (Malik 201). On the issue of globalization and migration, most of the population tends to move from the rural areas into the urban centers in search of a better life. This results to most of the population in the rural areas being affected. Study indicates that a high percentage of those people who migrate to the urban centers are the youths. The effect of their migration is that they leave those who are old and weak in the rural areas. Many of the activities in the rural areas need the young people who are strong and energetic in order to contribute in the developments of various society issues.
- Significance researches indicate that there is a strong social movement for equality and justice in the global era. Most of the social movements have been in the action in order to change the attitude that people have against one another because of difference in race. In real sense, the effect of globalization in the social arena includes creating various new conditions especially for the mobilization of white privileges. However, globalization in terms of race is playing a major role in reshaping any possibility of an opposition of racism. Some of the activities who fight for equal right of all people in the global arena face many hindrances that affect their obligations and desire to achieve the best in connecting all people together. Most of the rights activist reveals that the government also plays a major role in limiting their ability to conduct massive campaign to all cultural groups in the society so that they can appreciate one another despite the difference in their races.
- Topic 4: Globalization and Democracy in race concept
- Globalization indicates significant contribution in the racial justice. Research shows that globalization is one of the effects that contribute in making effective formal global agreements in terms of what most of the institutions ought to address on global perspective in issues related to race and ethnicity. There is an indication that most of these opportunities will continue to grow in offering a better way of solving racial related issues. There are various ways in which most of governments compel to the international accords in relation to become racial justice. The mechanism of solving these issues tend to be of a great help in reducing the cases related to racial injustices (Malik 121).
- Most of the movements associated with the middle class indicate a significance approach to racial problems that affect most people globally. The activists try to convince the government about the issue of having formal premises that ought to protect people in terms of various behaviors that are against racial justice (Malik 169). Most of the governments’ worldwide try all they can in expanding secured jobs in order to help the middle class population in making acquire necessities. Security jobs help the middle class to understand about the legal context they ought to achieve. Research indicates that most of the middle-class population helps in destabilization of power in the political arena. The main reason that makes most of the middle-class people hold social movements is the political and economic conditions that they face. Fortunately, most of the American politics tend to continue focusing on how to offer help to most of the middle-class people. This is one of the indications that there is hope of reducing racial injustices in future.
- There exists a relationship between race, culture and the nation (Malik 133). The issue of race has always depicted a significance change in class difference in the society. Since in the twentieth century, most of those people who hold negative thinking depict to be the cause of social differences. The issue of having negative minds contributes in making many of the communities have racial conflicts. They make the community lose the democracy associated with racial matters (Malik 114). The social and cultural indifferences emerge due to failure in conducting democracy in the society.
- Many forms of culture withhold significance information related to culture diversity. Cultures explicit what they withhold on various communities. In order to acquire most of this information, there is a need to preserve a diverse of cultural heritage ( Malik 150). The cultural concept in relation to most of the racial influences is well illustrated by the work of Malik. He demonstrates that in order to have effective policies that the community may follow, there is need to have a change in the racial theories. The new culture theories ought to replace the racial theories in order to have a positive change on the human in differences. Race in the society should have a positive meaning that unite all people disregard their color or where one comes from (Malik 135). According to Malik (137), communities should not have a division on humanity issues because of racial related matters. The whole nation has an obligation of maintaining the proper concept of racial justice for the well-being of the society (Malik 145).
- Works Cited
- Malik Kenan . The meaning of race: race, history and culture in Western society. Washington Square: NYU Press, 1996. Print.
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