Cultural racism

Cultural racism is a way of thinking that involves unfair treatment and prejudice based on the differences between groups of people who come from various backgrounds. It is the belief that some cultures are better than others, or in extreme cases, that certain cultures cannot live together peacefully in the same place. This idea is different from biological or scientific racism, which is based on the false belief that some groups are superior due to physical characteristics.

The idea of cultural racism started being discussed in the 1980s and 1990s by scholars in Western Europe like Martin Barker, Étienne Balibar, and Pierre-André Taguieff. They noticed that while old ideas about racial differences based on biology were becoming less popular, new ideas focusing on cultural differences were taking their place. These new ideas were often spread by far-right groups, such as the French Nouvelle Droite.

People argue that believing in unchangeable cultural differences can lead to the same harmful actions as believing in biological differences, like exploitation, oppression, or even extermination. They also say that cultural and biological racism often go together, with some people using cultural differences to promote harmful ideas when talking about biology is not accepted. Additionally, in many places, groups such as immigrants and Muslims have been seen as separate from the rest of society just because of their cultural practices. To fight cultural racism, many suggest teaching about different cultures in schools through multicultural education and anti-racism.

However, not everyone agrees that cultural racism should be called racism. Some scholars think that cultural prejudices are different enough from biological racism that using the same word makes the idea of racism less useful. There is also debate about whether things like Islamophobia should be considered a type of cultural racism, with some saying it is more about hostility toward a person's religious beliefs rather than cultural symbols like clothing or language.

Concept

The idea of "cultural racism" has been called different names by scholars who studied it in the 1980s and 1990s. Some called it the "new racism," while others used terms like "neo-racism" or "cultural-differential racism." These names all point to the same basic idea: that some people believe different cultures are so different that they cannot live together peacefully.

The word "racism" can be confusing because it is used in many ways. It originally described beliefs about biological differences between groups of people. Over time, especially after World War II, scientists began to understand that humans do not actually divide into biologically distinct races. This led some people to argue that racism should only refer to beliefs based on biology. However, others began to use the term "racism" to describe prejudices based on cultural differences instead, arguing that these can be just as harmful as beliefs about biological differences.

Scholars have debated whether calling prejudices based on culture "racism" is helpful or accurate. Some argue that it stretches the meaning of the word too much, while others believe it highlights how harmful such prejudices can be, even when they are not based on ideas about biological differences. This debate continues today as societies grapple with issues of cultural difference and belonging.

Cultural racism in Western countries

In the early 1990s, a writer named James Morris Blaut said that in Western countries, people began to think of themselves as better not because of their race, but because of their culture. He said this idea started after World War II when some writers tried to explain why Western countries were richer and more powerful.

Another writer named Wren said that this idea showed up in many European countries, but in different ways depending on each country’s history and how people thought about their nation. She said that in Denmark during the 1980s, when there were many jobs missing and money was tight, people started to say that immigrants from other places didn’t fit in with Danish culture. This made it harder for them to live there and find homes.

Some leaders in Britain also worried that their country would change too much because of people from other cultures. In Germany, a leader said it would be hard for Turkey to join a big group of European countries while a certain leader was in charge there.

In South Africa, some leaders said that different groups should stay separate because of their cultures, not just their skin color. In the United States, some people thought that people from Mexico weren’t really American because they spoke Spanish.

In the early 1990s, a teacher named Henry Giroux said that some leaders in the United States were using ideas about culture to say that different groups didn’t belong together. He said both groups on the political sides were doing this in their own ways.

Some people in Israel also had trouble accepting Jewish families from Ethiopia because they thought their culture was different. Even though these families were Jewish, some people said they weren’t “real” Jews because of how they lived and celebrated.

In 1992, Blaut said that while many teachers and writers had stopped believing in ideas about race, they still believed in ideas about culture.

Opposing cultural racism

In the 1980s and 1990s, some thinkers believed that common ways to fight against unfair treatment based on a person's natural features were not working well against unfair treatment based on cultural differences. They thought these methods sometimes made the problem worse instead of solving it.

One idea for fighting this kind of unfairness is to encourage different groups to talk and agree on rules together. Some people also believe schools can help by teaching students to think critically about how media and history are presented, and by showing the value of many different cultures and languages. This can help create a society that accepts and respects everyone.