Subject To Debate: Mobile Identities: Questions of Culture and Citizenship

One of the most dynamic features of cultural difference in the world today is mobility. Diaspora communities have sprung up around the globe. Some of these communities have arisen quite recently and are historically unprecedented, such as the movement of Southeast Asians into U.S. cities in the late twentieth century. Some are artifacts of European colonialism, such as the large populations of South Asians in England or West and North Africans in France. Others are deeply historical and express a centuries-old interregional linkage, such as the contemporary movement of North Africans into southern Spain.

The movement and settlement of large populations of migrants have raised questions of belonging and exclusion. How do transplanted populations become English, French, or Spanish, not only in terms of citizenship but also in terms of belonging to that culture? Some observers have argued that diaspora populations find ways to blend symbols from their cultures of origin with those of their host cultures. Thus, people develop a sense of belonging through a process of cultural hybridization. Other observers point to long-standing situations of cultural exclusion. In 2005 in France, for example, riots broke out in more than a dozen cities in suburban enclaves of West African and North African populations. The reasons for the riots are complex. However, many observers pointed out that underprivileged youth of African descent feel excluded from mainstream French culture, even though many are second- and third-generation French citizens.

The debate over how to address questions of citizenship and cultural belonging is played out in many venues. In terms of policy, the French, for example, emphasize cultural integration; for example, the French government approved a law in 2010 banning full-face veils (burqas ) in public, whereas Britain and the United States promote multiculturalism. But many questions remain about the effectiveness of state policies toward diaspora cultures.

Based on the discussion presented above, consider these questions: