I'll be discussing this article today. Go check it out.
This week in class we talked at great length about Nationalism in light of Globalization. I think that the above article is a great example of what we were discussing. After World War II, a great deal of Muslims immigrated to Germany as a part of the guest worker programs that were instated there due to the overall loss of population and infrastructure. Today, there is a very appreciable population of Muslims in Germany, a fact that causes no small deal of tension.
The issue in question, of course, is the seeming refusal of Muslims to integrate into German society. How does this relate to our discussion in class? The Muslims in Germany are part of a Diaspora. Like any group outside of their cultural homeland, they seek to preserve their cultural identity in their "host country." Having traveled in Germany myself, I can attest to the fact that there are strongly Muslim (often Turkish) areas within German cities. According to the article, however, there has been increasing resentment about these "isolated" groups, similar to what some groups in the United States have said about ethnic minorities
As we debated in class, it seems that a highly globalized world, full of varying cultural media is not enough to prevent a significant increase in support for more radical conservative sentiments (significant because it could mean a far-Right fringe party will have seats in the legislature). But the increase in right-wing sentiment is not just based on cultural friction. It also has to do with the dissolving borders of the nation-state. The above article also mentions German frustration with EU politics, especially the Greece bailout. German citizens, who may feel no particular need to be "continental citizens," much less "global citizens" are perhaps hunkering down in order to protect what they see as their own nation's needs first. The result, of course, is a reevaluation of who is included in that nation; apparently, for some Germans, Muslims are out.
Another diaspora to consider are the Roma, which have also been in the news recently as French authorities are trying to move their camps. Now, this is a bit of a different issue, as the Romani camps are considered illegal, whereas the German Muslims have settled down in Berlin. Nevertheless, we have a group of culturally similar peoples settling down outside their home country, even though their new homeland is now lashing out against them. France is not alone in its actions against the gypsies, but is currently facing action from the European Commission, as the EU has policies to allow outside ethnic groups to become citizens (see this New York Times article for more information http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/opinion/16iht-edgoldston.html?ref=romani_people). It is interesting to see, then, that while protected by law, these “outsiders” are still not accepted in their community, as the citizens of say, France, attempt to maintain their French culture instead of accepting these new residents. As Geoff points out, this is due to some resentment from their host country towards the diasporic people. So instead of attempting to ease these tensions and help economic and international relations, as Karim mentions several nations have begun to do, the Roma are being shunned. France and Germany choose to create barriers rather than embracing globalization and the realization that no country (save perhaps North Korea) is completely culturally homogeneous these days.
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