Landscapes of ‘Othering’ in Postwar and Contemporary Germany: The Limits of the ‘Culture of Contrition’ and the Poverty of the Mainstream

By Aristotle Kallis

Volume 12, Issue 2, pages 387-407

Abstract

In the 1930s the National Socialist regime embarked on a chillingly ambitious and fanatical project to ‘remake’ German society and ‘race’ by deploying a peerless – in both kind and intensity – repertoire of ‘othering’ strategies and measures directed at the Jews, the Sinti/Roma, and non‐conformist groups within the Third Reich. At the heart of this campaign was the notion of a ‘zero‐sum’ confrontation between the nation/race and its perceived ‘enemies’: namely, that the existence of these ‘enemies’ within German society threatened the very foundations of the German ‘race’ and posed the gravest threat to its mere survival. To what extent can the experience of the 1930s aggressive, violent, and eventually murderous ‘zero‐sum’ mindset provide crucial insights into contemporary discourses of ‘othering’, linked with the European radical‐populist right but increasingly ‘infecting’ the social and political mainstream? The contemporary ‘ethno‐pluralist’ framing of the discussion divulges the persistence of a similar ‘zero‐sum’ mentality that is nurtured by socio‐economic and cultural insecurity, on the one hand, and powerful long‐standing prejudices against particular groups, on the other. The article explores this ‘zero‐sum’ insecurity mindset in the anti‐immigration ‘mainstream’ discourses in the Federal Republic of Germany, both before and after re‐unification. It demonstrates how – in contrast to the postwar ‘culture of contrition’ with regard to the memory of the Holocaust – this mindset continues to be a powerful political and psychological refuge for societal insecurities that has an enduring appeal to significant audiences well beyond the narrow political constituencies of the radical right.

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American Identity, Congress, and the Puerto Rico Statehood Debate

By Amílcar Antonio Barreto

Volume 16, Issue 1, pages 100-117

Abstract

Is the essence of American identity civic, ethnic, or a combination of the two? The 2010 debate in the U.S. House of Representatives on a bill to hold a referendum on the Puerto Rico status question provided a unique opportunity to shed light on these approaches. House Resolution 2499 would have asked the island’s electorate whether they preferred remaining a Commonwealth, become an independent country, or the fifty‐first state. Despite three choices, House members overwhelming focused on one: statehood. Effectively this bill asked lawmakers, in keeping with the civic identity thesis, whether they were willing to accept a culturally and linguistically distinct territory as an equal partner in the federation. These deliberations divulge much about congressional views on the official, civic, American identity and its alternatives. At another level this debate questions the assumption that the stability and consolidation of national identities cannot proceed with clearly and consistently defined boundary markers. That clarity, some contend, is imperative on the part of government leaders. This article argues that significant differences in how the nation is objectified may be overlooked in the short run, but may incur significant long‐term instability.

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A ‘European Migrant Crisis’? Some Thoughts on Mediterranean Borders

By Annalisa Lendaro

Volume 16, Issue 1, pages 148-157

Abstract

This paper addresses the ongoing ‘European Migrant Crisis’ by, first, discussing the return of internal borders within the European Union as zones for controlling and sorting migrants, and then both internal and external borders as areas in which policing and national policy choices deeply challenge international law, which was designed to protect all human beings regardless of their country of departure. The primary argument developed here is that some EU countries neglect to abide by the European and international regulations on migration, asylum seekers, and human rights, with unprecedented consequences. Border policies are presented here as paradoxical governmental tools, which are not applied equally and uniformly. The main consequence is the growing gap between rights guaranteed under the law and their selective application within a border management where the state of exception is increasingly visible.

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The Emergence of a New Form of Mexican Nationalism in San Antonio, Texas

By Luis Xavier Rangel-Ortiz

Volume 11, Issue 3, pages 384-403

Abstract

This article explores the role played by a growing community of Mexican national entrepreneurs who are crafting a new form of Mexican nationalism in San Antonio, Texas. This population of Mexican business people is growing in size and influence in the city. The experiences of Mexican entrepreneurs differ from understood forms of Mexican immigration and acculturation to the United States. They differ from previous waves of affluent groups of political and religious Mexican refugees that flourished in San Antonio from 1908 through the 1940s. The integration and cultural adaptation experiences of Mexican entrepreneurs represent a new form of Mexican nationalism that engages both Mexican and American nationalisms in a bidirectional acculturation process. Blending attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviours of both countries represent a new form of Mexican and American culture emerging in San Antonio at the beginning of the twenty‐first century. To better understand the experiences and dynamics of these business people, this study builds on Pierre Bourdieu’s principles of capital and power.

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Banal Nationalism, Football, and Discourse Community in Africa

By Bea Vidacs

Volume 11, Issue 1, pages 25-41

Abstract

The article argues that despite the continuing relevance of ethnicity, the idea of the nation has taken root among Africans. This is due to a combination of factors, including the universal ideology of the nation‐state, the impact of the existence of such national borders on the imagination, and the influence of national symbols and icons, which naturalise the idea of the nation. Applying Michael Billig’s notion of banal nationalism to Cameroon, the article focuses on linguistic practices as well as on popular appropriations of national symbols as contributing factors to the creation and maintenance of national consciousness. The analysis of a call‐in radio program broadcast on Cameroonian national radio during the 1994 FIFA World Cup illustrates that football created a discourse community that reinforced the idea of the nation both explicitly and implicitly. By participating in the debate, journalists and listeners alike – regardless of the tenor of their remarks – reinforced and further contributed to imagining the Cameroonian nation.

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