Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Claude Lèvi-Strauss & Clifford Geertz in Debate

Ethnocentrism Versus Ethnocentrism Versus

A Plea for Empathetic A Plea for Empathetic ImaginationImagination

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Saul Steinberg – ethnocentrism visualized

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Claude Lèvi-Strauss The Future of Ethnocentrism

““I had challenged a I had challenged a catechism….I rebelled against catechism….I rebelled against the abuse of language by the abuse of language by which people tend more and which people tend more and more to confuse racism…with more to confuse racism…with attitudes that are normal, even attitudes that are normal, even legitimate, and in any case, legitimate, and in any case, unavoidable.”unavoidable.”-Claude L-Claude Lèvi-Strauss inèvi-Strauss in Clifford Geertz, “The Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Uses of Diversity,” p. 254p. 254

An existential paradox: ethnocentrism diversity““diversity results from the desire of diversity results from the desire of

each culture to resist the cultures each culture to resist the cultures surrounding it, to distinguish itself surrounding it, to distinguish itself from them – in short, to be itself....in from them – in short, to be itself....in order not to perish, they [cultures] order not to perish, they [cultures] must, in other connections, remain must, in other connections, remain somewhat impermeable toward one somewhat impermeable toward one another.”another.”

-Claude L-Claude Lèvi-Strauss, èvi-Strauss, The View from AfarThe View from Afar, Preface, p. xiv-xv, Preface, p. xiv-xv

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

the problematic of connection for diversity…

When integral communication When integral communication with the other is achieved with the other is achieved completely, it sooner or later completely, it sooner or later spells doom for both his and spells doom for both his and my creativity…overly facile my creativity…overly facile exchanges might equalize exchanges might equalize and nullify…diversity.” and nullify…diversity.” -Claude L-Claude Lèvi-Strauss inèvi-Strauss in Clifford Geertz, “The Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Uses of Diversity,” p. 254p. 254

a “blasphemy” (p. xiii), or “complete frankness” (p. xiii) ?

““I therefore asked my audience to I therefore asked my audience to question carefully, even sadly if they question carefully, even sadly if they wished, the future of a world whose wished, the future of a world whose cultures, all passionately fond of one cultures, all passionately fond of one another, would aspire only to celebrate another, would aspire only to celebrate one another in such confusion that each one another in such confusion that each would lose any attraction it could have would lose any attraction it could have for the others and its own reasons for for the others and its own reasons for existing.”existing.”

-Claude L-Claude Lèvi-Strauss, èvi-Strauss, The View from AfarThe View from Afar, Preface, p. xv, Preface, p. xv

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Geertz asks in response:““Is the alternative to moral entropy moral Is the alternative to moral entropy moral

narcissism?” narcissism?” --Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,” p. 257p. 257

Is there an alternative to: “making the Is there an alternative to: “making the world safe for condescension.” world safe for condescension.”

--Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,” p. 260p. 260

Are we left to a “relax-and-enjoy-it ethnocentrism”?

--Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,” p. 260p. 260

Geertz asks us to consider

Bernard William’s distinction Bernard William’s distinction between:between:

““alternatives alternatives forfor us” us”

andand

““alternatives alternatives toto us” us”--Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,” p. p.

260 260

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

diversity amongst “us”

““More concretely, moral More concretely, moral issues stemming from issues stemming from cultural diversity that used cultural diversity that used to arise, when they arose at to arise, when they arose at all, mainly all, mainly betweenbetween societies…now increasingly societies…now increasingly arise arise within within them.” them.”

--Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Diversity,” p. 265 p. 265 (emphasis (emphasis added)added)

““the puzzles raised by the fact the puzzles raised by the fact of cultural diversity have more of cultural diversity have more to do with our capacity to feel to do with our capacity to feel our way into alien sensibilities, our way into alien sensibilities, modes of thought we do not modes of thought we do not possess, and are not likely to, possess, and are not likely to, than they do with whether we than they do with whether we can escape preferring our own can escape preferring our own preferences – ...”preferences – ...”

--Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,” p. 261p. 261

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

““the sovereignty of the familiar the sovereignty of the familiar impoverishes everyone...” impoverishes everyone...”

--Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,” p. 270p. 270

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Mischa Richter, The New Yorker 6/27/1988

““something more is needed: an something more is needed: an imaginative entry into (and imaginative entry into (and admittance of) an alien turn of admittance of) an alien turn of mind.... a working contact with a mind.... a working contact with a variant subjectivity.” variant subjectivity.”

--Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,” p. 269-70p. 269-70

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

imagination and the other

““We must learn to grasp what we We must learn to grasp what we cannot embrace.…It is in this, cannot embrace.…It is in this, strengthening the power of our strengthening the power of our imaginations to grasp what is in imaginations to grasp what is in front of us, that the uses of front of us, that the uses of diversity, and the study of diversity diversity, and the study of diversity lie.” lie.”

--Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,” p. 274p. 274

““It is in this, It is in this, strengthening the strengthening the power of our power of our imaginations to imaginations to grasp what is in grasp what is in front of us, that the front of us, that the uses of diversity, uses of diversity, and of the study of and of the study of diversity, lie.”diversity, lie.”

--Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Clifford Geertz, “The Uses of Diversity,”Diversity,” p. 274 p. 274

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations

Mary Hynes and Mary Hynes and

Tariq Ramadan: Tariq Ramadan: Dialogue on Dialogue on DifferenceDifference

CBC CBC TapestryTapestry Podcast, Podcast,

14 March 201014 March 2010

http://www.cbc.ca/tapestry/http://www.cbc.ca/tapestry/podcast.htmlpodcast.html

Prepared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of OttawaEDU 6424: Ethics and Diversity in Educational Organizations