Arguments For The Idea Of Polyculturalism By Prashad
The author of the book is arguing for the idea of polyculturalism. Cultures live within and through us every day and that everyone within the world is a product of many different “living” cultures. Prashad urges us to rethink race and culture as it applies in the American context by his problematizing of the African and Asian standard histories. Prashad also shows us that the roots of racism are deeply rooted in the world’s past and not just with the concerning of the African race but within many races. That for as long as there has been interactions between races one has dominated another, for the means of elevating one’s own culture to superiority. Dispelling the myths of and contributing to the thoughts of cultural purity. The author
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applies polyculturalism into the Maxist theory of class struggle, that in America discussions of race and culture are ignored due to them being subsumed to the idea of a “free and fair” capitalist system. Prashad refuses in his book to continue the same discussion of the stuggles of white and black cultures; but instead looks at racism and multiculturalism through another perspective. This being the perspective of “polyculturalism” a term that was first posted in an article by Robin Kelley. He traces European imposed racial ideology against what he believes is the normal tendency for cultures to blend together. Prashad wants the reader to rethink race and culture and the organization of society by giving the problems of standard histories. These histories being of Africa and Asia and the connections between each of them. The book itself is a speedy journey through 500 years of cultural clashes and blending though which Prashad spins his ideas of polyculturalism in a way to invoke the reader into questioning what they have been taught, so as to incorporate this idea into their own ideology. He shows, through recognition of Asian connections with black leaders such as Malcom X and Marcus Garvey, that the messages by these individuals, although being remembered as Afrocentric, were influenced heavily by Asian ideas and individuals. Prashad intentionally refuses to speak about the white cultures, although a certain amount of notions within his book conveys that they are there, instead he focus on how the lines of racism and racial purity between the Asian and African cultures are continually blurred. He does this to avoid giving any more attention to the white cultures that already have so much attention given to them by numerous historians and writers. He is not intentionally avoiding the white cultures to circumvent the atrocities that have been committed by them through slavery and racism, but to avoid giving another book written on these events. Instead trying to make the reader understand that racism and thoughts of cultural superiority are deep within the histories of many cultures, and have been a deeply rooted within our world’s history from the beginning. Prashad does a good job with giving his perspectives and evidence as to why polyculturalism should replace multiculturalism.
He is very good when showing how each of the cultures, African and Asian alike, are discriminated against albeit in different ways. While dealing with these issues within his book he shows that discrimination is not always about negative things but you can be discriminated against due to positive things. He states: “Essentially the argument is that Asians are good citizens and hardworking they do not need state assistance. Blacks need state assistance they must be bad citizens and lazy.” This statement shows discrimination through stereotyping giving us the notion that black people are always on state assistance never trying, and that Asians are always incredible workers never needing help. Which neither one of these statements are correct due to many black people live very well without state assistance and work hard at what they do. Their nature of working hard can be reflected in the fact of our own countries decision to use them as slave labor. On the other hand Asians all over the world even today that are on state assistance and have the predisposition to be as lazy as the next culture. Although Asians were used to help build the railroads, essentially through slave labor, in the United States many writings by the foreman of the crews talk about how they constantly had to be on top of the Chinese due to their laziness and lack of willingness to work. Prashad rather seamlessly takes us through the journey of each of the cultures struggles with the other then showing us how through time those struggles turned into influences upon one another. He does this by showing, in more modern times, the connections of many black leaders and goups such as Malcolm X and the Black Panthers to Asian individuals and groups such as Yuri Kochiyama and the Red Guard. Prashad states that: “If the Black Panthers inspired the multicolored Left,
they in turn had been inspired by Chinese Communism. When Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton formed the Black Panthers in October 1966 they took much inspiration from Mao’s radical critique of Imperialism.”
Prashad really does give us a complete look from the beginnings to the modern day although one thing that does stand out above most is his notion of Third World Solidarity which almost over shadows his beliefs in polyculturalism. He has a generous use of the term throughout the book; which makes one wonder why he did not include it within the title of the book itself. It is not until the conclusion of the book that Prashad states:
applies polyculturalism into the Maxist theory of class struggle, that in America discussions of race and culture are ignored due to them being subsumed to the idea of a “free and fair” capitalist system. Prashad refuses in his book to continue the same discussion of the stuggles of white and black cultures; but instead looks at racism and multiculturalism through another perspective. This being the perspective of “polyculturalism” a term that was first posted in an article by Robin Kelley. He traces European imposed racial ideology against what he believes is the normal tendency for cultures to blend together. Prashad wants the reader to rethink race and culture and the organization of society by giving the problems of standard histories. These histories being of Africa and Asia and the connections between each of them. The book itself is a speedy journey through 500 years of cultural clashes and blending though which Prashad spins his ideas of polyculturalism in a way to invoke the reader into questioning what they have been taught, so as to incorporate this idea into their own ideology. He shows, through recognition of Asian connections with black leaders such as Malcom X and Marcus Garvey, that the messages by these individuals, although being remembered as Afrocentric, were influenced heavily by Asian ideas and individuals. Prashad intentionally refuses to speak about the white cultures, although a certain amount of notions within his book conveys that they are there, instead he focus on how the lines of racism and racial purity between the Asian and African cultures are continually blurred. He does this to avoid giving any more attention to the white cultures that already have so much attention given to them by numerous historians and writers. He is not intentionally avoiding the white cultures to circumvent the atrocities that have been committed by them through slavery and racism, but to avoid giving another book written on these events. Instead trying to make the reader understand that racism and thoughts of cultural superiority are deep within the histories of many cultures, and have been a deeply rooted within our world’s history from the beginning. Prashad does a good job with giving his perspectives and evidence as to why polyculturalism should replace multiculturalism.
He is very good when showing how each of the cultures, African and Asian alike, are discriminated against albeit in different ways. While dealing with these issues within his book he shows that discrimination is not always about negative things but you can be discriminated against due to positive things. He states: “Essentially the argument is that Asians are good citizens and hardworking they do not need state assistance. Blacks need state assistance they must be bad citizens and lazy.” This statement shows discrimination through stereotyping giving us the notion that black people are always on state assistance never trying, and that Asians are always incredible workers never needing help. Which neither one of these statements are correct due to many black people live very well without state assistance and work hard at what they do. Their nature of working hard can be reflected in the fact of our own countries decision to use them as slave labor. On the other hand Asians all over the world even today that are on state assistance and have the predisposition to be as lazy as the next culture. Although Asians were used to help build the railroads, essentially through slave labor, in the United States many writings by the foreman of the crews talk about how they constantly had to be on top of the Chinese due to their laziness and lack of willingness to work. Prashad rather seamlessly takes us through the journey of each of the cultures struggles with the other then showing us how through time those struggles turned into influences upon one another. He does this by showing, in more modern times, the connections of many black leaders and goups such as Malcolm X and the Black Panthers to Asian individuals and groups such as Yuri Kochiyama and the Red Guard. Prashad states that: “If the Black Panthers inspired the multicolored Left,
they in turn had been inspired by Chinese Communism. When Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton formed the Black Panthers in October 1966 they took much inspiration from Mao’s radical critique of Imperialism.”
Prashad really does give us a complete look from the beginnings to the modern day although one thing that does stand out above most is his notion of Third World Solidarity which almost over shadows his beliefs in polyculturalism. He has a generous use of the term throughout the book; which makes one wonder why he did not include it within the title of the book itself. It is not until the conclusion of the book that Prashad states: