Culture and Power: On Identity and Conflict in a Multicultural World

CULTURE AND POWER builds on Cultures Die Slowly (1994) by Rik Pinxten. The central theme is identity and conflict. The book argues for an anti-essentialist position on the matter. Contrary to what the far right and often also the left may claim, identities are dynamic and multiple. Identities change continuously and in a creative way. It is precisely this dynamic character that can lead to conflicts. By viewing identity as a complex and dynamic term, it becomes possible to interpret and predict the nature of these conflicts more correctly. It also helps to find a sustainable solution for them. Fellow researchers from the Department of Comparative Cultural Studies at Ghent University illustrate this proposition using a number of fascinating case studies: multicultural and multireligious coexistence in the Ottoman Empire, anti-Russian shamanism in Siberia today, the so-called ethnic identity crisis in Rwanda, the identity shifts among the Amazon Indians and a multicultural education project in Flanders. These and other case studies show how a politically explosive issue can be approached in a nuanced manner and tackled wisely with respect for differences.