 |
 |
Note: If you are interested in being part of this panel, please contact Marta Dell'Aquila (Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne) directly at: [log in to unmask] *apologies for cross postings* IASFM 16:Rethinking Forced Migration and Displacement: Theory, Policy, and Praxis Sub-theme: Citizenship, nationhood, and forced migration: Ideologies and policies of inclusion and exclusion Forced Migration and Politics of Multiculturalism: a recovered form of slavery for women Abstract: the geopolitical structures of the past two years have brought to a new wave of asylum and nationality seekers to European countries, something that was not seen from post-colonial migrations. This phenomenon increased in the urgency to answer, in a theoretical and also practical manner, to the question posed in 1997 by feminist philosopher Susan Moller Okin. In her article, entitled Is multiculturalism bad for women?, she was looking for answers to questions like "Should we respect the traditions, the beliefs and the laws of cultural minorities that come to our national community? If so, up to what point?". Basically, we can say that all the politics of multiculturalism carry with the claim, made in the context of basically liberal democracies, that minority cultures or ways of life are not sufficiently protected by ensuring the individual rights of their members and, as a consequence, should also be protected with special group rights or privileges. Multiculturalism can be considered as both a policy of inclusion – letting different cultures cohabiting – and of exclusion – promoting and isolating differences. This politics is often problematic for the so-called weakest members of minorities, women and children. In fact, the majority of these minorities is forced to migrate to our liberal States in order to escape to the unfavorable situation of their countries. Other than poverty, hunger, bad healthcare, and unemployment, these weakest members of minorities are forced to migrate in order to escape from oppressive practices of their cultures, from the most problematic like FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), arranged and forced marriages, to the wearing of head covering veil. We will provide the number of requests of asylum demanded by women to run away from these practices. But what happens sometimes with politics of multiculturalism, is that these practices are otherwise considered as a mark of the membership of a culture, and as something that we have to protect to preserve the identity of the minority. Even if politics of multiculturalism guarantee the protection of all members' individual rights, such as freedom of choice or the ability to leave their culture of origin, any attempt to do so would, in practice, be prevented, because of a series of factors and pressures developed within the domestic sphere, governed by the personal laws of the head of the household. A fake status-quo is created, where women accept as rights the same reasons that forced them to migrate. In a historical context where national and communitarian-identity concepts are increasingly strengthened, the debate on justice about gender and culture in pluralistic societies becomes very complex and requires a multi-faced analysis of our current legislation. Women who are forced to migrate come back to a new legalized form of slavery: multiculturalism. This presentation aims to identify the problematic nature of multiculturalism as a politics of inclusion and exclusion for women and children who abandon their country of origin. I will explain what are the main reasons that force women to migrate and what is the paradox that multiculturalism brings. I will also ask how whether public policies of a liberal State should take into account the weight of women's pressures. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Note: The material contained in this communication comes to you from the Forced Migration Discussion List which is moderated by the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC), Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the RSC or the University. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this message please retain this disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. E-mail: [log in to unmask] Posting guidelines: http://www.forcedmigration.org/research-resources/discussion/forced-migration-discussion-list-posting-guidelines Subscribe/unsubscribe: http://tinyurl.com/fmlist-join-leave List Archives: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/forced-migration.html RSS: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?RSS&L=forced-migration Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/refugeestudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/refugeestudiescentre