Dear All
This view made me think people should take a look at
http://www.george-orwell.org/James_Burnham_and_the_Managerial_Revolution/0.html
I was puzzled to read "Millions of people became French in Europe without
speaking the language." What language do those people speak?
"The Breakdown of Nations" by Leopold Kohr might be relevant to people
thinking about nation building.
Regards
Ilyan
On Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:58:38 -0000, Revauger <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Dear all,
> David Jessop writes, concerning the recent referendums in Martinique and
> Guyane, and the rejection of autonomy:
>
> "Although views differ, there appear to be three reasons why voters
> decided
> to reject an option which could have led to independence.
> There was a concern amongst citizens that a yes vote would endorse an
> approach that was organic and lead to unspecified change; a sense among
> many
> voters that they did not trust local politicians and were not prepared to
> give them greater freedom of action; and concern about the possible
> destabilising effects of any change in the high levels of economic and
> social support provided by the French Government and the European Union
> for
> citizens and enterprises in what are legally, 'remote' parts of Europe. "
>
> I would agree with points two and three, as do all observers, but point
> one
> needs to be clarified. What David means by opposition to "organic
> change" is
> fundamental. Everyone is aware of the specific forms collective identity
> assumes in the French Caribbean. Identity in the three regions is
> syncretic, and amounts to a collection of different types of heritage:
> African, French, American, Caribbean, Indian, and now European.
> According to
> circumstances and needs, one identity or another is put forward, with
> equal
> enthusiasm and genuineness. No reform that would appear to dwarf or
> affect
> this "multilevel" view of identity will ever be successful. The
> contemporary
> view of identity in France is neither biological (as the German one) nor
> even cultural (as the British one). It is political, and based on the old
> republican principle that "a shared political destiny" was what brought
> people together and constituted nations. Culture is just a byproduct of
> political identity, and immigrants are welcome to learn French and eat
> baguette, but this is not a precondition for Frenchness. Millions of
> people
> became French in Europe without speaking the language.
> The proposed reforms did not open opportunities, they reduced them. The
> rejection of autonomy has not made Martinique and Guyane less Caribbean,
> it
> has left the door open for a complex interplay between different levels
> of
> governance, different, and sometimes deliberately misleading tactics,
> (as
> Glissant recommends)and several sources of funding.
> The challenge for the region is to establish thriving relationships that
> bypass political and institutional barriers, and accept "multilevel
> governance".
> Best wishes, JP
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