What does it mean to be a foreigner? Let us forget the political issues associated with immigration - but focus on the domestic, everyday aspects of living as a foreign national.Having moved to the UK at the age of four - I am very much aware of the difficulties of living in a foreign country: that is foreign from the already established culture, race and religion of my home country. Some may argue that the younger we are, the easier it is to adapt ourselves to change. This may be the case - but one cannot help but constantly notice the vast differences between themselves and those around them. From as young as five years old - children question the differences in skin colour, hair colour, accents and even the differences of the lunch box! Surely it should be easier to adapt to the differences between humans? Are we not after all merely a fraction of the worldwide human population? How can one child be prejudiced against another merely for the reason of their birthplace?
The benefits of immigration are of course endless - the profound impact on the economic, political and social evidently proves the amelioration of cultural diversity between countries - but once more, should we not be focusing on the domestic daily issues and not the wider economic issues? The prejudices we harbour as children are maintained through to adulthood - even though we may not be aware ourselves, we always differentiate ourselves from those who do not match our cultural ideals.
The issue cannot be generalised under the broad term of 'racism' - the fact remains, that even though the world is slowly slowly decreasing in size due to the improvement of communication, increase of travel, greater influence of international figures etc - how can one adapt oneself completely to the new culture that they are plunged into?
Even though we may feel comfortable living in another country - the underlying differences in culture will always remain. Take for instance the huge growth of British expats living in the United Arab Emirates. Recent media has been infused with tales of unfair prison sentences, harsh living guidelines and cultural stigmas attached to bein
g 'foreign' (to name but a few). Surely one would expect such conditions after moving to an Islamic country? Even if the said country welcomes the growth of foreign nationals - the fact still remains, that one must adhere to the rules of that country. In this case - one must respect the culture of the UAE. Occasions in which this respect is ignored are increasing day by day, as people seem to be blindsighted by the modern progressive surroundings to lose sight of the traditionalist culture that has built the foundation for such modernity.
g 'foreign' (to name but a few). Surely one would expect such conditions after moving to an Islamic country? Even if the said country welcomes the growth of foreign nationals - the fact still remains, that one must adhere to the rules of that country. In this case - one must respect the culture of the UAE. Occasions in which this respect is ignored are increasing day by day, as people seem to be blindsighted by the modern progressive surroundings to lose sight of the traditionalist culture that has built the foundation for such modernity. Let us consider a different case: France. The large population of Algerian, Mauritian and Arab people in France enables particular focus on the significant issues of cultural d
iversity in a particular country. The 2004 Headscarf bad caused outrage amongst the international community. The republic of France being based on the 'liberté, egalité, fraternité' of the 1789 French Revolution, the banning of such religous symbols have been defended as merely maintainng the difference between the state and religion. Symbols include: Christain cruxifixes, Jewish skull caps, Sikh turbans as well as the controversial Islamic headscarf. But can such secularism match the multifaceted (ie multiracial) nature of France today? Even though many of the young schol girls who felt the force of the ban were born and raised in the republic - they were still isolated from mainstream society; highlighting the notion that cultures cannot integrate.
iversity in a particular country. The 2004 Headscarf bad caused outrage amongst the international community. The republic of France being based on the 'liberté, egalité, fraternité' of the 1789 French Revolution, the banning of such religous symbols have been defended as merely maintainng the difference between the state and religion. Symbols include: Christain cruxifixes, Jewish skull caps, Sikh turbans as well as the controversial Islamic headscarf. But can such secularism match the multifaceted (ie multiracial) nature of France today? Even though many of the young schol girls who felt the force of the ban were born and raised in the republic - they were still isolated from mainstream society; highlighting the notion that cultures cannot integrate.If we were to delve deeper into the controversies of our multinational world, we would find that however much we may fool ourselves into thinking ourselves progressive, broad minded or even simply welcoming of different cultures - we find ourselves rooted in our established identities. Identities moulded by feeling included in all social aspects of society. Belonging and self fulfillment are intricately linked, highlighting the significance of our connection with our surroundings.
Can one ever be multinational? Or does our comfort remain rooted in the established identity of the culture nurtured before our birth?
1 comment:
Your raise some strikingly poignant areas of discussion, Moazami. I shall ponder this all day at work...!
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