Category Archives: Multiculturalism

Definitions and ideology

Call to Prayer, Eastern Spice

Posted on 6 February 2008 by Robert

Its been a while since a good multicultural conundrum came along to bother us. For a while, I thought that the issue of the mosque in Oxford that wants to broadcast its call to prayer might be one such issue, … Continue reading →

Posted in Multiculturalism | 13 Comments

Obama’s melting pot

Posted on 4 February 2008 by Robert

A long extract from his book in the Independent: Not so far beneath the surface, I think, we are becoming more, not less, alike. I don’t mean to exaggerate here, to suggest that the pollsters are wrong and that our … Continue reading →

Posted in Multiculturalism, USA | Leave a comment

The Extinction of a Language

Posted on 24 January 2008 by Robert

I see that an Alaskan lady named Marie Smith Jones has passed away. As the last speaker of the Eyak language, an entire way of thinking dies with her. (h/t Mark G) A couple of competing quotes come to mind. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Multiculturalism, Theatre, USA | 4 Comments

Another PC Myth is born

Posted on 24 January 2008 by Robert

I am sadly confident that this story will join the canon of PC myths, alongside Winterval and the Royal Bank of Scotland Piggy Banks, which ‘prove’ that we are being overrun by barbarians. In fact, when British cultural practices and values come up against minority sensibilities, they usually win out. Continue reading →

Posted in Multiculturalism, Political Correctness | 4 Comments

Voting for Someone Different

Posted on 18 January 2008 by Robert

Posting here has been light due to a catastrophe that I cannot yet bring myself to discuss.  Don’t worry, no-one has died, but its a bereavement of sorts. The political crisis in Kenya, and the US Presidential Primary season, remind me … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Debate, Multiculturalism, USA | 1 Comment

Iconoclasm

Posted on 15 December 2007 by Robert

This is a surprisingly immature analogy to make, given the two religions’ very different attitudes to icons and imagery. Continue reading →

Posted in Multiculturalism, Religion, Visual | 3 Comments

Peers in Sudan, Pride in Britain

Posted on 1 December 2007 by Robert

Every time some there is some kind of flash-point between hard-line Muslims, and the nebulous cloud of values we call “western”, someone always pops up on the 24 hour punditry circuit, asking for the UK’s “muslim community” to “do more”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Multiculturalism, Religion | Leave a comment

The Price of Change

Posted on 24 November 2007 by Robert

As Barnes points out, change is sometimes negative, but we would do well to remember that we cannot stop it happening. The question is no longer “should we let it happen?” but “how do we manage it in a way which is beneficial to all?” Multiculturalism is the dialogue by which we try to answer this question. Continue reading →

Posted in Multiculturalism, Sport | 3 Comments

Obama the Bridge

Posted on 3 November 2007 by Robert

A rewarding essay on Barak Obama in The Atlantic, ‘Goodbye to All That‘, by Andrew Sullivan. The thesis is that of the current crop of candidates for President, only Obama can heal America’s political chest-wound, a wound created by the Baby-Boomers in the 1960s and 70s. Continue reading →

Posted in Multiculturalism, USA | 4 Comments

FEAST

Posted on 30 August 2007 by Robert

Don’t forget the FEAST performance this evening. Continue reading →

Posted in Art and Cultures, Diary, Edinburgh, Multiculturalism | Leave a comment