Challenge of Confronting Racism Worldwide Focus of Conference

Oxford, Mississippi -- Ending racism around the world is a complex challenge because of the many factors involved in and tangential to race, and because of widely varying conditions. That was the major conclusion of a conference titled "International Perspectives on Race, Ethnicity, and Intercultural Relations," held April 18-22 at the University of Mississippi.

Experts on race from all continents attended the conference, presented papers, and debated the issue of race. Since an American university sponsored the event, there was much discussion of the racial situation in the United States, both past and present. But there also was a major focus on the racial situation in other countries and the ways in which it differs from the United States.

Herman Wasserman, a journalist with Die Burger, a South African newspaper, said there "is a much more fundamental divide between the haves and the have nots in South Africa than in the United States, and this obviously impacts on the country's ability to deal with racism," a point made by many speakers from other countries as well. The issue of economics and how it relates to race is particularly important in countries where there is a large economic divide that correlates with race, Wasserman added.

Another major discussion point was the degree to which race as a concept can explain patterns of discrimination and conflict in the world. When race is viewed through the broader prism of discrimination, it is not always color that is the most salient factor. Ngnad Mlscevic, a researcher from Croatia stressed that conflicts in the Former Yugoslavia have occurred largely among people of the same race -- Slavs -- and that the factors dividing them "are directly connected to ethnicity, custom, language, religion, culture, territory and history rather than race."

Oscar Martinez, a historian from the United States, discussed race as it relates to Latinos who may be black or white, or in between; and are not just Hispanic. In the United States, past discrimination and the historical evolution of U.S. relations with Mexico "have often been a key factor affecting race relations, especially in border areas," he remarked. Bernardo Ferdman, a professor at Alliant University in the United States, urged Anglos to understand that Latinos are not all of one culture since they originate from so many different countries and cultures in Latin America. "There is no one Latino culture as such," he said.

Another relevant aspect, said Ito Takehiko, a researcher from Japan, "is the degree to which people are free in a society to challenge racist values and institutions in a peaceful, nonviolent manner." That is always more difficult in more autocratic societies, and also in countries where the population is predominantly homogeneous, he added. The freedom to dissent and for nongovernmental organizations to be able to challenge the status quo in society was stressed by speakers from many countries.

Other major factors that were noted include:

-- The role of history. Are racist practices and ethnic conflicts deeply rooted in the past and therefore self evidently more difficult to solve or are the problems more recent? Is history honestly taught in a nation's schools. For example, how does one deal with the role and effects of colonialism, which is a legacy in much of the Third and Fourth worlds? To what degree should history be discounted in favor of new beginnings?

-- The media. Does the media portray minority groups in a society fairly, free of stereotypes? Are racial and ethnic conflicts covered in a manner that fosters tolerance and inclusivity? If a society is multiracial, is it truly multicultural? And what is the role of multiculturalism versus the fostering of national identity and harmony? How should differing languages be accommodated, including language rights?

-- The political and constitutional system. Is it designed to protect minority rights and to discourage exploitation of race for political advantage and gain? Does it provide compensatory avenues that aggrieved parties can pursue? Is there a commitment to civic society, and have citizens developed a civic identity in addition to other allegiances they may form? Do all citizens have equal rights, and are there clear, reasonable and objective means by which immigrants can become citizens?

-- Assimilation versus integration or ethnic identity versus the nation state. To what degree should citizens develop an identity at the expense of national identity? In the new South Africa, for example, should old apartheid-era categories of white, colored, Indian, and black be retained because of the need for continued categorization in order to administer affirmative action? Or should race be totally discarded in preference for a new national, nonracial concept of a South African?

There was particular discussion of the role the social sciences can play in combating racism and the degree to which any examination of race can be truly scientific. Later, the conference moved on to the issue of ameliorative policies that might be considered, including:

-- Affirmative action and equal opportunity guarantees. Affirmative action, called positive discrimination in some countries, began in the United States but now has spread elsewhere, including to South Africa and some countries in Europe. Speakers who favored this policy stressed the importance of training and qualifications and warned of its potential to backfire and to exacerbate race relations if not carefully designed and implemented.

-- Intercultural training. Countries that promote diversity in their educational systems and in the workplace are -- other things being equal -- more likely to avoid racial and ethnic conflicts. One speaker remarked that racism is an attitudinal problem that is learned and has no fundamental basis in biology. There should be appropriate intervention before it has to be unlearned, he added.

-- Human rights education. Speakers agreed that citizens who are cognizant of the importance of human and civil rights are more likely to treat their fellow citizens with dignity and respect. The development of a social conscience in children is just as important as their development of an individual conscience, one speaker remarked.

These and other issues may be discussed by governments later this summer at the United Nations world conference on racism to be held in Durban, South Africa beginning August 30. There, signatories to the Convention on the Elimination Of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which include the United States, will discuss a worldwide approach to combating racism and intolerance.