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Casablanca - In addition to the cultural conditions discussed in the previously written articles, there exist psychological ones that eschew the co-existence between communities.
Here, I wish to provide an analysis of real problems between the East and West, and more specifically with an eye towards Europe. This analysis will be based upon a psychoanalytical diagnosis accounting for general cultural struggles, using the contentions of the philosopher, psychoanalyst and cultural theorist Slavoj Zizek. Many philosophers who have studied cultural struggles throughout history suggest that demonizing the 'other' has very little relevance to the actual reality of the 'other' but is, rather, related to internal elements that make us perceive the other as a threat.
More particularly, Zizek espouses that members of any community, in their unconscious attempts to hold their community together as a logical society, share an emotional attachment to a thing (Thing), “to our enjoyment incarnate.” (Zizek, quoted in Simon Clark 2008). Zizek, better defining the nature of the Thing stated, “The relationship that we have with the Thing is structured by fantasy and is what people talk of when they refer to a threat to 'our' way of life.” (Simon Clark 2008).
Ironically, the ‘other' does not even fathom what our Thing is, but he is perceived by the community to be continuously menacing it and determined to destroy it. Even more ironically, the community is also unable to provide an accurate description of the Thing but they adamantly believe in it, though its existence is important to its identity. Zizek introduces his notions about the Thing to better shed light on elements relative to the construction of cultural and sometimes even national identity. Pursuant to his way of thinking, identity is unconsciously constructed through an entanglement of some undefined reality and a great deal of fantasy and myth. Zizek asserts that behind the community’s accusing the 'other' of attempting to steal the Thing is the “traumatic fact” that it never possessed that Thing in the first place.
Unconscious fear of the theft of enjoyment is not about immediate social reality and is not about different ethnic groups living together. It is rather psychological in the sense that it is related to the inner tensions and conflict within members of communities and the way they are projected on the ‘other.’ In the process of constructing one set of identities we tend to destroy the identity of the ‘others,’ even to the extent of turning a blind eye to their positive attributes. Additionally, identity crisis, another motive of cultural struggle, emerges when during contact with the 'other,' the community tries to keep track of the 'Thing' and realizes that the other's deliberate attempts to steal it is but a mirage.
The concept of a stranger (Stranger) as opposed to the ‘other’ is indispensable in understanding this particular notion of identity crisis. The Stranger is someone who “throws identity construction into the land of ambiguity” (Clark, 2008) by being one of 'them' living with 'us.’ Our perception of who we are, and who the ‘other’ is, is consistent as long as there is no Stranger. By being simultaneously near and also remote to the community, and finally by simply not complying with the preconceived definitions of 'us' and 'them,’ the Stranger urges us to revisit our perception of the community. The failure to fulfill the known classification leads to identity crisis and therefore racism or, rather, new racism.
The Stranger is someone we know things about, who sits in 'our' world uninvited. The stranger has the characteristics of an enemy but, unlike the enemy, is not kept at a safe distance. Neither 'us' nor 'them,’ neither friend nor foe the stranger undermines order by straddling the boundary, causing confusion and anxiety, becoming a target of hatred. (Simon Clark 2008)
To demonstrate how the psychological temperaments that result in identity crisis manifest, as stated in the beginning of this article, I will use an example of Europe that was discussed in a lecture by Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at the Oxford University (Oriental Institute, St. Antony’s College). Identity Crisis of a Continent: Europe's Search For Itself. On September 12, 2006, Pope Benedict delivered a lecture at the University of Regensburg in Germany where he associated Islam and the prophetic teachings with violence. In a lecture given by Tariq Ramadan’s the following November in Japan, he analyzed the words of the Pope in terms of the European community identity. Ramadan emphasized that Europe’s focus on a dialogue of civilizations rather than an intra-European dialogue presumes that Europe is internally consistent. In fact, the contemporary European reality is that it is no longer able to define itself as it has previously. As Ramadan said during the lecture, “The Muslim presence in Europe challenges the perception that Europeans have of themselves, and that Europe has of itself... every single society [in Europe] has these deep questions: who are we, what is the reality of our country, and how will our future be ?”
The Muslim member of the European society, the Stranger as defined above, defies the perception of Europeans (and arguably the Pope based upon his words of September 2006) that Muslims have a natural propensity toward violence and disintegration. In reality, the Muslim member of this society acts peacefully, rational and integrative. Simply by the fact that the Muslim Strangers are integrating into the European communities and submitting to their laws, cultural conventions and value systems, they create confusion about the European society’s cultural identity. This turmoil creates a motivation for Europeans to fall for the Right Wing parties' discourses.
The Right Wing parties utilize anecdotes of Muslims refusing to assimilate within European societies to highlight the difference between the Europeans and Muslims. Doing so appeases the psychological turmoil that results from identity crisis. In his September 2006, speech, through the association of Islam with violence and Christianity with rationality, the Pope was sending a two-fold message to the Muslims in the entire world and the European Muslims in particular: Europe’s Christian history is rational and Islam is not a European religion. The Pope’s words exemplify the identity crisis that Europe is living. That being, it cannot come to terms with the fact that there are millions of European Muslims who are fully integrated within its communities and systems and that they in fact do share the same values, speak the same languages and work for the same ends.
Tariq Ramadan asserts that it is the type of identity crisis supported by the attitudes of the Pope and European societies which supports the European MPs’ seemingly political position, rejecting Turkey's request of joining the European Union. The MPs could not accept the fact that a Muslim-majority country like Turkey takes part in the European system, which ignores that many Muslims have lived for decades in Europe and that Islam is one of the European religions. As an example of this attitude, France’s President Sarkozy said “Turkey is not part of Europe as to its culture and religion.” Tariq Ramadan commenting on this attitude stated, “The perception here is problematic because the European society is not being examined, due to fear of seeing this reality.” This reality is that European societies ignore the true, but simple fact that Muslims are now an integrated part of Europe.
This example using Europe defines the cultural identity struggle. It is not difficult to assume that this same attitude is present otherwise in the West. Furthermore, it is clear that identity crisis is conspicuous in both the East and the West, with varying degrees.
As I have shown, the ferocious conflicts between the West and the East are not based upon religious difference but are politically and geo-strategically motivated. The politics of the West and certain Salafi organizations equally utilize religious differences to attain political goals. These goals in turn, are achieved through exploitation of historical, cultural, and psychological conditions. The discourses produced in both poles attempt to reproduce the relationship of tension during colonization. Likewise, they strives to make use of the cultural and psychological conditions that naturally emerge between member of different communities and that can be mastered. The most efficient way to overcome this conflicting situation is a serious, honest engagement in intellectual debates and discussions that focus on the commonalities shared by the two poles, and investigate ways that transform difference from a source of tensions, struggles and potential wars into sources of cultural and intellectual richness.
To read part I, part II, part III. Edited by Ann Smith
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy
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