Sunday, April 26, 2009

Continuing the Race Conversation, and We're Bringing it to the US

Dear Ms. MEHness,

Unfortunately, I could not find a radio report on bi/multiracial identity in Europe, but this is a good start: Farai Chideya's interview with Lise Funderburg. Although this report mainly deals with "combinations" of black and white, the themes discussed are universal for people identifying as racially plural. Naturally, the exact historical context of racial pluralism would be different in Europe, perhaps drastically; in Spain, for example, the proximity to northern Africa and the long presence of the Moors made racial and cultural pluralism a reality early in its history. Although there was discrimination against people who had Moorish blood, the Spanish part of these people was also recognized, which was rare at the time. (They were still considered inferior.) Germany, on the other hand, was a purist state despite its decidedly "impure" background. It will be interesting to see where racial development goes from here.

No comments:

Post a Comment