Autor: Thomas Hylland Eriksen

The word ‘culture’ has been central in anthropological research and theory since the 1870s, and in recent decades, it has increasingly entered into mainstream political debate, especially with respect to cultural pluralism, cultural rights, universalism and multiculturalism. This essay problematises a common conceptualisation of culture, namely the notion that ‘cultures’ are bounded and distinctive, showing that in fact, culture flows and mixes, and although social groups may have clear boundaries, cultural worlds do not. For this reason, the term ‘multiculturalism’ is unfortunate in describing culturally complex societies, since it suggests the existence of several clearly defined cultural groups. Rather, it is argued, the contemporary world is characterised by hybridity and mixing. The term ‘diversity’, which may refer to many kinds of pluralism and which does not presuppose the existence of bounded cultures, is therefore to be preferred. Societies may tolerate considerable cultural diversity without becoming fragmented, but divisive identity politics fueled by a misleading conceptualisation of culture is a real danger.

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