In the contemporary debate concerning European integration and the “problem” of Third World immigration no less than in developments in anthropology in the past decade, the boundedness of cultures and cultural difference have gained new prominence. Anthropology needs not only to explore how globalization affects the discipline’s classical subjects but also to pay more attention to the new ways in which cultural differences and cleavages are conceptualized at its source. In effect, the political right in Europe has in the past decade developed a political rhetoric of exclusion in which Third World immigrants, who proceed in part from its ex-colonies, are construed as posing a threat to the national unity of the “host” countries because they are culturally different. This rhetoric of exclusion has generally been identified as a new form of racism. I argue, instead, that, rather than asserting different endowments of human races, it postulates a propensity in human nature to reject strangers. This assumption underlies a radical opposition between nationals and immigrants as foreigners informed by a reified notion of bounded and distinct, localized national-cultural identity and heritage that is employed to rationalize the call for restrictive immigration policies. Following a systematic comparison of the contrasting conceptual structures of the two doctrines, I conclude that the contemporary cultural fundamentalism of the political right is, with respect to traditional racism, both old and new. It is old in that it draws for its argumentative force on the unresolved contradiction in the modern conception of the nation-state between an organicist and a voluntarist idea of belonging. It is new in that, because racism has become discredited politically, it attributes the alleged incompatibility between different cultures to an incapacity of different cultures to communicate that is inherent in human nature.

Previous articleNext article No AccessSpecial IssueTalking culture—revisitedVerena StolckeVerena StolckeUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory Volume 11, Number 1Spring 2021 Published on behalf of the Society for Ethnographic Theory Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/714413 Views: 289Total views on this site © 2021 The Society for Ethnographic Theory. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

In the contemporary debate concerning European integration and the "problem" of Third World immigration no less than in developments in anthropology in the past decade, the boundedness of cultures and cultural difference have gained new prominence. Anthropology needs not only to explore how globalization affects the discipline's classical subjects but also to pay more attention to the new ways in which cultural differences and cleavages are conceptualized at its source. In effect, the political right in Europe has in the past decade developed a political rhetoric of exclusion in which Third World immigrants, who proceed in part from its ex-colonies, are construed as posing a threat to the national unity of the "host" countries because they are culturally different. This rhetoric of exclusion has generally been identified as a new form of racism. I argue, instead, that, rather than asserting different endowments of human races, it postulates a propensity in human nature to reject strangers. This assumption underlies a radical opposition between nationals and immigrants as foreigners informed by a reified notion of bounded and distinct, localized national-cultural identity and heritage that is employed to rationalize the call for restrictive immigration policies. Following a systematic comparison of the contrasting conceptual structures of the two doctrines, I conclude that the contemporary cultural fundamentalism of the political right is, with respect to traditional racism, both old and new. It is old in that it draws for its argumentative force on the unresolved contradiction in the modern conception of the nation-state between an organicist and a voluntarist idea of belonging. It is new in that, because racism has become discredited politically, it attributes the alleged incompatibility between different cultures to an incapacity of different cultures to communicate that is inherent in human nature.

Questo articolo e stato pubblicato originalmente con il titolo di “A proposito de fronteras y mestizajes”, 2010, in M. Ventura i Oller (ed.), Fronteras y mestizajes. Sistemas de clasificacion social en Europa, America y Africa, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Servei de Publicacions, Bellaterra, pp. 19-23.

El artículo realiza un recorrido por la historia de la aplicación de las nuevas tecnologías reproductivas en humanos (nTR), destacando la simultaneidad entre el desarrollo de estas técnicas en los países del norte preocupados por la baja fecundidad y las campañas de control de la natalidad por medio de esterilizaciones involuntarias en el sur pobre. Recoge también debates contemporáneos a la redacción de la primera ley de reproducción asistida española en 1988. Muestra que el proyecto eugenésico acompaña el desarrollo de las nTR y las implicaciones de clase, de raza y, muy especialmente, de género que tiene su desarrollo y aplicación en un contexto de “naturalización” o de “genetización” de la identidad social. A pesar de que, aparentemente, la fecundación por donantes y el nacimiento por fecundación in vitro perturban los cimientos de nociones occidentales de familia, maternidad y paternidad, lo cierto es que en su origen y aplicación estas técnicas buscan aliviar la infertilidad por medio de procurar hijos biológicamente vinculados y fenotípicamente cercanos a sus padres, reforzando la idea bio-genética de la identidad y la filiación.

The gender concept is in crisis. As feminist scholars have shown, gender relations constitute a basic structuring principle in any society, open to change. Since the nineties certainties about the social construction and meaning of gender relations have, however, been eroded. This article presents a semantic genealogy of the controversial gender concept since Simone de Beauvoir’s celebrated dictum «biology is not destiny». I discover the irony that the term gender in actual fact has its origin in the biomedical and sexological paradigm of the sixties and its, dualist sexual, heterosexual and cartesian assumptions. These scientific roots of the concept highlight the persistent analytical dilemma in sex/gender studies, namely, what has sex to do with gender or vice-versa?

ResumenEl trabajo analiza los avances en biomedicina, en particular, el caso de la clonacion de celulas y mamiferos, senalando las interacciones significativas entre procedimientos biotecnologicos en el laboratorio y necesidades, esperanzas y deseos socio-culturales humanos. Temas clave para la antropologia como han sido el parentesco, la cuestion racial, la eugenesia, la oposicion naturaleza/cultura, el sexismo, entre otros, encuentran nuevas preguntas ante las posibilidades que abre el procedimiento de la clonacion, pero tambien –al menos– una respuesta: la naturaleza no es una cosa fija.Palabras clave: Clonacion, Biotecnologia, Antropologia, Parentesco.Abstract: Homo clonicus: New techniques, old ideas of engendering humansThis article analyzes the advances in biomedicine, in particular, the case of the cloning of cells and mammalians, pointing out the significant interactions between biotechnological procedures in the laboratory and human socio-cultural needs, hopes and desires. Key topics for anthropology such as kinship, the racial issue, eugenics, nature/culture opposition, sexism, among others, pose new questions in light of the possibilities opened by the cloning procedure, but also -at least- one answer: Nature is not a fixed thing.Key Words: Cloning, Biotechnology, Anthropology, Kinship.

Tradicionalmente, os antropólogos têm estudado os “outros", os “primitivos”, mas a antropologia é mais do que isso. Como um programa científico, ela visa a investigar as relações sociais e suas vinculações com as formas culturais e simbólicas, conforme elas variam no tempo e no espaço. Neste sentido, não há o menor cabimento em excluir dessa tarefa a sociedade ocidental e sua cultura. Pretendo, neste ensaio, analisar um dos mais recentes produtos da cultura ocidental, a saber, as novas tecnologias da reprodução, isto é, o boom dos bebês de proveta nos seus múltiplos efeitos e significados sociais, políticos e simbólicos. O sonho do homem de criar vida é bem antigo. Até recentemente, não era mais do que um produto da imaginação, que, enquanto exemplo típico da sede do homem moderno em busca do conhecimento e do controle da natureza, servia também para acentuar as limitações humanas. Todavia, este sonho está, rapidamente, tornando-se realidade.

Debemos el concepto de intersectionality (interseccionalidad) a un grupo de feministas y lesbianas afro-descendientes quienes hacia fines de los 1970s denunciaron la ceguera racial de sus compañeras blancas al ignorar las discriminaciones particulares en función de clase social, de "raza", de sexo/género, de sexualidad de que padecían éstas. La boga actual de esas interseccionalidades entre categorías de clasificación sociocultural diversas está, no obstante, en relación inversa con la carencia de investigaciones empíricas al respecto en la teoría feminista. En este artículo recurro a mi estudio clásico Racismo y Sexualidad en la Cuba Colonial (1974, 1992) precisamente para documentar tales interseccionalidades dinámicas en esa sociedad desigual legitimada por una doctrina racista y el consecuente control de los cuerpos sexuados de las mujeres de las elites, contra el trasfondo ontológico de la disociación binaria moderna de la cultura de la naturaleza.

Durante mediados de la década de 1970, los académicos impugnaron, respecto a Estados Unidos y las Antillas, el planteamiento que relacionaba la actual desorganización de las familias negras con la experiencia de la esclavitud. En contraste con el énfasis anterior —basado casi exclusivamente— en las restricciones que oprimieron a los esclavos, la autora examina y compara, en el caso de Jamaica, Cuba y Brasil, los efectos que la sexualidad y los patrones de formación de pareja tuvieron dentro de las opciones disponibles para que los negros desarrollaran conductas de familia e ideales propios. Durante la esclavitud y desde entonces, en los distintos patrones de formación de pareja y estructuras de composición del hogar, el punto crítico es la jerarquía de género que invistió a los hombres con el papel activo, dominante. La autora concluye que la sexualidad, los patrones de formación de pareja y los tipos de hogar son el resultado de la interacción entre las jerarquías racial-clasistas, los ideales familiares dominantes y la ideología de género.

Dans cet article, nous montrons que si les populations humaines se sont toujours déplacées et mélangées, les transgressions des frontières socioculturelles n’ont pas nécessairement engendré de nouvelles catégories relevant du mélange. Nous expliquons comment l’apparition (ou non) de ces dernières est liée aux structures sociopolitiques, aux ontologies, aux conceptions de la parenté et de la procréation propres aux différents groupes humains, en partant du processus historico-politique qui a donné origine à la catégorie hispano-américaine du mestizo. Outre l’étude de la société hispano-américaine coloniale, nous examinons les cas de la République d’Argentine, de trois sociétés indiennes d’Amérique latine (Kuna, Tsachila et Candoshi), du nationalisme catalan vis-à-vis des migrants internes espagnols, de la société Chamorra des Îles Mariannes, des habitants des oasis du sud du Maroc et de la société de castes du Nord de l’Inde. Notre objectif est d’identifier dans quelles circonstances les catégories « mixtes » sont politiquement inacceptables ou logiquement inconcevables. Ce faisant, le texte révèle aussi que, si la catégorie de métis n’est pas naturelle, sa naturalisation n’est pas non plus universelle.

We owe the notion of intersectionality to a group of Afro-American feminists and lesbians who in the late 1970s denounced their white sisters’ racial blindness for overlooking the former’s specific discriminations due to social class, ‘race’, sex/gender, sexuality, etc. In the meantime, intersectionality has become as fashionable in feminist theory as it is short of empirical grounding. In this article I draw on my classical study Racismo y Sexualidad en la Cuba Colonial (1974, 1992) precisely to document the dynamic intersectionality between class, “race” and sex/gender in an unequal society whose order was rationalized in terms of a racist doctrine which in turn required the control of its elite women’s sexed bodies. This naturalization of social inequality was possible on account of the modern ontology that dissociates culture from nature.

We owe the notion of intersectionality to a group of Afro-American feminists and lesbians who in the late 1970s denounced their white sisters' racial blindness for overlooking the former's specific discriminations due to social class, 'race', sex/gender, sexuality, etc. In the meantime, intersectionality has become as fashionable in feminist theory as it is short of empirical grounding. In this article I draw on my classical study Racismo y Sexualidad en la Cuba Colonial (1974, 1992) precisely to document the dynamic intersectionality between class, race and sex/gender in an unequal society whose order was rationalized in terms of a racist doctrine which in turn required the control of its elite women's sexed bodies. This naturalization of social inequality was possible on account of the modern ontology that dissociates culture from nature.

Hay un cuadro de Klee que se titula Angelus Novus. Se ve em el un angel al parecer en el momento de alejarse de algo sobre lo cual clava la mirada. Tiene los ojos desencajados, la boca abierta y las alas tendidas. El angel de la historia debe tener ese aspecto. Su cara esta vuelta hacia el pasado. En lo que para nosotros aparece como una cadena de acontecimientos, el ve una catastrofe unica, que acumula sin cesar ruina sobre ruina y se las arroja a sus pies. El angel quisiera detenerse, despertar a los muertos y recomponer lo despedazado. Pero una tormenta desciende del Paraiso y se arremolina en sus alas y es tan fuerte que el angel no puede plegarlas. Esta tempestad lo arrastra irresistiblemente hacia el futuro, al cual vuelve las espaldas, mientras el cumulo de ruinas sube ante el hacia el cielo. Tal tempestad es lo que llamamos progreso. (BENJAMIN, 1970). En cela consiste la tragedie de l'esprit moderne que resolut 'l'enigme de l'universe', mais seulement pour le remplacer par l'enigme de lui-meme (KOYRE, 1968). La coustume est une seconde nature qui destruit la premiere. Mais qu'est-ce que nature, pourquoy coustume n'est-elle pas naturelle? J'ai grand peur que cette nature ne soit elle-mesme qu'une premiere coustume, comme la coustume est une seconde nature (PASCAL, 1658). Can one divide human reality, as indeed human reality seems genuinely divided, into clearly different cultures, histories, traditions, societies, even races, and survive the consequences humanly? (SAID, 1985). Comprender el mundo es comprenderlo en cuanto capaz de transformarse (B. Brecht). Ethnographers as authors are not primarily concerned with factual truth; they convince by the way they write (LEACH, 1989).