■Global COE Program Ars Vivendi of Ritsumeikan University (Ed.) October 15,
2008
Identity and Alterity in
Multiculturalism and Social Justice: "Conflicts", "Identity",
"Alterity", "Solutions?", Report Issued by Research Center for
Ars Vivendi of Ritsumeikan University, Vol.4, 2008. 350p. ISSN
1882-6539
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[Table of Contents]
Introduction by
Dumouchel, Paul and
Gotoh, Reiko --- 9
Keynote Address
"Multiculturalism in Korea?" by Han, Kyung-Koo (Kookmin University) --- 13
Section 1: Alterity
"Welfare Alterity on Religious Alterity: Religious Factors of
Income-Redistribution Rate" by Shibata, Haruka (Kyoto University) ---
35
"The Quest for Social Justice and Multiculturalism:from the
Perspective of Gender Alterity" by Xie Huiyuan (Tsinghua University)
--- 53
"Reexamining the Quality of Life of ALS patients: lessons from
Previous Studies" by
Hotta, Yoshitaro ,
Michihito Ando,
Kawaguchi, Yumiko ---
71
Section 2: Identity
"Metro Manila's Expanding Japanese Community" by
Nagata, Atsumasa --- 103
"Incomplete Liberation: Modern Chinese Women's Identity
Construction" by Zhang Rongnan (Tsinghua University) --- 87
""Am I my brother's keeper?" Discriminatory Practices in the Name
of Security" by Verde, Miguelangel (Kyoto University) --- 128
"The Demands of Identity: From Racial to Wandering Identity
Alterity and Freedom of Indian Immigrants in Sri Lanka's Plantation
Sector" by
Isobe, Atsuko --- 149
Section 3: Conflicts
"Multiculturalism in Canada: Uninational or Multinational?"
by
Ishikawa, Ryoko (Waseda University) --- 155
"Multiculturalism in Canada: A Historical Perspective" by Nantais,
Simon (University of Victoria) --- 169
"Representation of 'Muslimness' among Manila Muslims: From the
Court Case and Rallies on the Land Right of Salam Mosque Compound" by
Watanabe, Akiko (Kyoto University) --- 182
"The Zionist Movement and 'the Arab Question': Transfer of the Arab
Population as 'the Solution'" by
Kinjo,
Miyuki --- 211
Section 4: Solutions?
"Is It a Top-down Policy Solution? Or Just a Practical Tool for the
Immigrants' Survival and Skill Formation? Seen from the Case of the
Newcomer Settlement Program in the Netherlands" by Shinkai, Eiji
(Nagoya University) --- 229
"Comparing Liberalism and Confucianism, from the Perspective of
Multiculturalism"
Niu Geping --- 262
"Of the Multiculturalism in Marquis de Sade's Political Philosophy"
by Hirata, Tomohisa (Kyoto University) --- 279
"An Analysis of Confucian Toleration"by Wu Yun (Tsinghua
University) --- 299
Invited Final Conference
"What Can We Expect Concerning Conflicts for Difference and
Identity from Tagore on Anti-Nationalism and Illich on Vernacular
Value?" by
Nishikawa, Nagao --- 309
(Also in English translated by Noah Mccormack) --- 327
The List of Authors
Postscript by
Amada, Josuke --- 349
[INTRODUCTION]
Paul Dumouchel,
Reiko Gotoh(Ritsumeikan University)
On February 17 and 18, 2008 took place at Ritsumeikan University in
Kyoto the International Conference Identity and Alterity in
Multiculturalism and Social Justice: ≪ Conflicts ≫, ≪ Identity ≫,
≪ Alterity ≫, ≪ Solution? ≫. It was organised by Professors Reiko
Gotoh and Paul Dumouchel, in the context of a research project on the
relationships between social justice and multiculturalism. When we
organised it, choose its themes and determined its structure we had
three goals in mind. The first one was to enquire into the ways in
which the two issues of identity and alterity appear from the
different points of view of social justice and multiculturalism. That
is to say, if 'identity' for example, is a central concept in
reflections on multiculturalism, an issue that is intimately related
to the demand for equal recognition of minority groups, it also plays
a central role in social justice. That role however, and its
importance remain less evident, because claims for social justice
often take for granted the cultural unity and political equality of
those on the behalf of whom they are made. In other words theories of
social justice frequently assume the shared identity of those
involved in the redistribution scheme or include it as if it were an
unproblematic requirement. One of the consequence of this is that in
theory the question very often does not appear, the issue is simply
ignored, while in practice important minorities may turn out not to
be entitled to any succour. A somewhat similar displacement, though
its content is different, takes place in relation to the concept of
'alterity'. Both theories of social justice and of multiculturalism
are normative theories of justice directed towards the claims of
underprivileged groups. Yet how does being a member of a cultural
minority relate to being a member of a disadvantage group? Clearly
these two ways of dividing the world into privileged and
underprivileged, dominant and subaltern groups overlap to some
extent, but they cannot be perfectly superposed. How is this partial
coincidence to be understood in relation to our conception of
justice? What place is there, for example, for those who are
disadvantaged because of reasons related to health, in either and in
both theories of social and of multicultural justice?
Our second preoccupation concerned the issues of conflicts that
arise in relation to demands for social and multicultural justice, as
well as that of their possible solutions. Because of the partial
superposition between these two approaches it is often possible for
the same social situation to be framed either as a question of social
justice or as related to multicultural justice. What difference do
these alternative ways of presenting the issue make in terms of the
nature of the conflict and its resolution? Alternatively there are
cases in which, clearly, either way of describing the issue, taken in
isolation, is inadequate; in such cases in what way do these two
dimensions of problem interact? What are the consequences of this
complexity on the possibility of resolving the conflict?
Our third and last objective was of a different kind. We wanted this
conference to be an occasion for young scholars from various
countries to have the chance of presenting their ongoing research and
of interacting with each other. The preoccupation with
multiculturalism is a relatively recent one compared with questions
of social justice, which are at least as old as welfare economics.
The latter became viewed as central to the stability of the modern
nation state immediately after the end of the Second World War. The
rise of multiculturalism, as both a political and a theoretical
issue, must be understood against this background. Rather than as the
sign of a return to a pre-modern tribal attitude, as they have
sometimes been understood, demands for multicultural justice, should
be seen as attempts, however confused at times, to deal with the
profound transformation of the world that we are witnessing. In other
words, the issue is unlikely to go away, and, what is even less
likely to disappear, is the discussion, dialogue and debate, between
multiculturalism and social justice, because more than any one issue
taken in isolation, it is the tension between these two ways of
addressing questions of justice that reflects the ongoing
transformation of the world. Young scholars, students and
postdoctoral fellows, are the thinkers of tomorrow. They are the ones
who, more than us, will be called upon to address the problems and
difficulties that accompany it. We therefore sent out a call for
paper aimed at young scholars and received numerous submissions form
Canada, China and Japan. The conference itself was divided in four
sections "Alterity", "Identity", "Conflicts" and "Solutions?". Each
section contained accepted papers on its specific theme. The papers
were followed by a commentary that was given either by a senior
Professor or by younger scholars. Commentators were Professors
Yoshikushi Koizumi (Ritsumeikan University), Noah McCormack
(Ritsumeikan University), Masachi Osawa (Kyoto University), Nana
Sato-Rossberg (Tsinghua Univeristy) and Shigeki Tominaga (Kyoto
University). The conference opened by the keynote address of
Professor Han Kyung-Koo from Kookmin University in Korea and
Professor Nagao Nishikawa of Ritsumeikan University kindly accepted
our invitation to give the closing conference. With students from
four different countries we succeeded in having a multicultural
conference on multiculturalism.
In closing both organisers wish to thank everyone who helped make
this conference a success: all of those who submitted a paper, even
if we could not accept every submission; the speakers and
commentators and our two guest lecturer; as well as the members of
the staff of the University's research center for their logistic
support and the many students who made sure that everything went
smoothly during those two days.