Comme vos livres, M Boutammina. Je vous félicite de votre tentative de rééquilibrer notre perception des influences arabes dans la culture occidentale.
Merci Julia . Je vais montrer l'article à mes élèves du lycée. On apprend toujours! c'est pareille ici avec les gens du Mexique, Guatemala, Ecuador, etc...
I copy here a comment that arrived on my personal page which is intended as a comment on this article:
At 1:17am on September 21, 2009, Myrtho Felix said…
"Le tribalisme règne dans bcp de cultures, ..."
Qui dit Mieux! C'est un sujet qui me touche profondément.
Le tribalisme a fait le malheur de l'humanité. Les civilises, oui les civilisés en ont fait un outil pour mettre certaines nations à genoux. J'en ai marre. Curieusement, mission une fois accomplie, ils se lavent les mains à la manière de Pilate... Juste pour ne dire que ça...Bref!
Je retourne maintenant à mon boulot. C'est un grand plaisir d'être des vôtres. Souhaite vous entendre incessament.
En fait, ce dont je me rends compte (car j'ai aussi montré cet article en brouillon à un copain tunisien) est de combien le racisme est un "touchy subject" (matière sensible) dans les cultures frçses et américaines. Mon pote m'a tout de suite dit "pourquoi ne pas dire que les Français sont xénophobes? Autant appeler les choses par leur nom". Mais ensuite il m'a avoué que ses amis tunisiens sont partisans de bin Laden et Saddam, car ils ont eu le courage de confronter l'Occident. Le tribalisme règne dans bcp de cultures, et tous les lieux communs font bon prétexte, la loi du plus fort, l'absent a toujours tort, blood is thicker than water, etc. Dommage que nos similarités n'emportent pas sur nos différences.
Dear Juia Frey,
Merci d'avoir pris le temps de lire mon commentaire, En fait je ne pretends pas vous donner une lecon(lesson) mais juste partager avec vous ma crainte que ce que vous pensez etre rigolo peut, surtout quand il s'agit de noms de personnes, etre mal interprete. Mais je ne doute pas de votre sincerite et de votre sens de l'humour.
Ps. I meant "even if you CAN''T pronounce"
Sincerely
Please forgive me if I've offended you. I guess I wasn't clear in the article. I was making fun of myself! I had no idea I couldn't pronounce Mahmoud's name correctly. I was doing my best. It was he who laughed! If he explained to me that I was calling him a "mammouth" I hope it was because he knew I wasn't trying to insult him. At least he felt comfortable enough to correct me. What's embarrassing is that despite my best attempts, I can't seem to make my consonants soft enough. So I avoid saying his name, now. I just call him "vous".
Yes I understand it can be amusing for two foreigners to try to communicate in a third language but please, please please, even if you can pronounce the name dont be thinking about an animal, I think that was not funny at all.
Great entry! Back when I knew very little about French social dynamics (not that I can claim much more knowledge now), I remember an Algerian friend of mine giving me a crash course on what it was like being of Algerian descent in France; he said, "It's basically like being black in the United States" - which makes me wonder how long we'll wait to see French president of North African heritage.
Although I think French people are aware that they are surrounded by ''oriental'' influences (not only belly dancing and hookahs). Arabs/magrhébins and french have a strong and heavy past in common, and I think the inner conflicts you are describing was more historical than cultural in the first place. That's why it seems that the first immigrants felt more ok with being French than their children and grand children. We could talk about Italian, Portuguese, Spaniards' rejection (which immigration occured earlier ) too. If the conflict became cultural, it is mostly because of international relations : the conflict between Palestine and Israel, 9/11...and the way this cultural breakdown and generalization was embedded by generations who were willing to take a stance on an international issue. Because their origins (cultural origins) is depicted/stigmatized in the conflict. The uneasiness of the situation is indeed fairly recent.
I don't know if you've heard of Mister Hortefeux comments during UMP's Université d'Eté. For my generation these sounds totally unacceptable. We (French) are willing to live together, in a secular way : no melting pot, no assimilation... : multiculturalism. Your culture defines you and if it is jeopardized, you automatically feel threatened and react.
Comments
At 1:17am on September 21, 2009, Myrtho Felix said…
"Le tribalisme règne dans bcp de cultures, ..."
Qui dit Mieux! C'est un sujet qui me touche profondément.
Le tribalisme a fait le malheur de l'humanité. Les civilises, oui les civilisés en ont fait un outil pour mettre certaines nations à genoux. J'en ai marre. Curieusement, mission une fois accomplie, ils se lavent les mains à la manière de Pilate... Juste pour ne dire que ça...Bref!
Je retourne maintenant à mon boulot. C'est un grand plaisir d'être des vôtres. Souhaite vous entendre incessament.
Myrtho Felix
Myrthofelix@aol.com
Amen.
A la prochaine fois
Merci d'avoir pris le temps de lire mon commentaire, En fait je ne pretends pas vous donner une lecon(lesson) mais juste partager avec vous ma crainte que ce que vous pensez etre rigolo peut, surtout quand il s'agit de noms de personnes, etre mal interprete. Mais je ne doute pas de votre sincerite et de votre sens de l'humour.
Ps. I meant "even if you CAN''T pronounce"
Sincerely
Please forgive me if I've offended you. I guess I wasn't clear in the article. I was making fun of myself! I had no idea I couldn't pronounce Mahmoud's name correctly. I was doing my best. It was he who laughed! If he explained to me that I was calling him a "mammouth" I hope it was because he knew I wasn't trying to insult him. At least he felt comfortable enough to correct me. What's embarrassing is that despite my best attempts, I can't seem to make my consonants soft enough. So I avoid saying his name, now. I just call him "vous".
I don't know if you've heard of Mister Hortefeux comments during UMP's Université d'Eté. For my generation these sounds totally unacceptable. We (French) are willing to live together, in a secular way : no melting pot, no assimilation... : multiculturalism. Your culture defines you and if it is jeopardized, you automatically feel threatened and react.
Thank you for this interesting article Julia!