France, Coordination of Anarchist Groups - Anti-racism,
Majority and national minorities, The racist system of domination
in France (fr, it, pt) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
On whom is all the people located in an area that the dominant ideology defines as
"natural" members of the national body. That is to say, those which it is not disputed,
regardless of their actions, membership of the national body, nationality, whose loyalty
does not require evidence to consider them within the national body. ---- National
minorities 1 , these are all minority groups that are present in a given territory but
are, have been or may be considered outside the national body as defined by the dominant
ideology. Depending on the context, they can be considered as belonging to the national
body or being outside, but in the first case, membership is ever likely to be questioned,
in speeches, in practice and in particular the attitude of institutions.
These are the groups who are required proofs of loyalty if you consider that they may
belong to the national body. The acts of persons belonging to national minorities can be
mobilized by the dominant ideology to deny or otherwise grant membership to the national
body to such persons.
Majority and national minorities in France
In France, the national majority, according to the dominant ideology, is white skin,
Christian culture (that people are believers or not).
By dominant ideology is meant here all the dominant representations, the majority, as
conveyed by implicit cultural references than by explicit political discourse.
National minorities are for their consist of all persons who do not meet these arbitrary
criteria, explicitly or implicitly, by the dominant ideology.
We can thus list the following national minorities:
Those based in the first instance on skin color in the classic racist ideology, as well as
other potential pseudo-cultural stereotypes:
The national minority "Arab", which gathers those designated as such by the dominant
discourse on the basis of skin color and that of the Association of Arab culture (or what
claims to be the dominant ideology culture Arabic) even if such Amazigh.
The black national minority, which gathers those based on skin color.
The Roma national minority.
The Asian national minority.
Plus two national minorities, the product of a process of racialization or ethnicization
of religion by the dominant ideology, in which people are assigned to a religion on the
basis of skin color, a affiliation or cultural heritage:
The Jewish national minority, gathering the people culture or Jewish descent, believers or
not to Judaism. The dominant ideology defines here belonging to the Jewish minority not
based on religion but on ethnic, cultural or racial, religion is also represented
fantasized way. This is the basis of anti-Semitism.
The Muslim national minority, gathering the people of culture or Muslim descent, believers
or not Islam. On the same model as the Jewish national minority, the dominant ideology
defines membership in the non-Muslim minority on a religious basis but on an ethnic,
cultural or racial, religion is also represented fantasized way.
These two national minorities are different from religious minorities of the same name,
which exclusively comprise religious people to religio ns Jewish and Islamic.
The dominant discourse e excluded persons belonging to national minorities those national
bodies not on the basis of their religious beliefs, but on that of an identity assignment
ethnic or racial type in which the religion is not addressed as a set of beliefs and
social practices, but as an identity assigned to the individual on the basis of descent.
In the dominant racist ideology, the Muslim minority today tends to merge or replace
partly the Arab minority. Do not see that "Muslim" has replaced "Arab" in the right speech
and left, for the same makeup racism yesterday, is missing out on a particularly
significant reality today. This is what we mean by the term Islamophobia. And to think
that, like anti-Semitism, does not fall under the defense of religion. The denunciation of
racist mechanics should not be used as collateral to religious for the defense of their
chapel. If we consider that it is not appropriate now to criticize Islam in particular,
because that kind of talk is too easily used by racist ideology to present their hidden
way, we affirm at the same time the need to combat all religions in general, including
Islam, since all operate on the same logic of subjugation of individuals.
Racism, a system of domination
This division between a "national majority" and of national minorities is not that of
the order of a speech. Racist stereotypes ethnicist s, that vehicle will not only of the
order of "prejudices" worn individually, it would be enough to "eradicate" to combat racism.
They are the product of a racist system, which was built in the double movement of u
development of national ideology and nation states, and of colonial imperialism.
The development of national ideology was the product of a power centralized mechanism to
standardize the controlled territories, firstly, and secondly the desire to replace the
sovereignty of the divine right of an artificially formed community on building of
historical and cultural myths. This construction was made in creating the illusion of
historical continuity by selecting populations story elements and territories, evacuating
which did not fit the "novel National "of the origins of a national historic community.
In the same movement, the cultural elements were selected because they are considered
distinctive territory, evacuating all specific cultural traits that would thwart this
standardization aimed at strengthening central political power.
The construction of any part of a "national community" based on a "national history" and
a "national identity" in all cases artificial, was the fact ideologues of state power,
which, as from centralizing mechanism of absolute monarchy, continued with the
construction of the Jacobin nation-state, sought to legitimize the control of populations
and territories given by the selective use of history and culture. They have sought to
define "nation" by fixing her territorial and demographic limits. The national body has
gradually been defined as having common features, as opposed to an "other", or rather OF
"other": foreign, but also national minorities regarded as outside the national body,
although the nationality of the nation-state constituted.
It is in this context that has developed anti-Semitism in Europe, for example, Jews are
defined as anti-national figure, racialized, defined as external to the national body.
Islamophobia structure since the last twenty years by the same logic, to encompass and
comprehensive way to target a set of national minorities in the same category racialized,
which assigned all people of culture or Muslim descent, that 'they are believers or not.
Meanwhile, America's colonization, and, from the nineteenth century, the expansion of
colonial imperialism to the entire non-Western world, have relied on racist definition of
non-European peoples. To justify their enslavement and grabbing territories they inhabit
and their wealth, the colonized peoples were designated as inferior as to civilize
barbarians or as pack animals simple to allow the massive recourse to slavery that is to
say, the deportation and forced labor of millions of people.
If the words and forms of colonial imperialism evolved today, it is still underpinned by
the same racist ideology. Like yesterday, wars and force shots always aim capitalist
economic expansion, and ideological justification for the alleged superiority of the West,
which would have the responsibility to decide for civilizing the world of what is good for
him.
What anti-racism?
Social regression period that we face is conducive to the development of racism. The
authorities use this racist system of domination to divide those who would do well to
unite to counter the devastating effects of capitalism designate as scapegoats responsible
for unemployment, precariousness and poverty, allows the bourgeoisie to divert the working
class claims of economic and social equality. To this anti-racism is a key issue for all
those struggling for equality.
We must ideologically contribute to dismantle the mechanisms and discourses on which the
racist system of domination. This implies denunciation and struggle against all forms of
racism that we have defined. The state racism, racism "ordinary" integrated, hidden racism
in pseudo social and secular discourse, everyday racial discrimination and / or legal, as
racist discourses and practices assumed are all fighting Mêm e s' they do not mean the
same things and do not require the same answers.
The fight against racism has obviously an antifascist dimension that we have developed
in our motion on anti-fascism 2.
It is imperative to continue to support the struggles of people experiencing racism and
egalitarian demands they wear (fight against evictions, fight of undocumented migrants to
obtain residence permits or against detention centers etc..) supporting the
self-organization of those who struggle.
All these operations must be done in a convergence objective class , to counter the use
of racism by the authorities for the purpose of diverting social issues.
To stop making those experiencing racism scapegoats, we need to popularize a meaningful
discourse: our enemies are the ruling classes, so we have no interest in dividing us on
the grounds of nationality and / or religion but rather to come together on a class basis.
This will raise the question of racism on a political level beyond a purely humanist whose
dynamic through are numerous (paternalism, lack of global vision). We are also convinced
that es good feelings , if they can work on specific situations, are insufficient to build
a broad balance of power maintained over time and that can actually push back racism,
especially in the period of social regression that we know.
Strive to place the fight against racism on a class and internationalist basis also helps
to counter the exploitations politicians and / or religious of this struggle. It is more
difficult for the Socialist Party to come parading in anti-racist mobilizations when the
class size is displayed. Religious currents that revolutionaries can fight harder coming
on anti-racist mobilizations if the class internationalist character is said...
Racism in France is largely related to the idea of nation and feeds on the past and the
present of the French colonial State. As the fight against the French economic and
military imperialism is developing to counter racism. Similarly internationalist dimension
of the fight against all borders is part of our fight against racism.
Our anti-racism is therefore based on a revolutionary and internationalist dimension,
highlighting all the demands of economic and social equality.
On 30 May 2015,
External Relations of the Coordination of Anarchist Groups
1 The notion of national minority, contrary to what has been said, is not a Marxist import
/ Maoist in the libertarian movement, nor the resumption of UN concept. It is used by
anarchist activists to analyze anti-Semitism and Negrophobia early twentieth century. It
appears for example in the article "Ghetto," written by a Jewish militant anarchist, Jules
Chazoff of anarchist encyclopedia of Sébastien Faure (1934):
http://www.encyclopedie-anarchiste.org/articles/g/ghetto.html , well before Maoism and the UN!
2 Motion CGA "What fascism today? "Adopted in November 2011, available at:
www.cga.org/content/quel-antifascisme-aujourdhui-0
http://www.c-g-a.org/content/le-systeme-de-domination-raciste-en-france
