Common Denominators: Ethnicity, Nation-Building and
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Eriksen, Thomas Hyllong>andong> / Carmeli, Yoram S. / Hyllong>andong> Eriksen, Thomas, PUBLISHER: Berg Publishers, This book seeks to enhance comparative understong>andong>ings of ethnicity, to refine theories of nationalism, ong>andong> to contribute to ongoing debates on multiculturalism, identity politics ong>andong> creolization. Mauritius, an Indian Ocean islong>andong>-state with a population of about one million, provides a fascinating focus for this comprehensive study of social identity ong>andong> political culture. Fifteen languages are officially spoken on the islong>andong>, ong>andong> four world religions are represented, as well as a high number of ethnic groups. The author argues that the social importance of ethnicity depends not only on political ong>andong> economic circumstances, but also on kinship organization, ong>andong> shows how ethnicity is expressed through the idioms of language ong>andong> religion. However, it is also shown how ethnic identity may be superseded by other forms of belongingness ong>andong> politics in the contemporary age. Nationhood, gender, class ong>andong> individualism are all examined for the role they play in social organization ong>andong> the formation of collective identity.Multiethnic ong>andong> peaceful, the pace of social change in Mauritius has been rapid throughout the s ong>andong> s. The ways in which Mauritians negotiate the relationship between ethnic, national ong>andong> other identities in forging a surprisingly stable ong>andong> democratic society, ong>andong> the peculiar tensions which arise in the interface between the ethnic ong>andong> the non-ethnic, ought to be ong>familiarong> to anyone concerned with the future of multiethnic societies.