Identity and Violence

"This book is an antidote to the nationalist backlash and the temptation, which we thought we had buried, to put people into nationalist boxes and say that nations are homogeneous and national identity is what uniquely defines us and sets us apart from others. Amartya Sen argues that that is an easy and extremely dangerous trap to fall into. Actually, we all have multiple overlapping identities — so that you can be both British, a Londoner, a husband, an Arsenal fan, a Christian, a liberal and so on. These rich overlapping identities are something to treasure. So while this book is not specifically about Europe, given firstly, Europe’s history and secondly, the current nationalist backlash I think it’s a really, really important book. Yes. The danger is, if you start defining someone in a certain way, that provokes a counter-reaction which in turn can reinforce that. So say you label someone as Moroccan and set them apart from the rest of Dutch society. Then even someone who wants to fit in feels rejected and may then start to define themselves as more Moroccan than Dutch. You can bring about that polarization that didn’t exist before. That’s the real danger of it. Ultimately, if you push it too far, you can end up in violence. Yes it’s a book everyone should read. But it’s particularly relevant now for Europe. The model for the future ought to be a diverse global city like London where part of what makes people proud to be a Londoner is the very diversity there. So diversity is not seen as in opposition to local identity, diversity is seen as part of local identity. I think that’s the wave of the future."

"I grew up in Iraq as a Muslim woman amidst war. Right now, we are living in a world in which that part of the world is in turmoil and almost seems to be operating in the dark ages. Obviously, Sen is known for his economic work. I think this is a brilliant piece of work where he moves away from that. You can take it politically, or you can take it very personally in terms of how you treat others. His theory is that when you corner someone by treating them badly all the time that is what they will respond to and in the end that is what they will become, because you have been reacting to them based on your restrictive perception of them as being bad. Similarly, if you only look at their identity as violent that is what they will become, and you will really have a bad time helping them transform into someone better. I find myself using this book and remembering his words as I travel around the world. Not because I am from the Middle East or because I am a Muslim but because I am the one who is working in America! I understand that people are aggressive in war zones because there is a scarcity of resources but I don’t understand why people are aggressive and hurtful towards each other in peaceful environments. When we corner people we do not like – and we all have people we do not like – we avoid our own responsibilities in the issue. We blame it on the other and sort of force them to go into that part of their identity. Everyone has different components to their identity and often we end up cornering people into embracing the very identity we hate. I find myself quoting this book in my daily encounters with people all over the world. It is very hard to come up with just one thing. But one of the things we can do as consumers is to start to take more responsibility in thinking about where the things we buy come from. In the same way organic produce and fair trade have taken off, we need to be more aware about how the women who produce the things we buy are being treated because they are the majority of the producers. Are they being paid fairly and treated well? It is hard to hold people accountable but we need to start pushing for that. Another thing we can do is to help sponsor women living in conflict and post-conflict zones rebuild their lives. By just helping one woman at a time, we can help save their lives and get them to stand on their own two feet."