Racial Conflict
The issue of racial conflict has caused great controversy for many centuries. Conflict which is incited by racism is often thought to be the most heinous of all conflicts because it is unfounded and based on utterly false beliefs. Racial conflict, in essence, arises when prejudice or discrimination occurs based solely on racial factors between certain races. The severe nature of racial conflict can be clearly seen by examining two distinct areas: the perception of racial inequality, as well as stereotyping. Instances of racial conflict can be drawn from two fictional literary works, Joy Kogawa's Obasan (1981) and E.M. Forster's A Passage To India (1924). "Racial Inequality exists and is maintained by differential power between a dominant and subordinate group in society." (Li p.5) This is a reality of racism in today's society. Members of one race often see themselves as being justifiably superior to other racial groups. This is clearly demonstrated in A Passage to India, when a British character states, "You're superior to everyone in India except one or two of the ranis . . ." (Forster p.61). Inequality has also caused certain people to be unfairly excluded from many facets of society.
Strange how these protestors are so much more vehement about Canadian-born Japanese than they are about German-born Germans. I guess it's because we look different. What it boils down to is an undemocratic racial antagonism . . . (Kogawa p.82). Japanese Canadians also faced a barrage of stereotyping and racist attitudes which were so often directed upon them. Naomi recalls a high-ranking government official who made the accusation that " . . . we [Japanese-Canadians] were all spies and saboteurs." (Kogawa p.82). This was an extremely stereotypical comment and had neither any merit nor any semblance of truth in regards to it. Historically, people belonging to racial backgrounds other than the dominant ones in society were treated differently, and often unfairly. The protagonist in Obasan, Naomi Nakane, realizes at an early age that Japanese Canadians were perceived to be subordinate to White Canadians. She states, " . . . the lowly Jap will be bedded down like livestock in stalls . . ." (Kogawa p.88). This comment as well as her statement, "We're a lower order of people" (Kogawa p.88) clearly demonstrates that Naomi not only knew of the inequality which existed, but began to believe in it as well. The antagonist of Forster's A Passage To India has a realization which is parallel and akin to that of Naomi in regards to racial inequality. Miss Quested, Dr. Aziz's alleged victim and accuser, states, "He [Dr. Aziz] didn't come into the club. He said he wasn't allowed to." (Forster p.51). It is distinctly apparent that Dr. Aziz realizes the inequality which he is assigned, and like Naomi, begins to accept the perceptions of inequality as literal truths. " . . . we never dreamt that an Indian could be a channel of communication between two Englis
Some common words found in the essay are:
Passage India, Dr Aziz, Elliott Fleras, , Japanese Canadians, Jap Kogawa, White Canadians, German-born Germans, India British, Racial Inequality, racial conflict, passage india, racial inequality, dr aziz, japanese canadians, perception racial inequality, joy kogawa's, em forster's, forster's passage, british citizens, perception racial, forster's passage india, elliott fleras p104,
Approximate Word count = 1193
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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