The Human Face of Globalization: From Multicultural to Mestizaje

International immigration, massive migrations, economic globalization and a world-wide communications revolution have brought about a mixing of races, cultures and lifestyles unprecedented in human history. What are the implications of this phenomenon? What options present themselves_a battle of cultures for power; a move toward communitarian cooperation, or, something new, the evolution of racially and culturally mixed societies? Anthropologist and sociologist Jacques Audinet proposes an alternative to culture wars and simple multiculturalism as he explores the history and evolution of mestizaje, the mixing of races and cultures resulting in a third and new force able to ease the tensions between the original two. Audinet reviews the tragic history of imperial and colonial conquests and traces the growth of mestizaje, especially stimulated by literature, music and sports. Audinet argues that, instead of chasing or preserving the illusion of 'pure' races, we need to face the shifting boundaries of peoples and cultures. He acknowledges the uncertainty of the changes, but emphasizes the essential role that mestizaje can play in the avoidance of racial and cultural clashes while pursuing equality as part of the promise of a democratic society.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Introduction: Encounters... Chapter 2 Chapter I: Diversity, Geography, Cultures Part 3 In the Beginning was Geography Part 4 Cultural Indicators Part 5 Culture & Modernity Chapter 6 Chapter II: From Multicultural to Mestizaje Part 7 Recognizing Differences Part 8 Beyond Multiculturalism Part 9 What about Mestizaje? Chapter 10 Chapter III: The Vocabulary of Mestizaje Part 11 The Vocabulary of Marginality Part 12 The Scale of Colors Part 13 From Contempt to Recognition Chapter 14 Chapter IV: Mestizaje Recognized Part 15 Inescapable Diversity Part 16 A Desired Totality Part 17 Between Body and Dream Chapter 18 Chapter V: A (Hi)Story of Desire and Violence Part 19 The Flesh of Empires Part 20 Legendary Figures Part 21 The Labyrinth of Contradiction Chapter 22 Chapter VI: Democracy: Rupture and Turning Point Part 23 Mestizaje Doesn't Exist: Cornelius de Pauw Part 24 Inegalitarian Mestizaje: Arthur de Gobineau Part 25 Liberty Protests: Alexis de Tocqueville Chapter 26 Chapter VII: The Transformation of Bonds Part 27 Shifting Boundaries Part 28 Binary or Ternary Dialogue Part 29 The In-Between Zones Chapter 30 Chapter VIII: Symbology Shattered Part 31 Nebulous Images Part 32 The Body at Stake Part 33 Reinvention at Work Chapter 34 Chapter IX: A Memory with a Future Part 35 Vasconcelos, or Cosmic Utopia Part 36 A Profound Reversal Part 37 The Future's Unpredictable Element Chapter 38 Conclusion: A Paradigm for Humanity

About the Author :
Jacques Audinet is Professor Emeritus in Anthropology at the University of Metz and l'Institut Catholique de Paris. He has taught in the United States, Canada and Latin America and remains involved with the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Review :
In The Human Face of Globalization, Jacques Audinet writes against the insane dreams of the 20th century-especially all forms of cultural and social segregation founded on violence. He discovers that mestizaje, the interpenetration and mixing of cultures, in its contemporary movements and forms, is both an exorcism and a dynamic model for healthy and creative change. Mestizaje critiques the monovisions and the monologues of the cultural purists and the nativists. In Audinet's vision of our global existence, human expressions of art, gastronomy, mourning, love and the imagination will survive and thrive only through the embrace and cultivation of mestizaje, which will help translate us not into new divisions but into the renewal of cultural life. From Alexander the Great and the Persian princess Roxane to Malinche and the European conquest of the Americas to today's globalized world, Audinet unveils the dangers and creative possibilities of mestizaje. Grounding his analysis in the corporeal and cultural experiences of contemporary life, he deftly illuminates the dynamics of mestizaje and its significance for the future of humanity. Mestizaje (metissage, cross-breeding) is a cultural and biological fact not only in the Americas but all over the word. In this important book, Audinet argues that taking a stance on mestizaje is taking a stance on a direction for humanity.