Daily Times

The discourse on identity, or lack of it, has been spurred by the forces of globalisation almost all over the world. Nevertheless, as an academic subject of investigation, emphasis on culture (studies) is more visible, both institutionally and socially, in the Scandinavian context. Norway, Denmark and Sweden — where I happened to live for a couple of years — have started a lively debate in campuses and in pubs, to critically analyse the nature and dialectics of globalising forces and how they have impacted these smaller states, which are still adherents and practitioners of socio-democratic norms and system.

Interestingly, where most of the Asian and African cultures are struggling to grapple with globalisation, the Scandinavians, due largely to epistemological and technological advancements, have introduced the concept of ‘glocalisation’. The latter is conceptualised as the global-local nexus, which is overlooked by the corporate globalisation theorists. In other words, the glocalisation construct highlights the existence and importance of (local) identities in terms of religion, caste, race and language, etc. Globalisation is hence understood as a one-sided western importation to non-western contexts and cultures. Until local identities are ensconced with theory and data, the fruits, if any, of globalisation shall not reach the marginalised whose ideas, values and belief systems are ignored and often suppressed during the course of development projects.

Importantly, Scandinavian writers are not oblivious to the forgoing facts and they are engaged in bridging the theoretical and empirical gaps. For example, Catharina Kinnvall, a renowned political scientist based at Lund University, has extensively contributed to the debate on identity construction in the Scandinavian as well as South Asian context. With regards to the latter, the question of Sikh identity has been dealt with quite amicably. Moreover, she recently explained the controversial and contested publication of the cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) from the cultural perspective. Besides, scholars of Indian and Pakistani origins, who are based in Scandinavia, have also contributed significantly to the existing body of knowledge. The works of Professor Ishtiaq Ahmed — especially his technique of ‘oral history’- are worth reading.

Interestingly, such scholars prefer to write and speak in their own languages. Even these populations, though not big numerically, are culturally very sensitive. When I was a master’s student in Sweden, we were encouraged to get enrolled in Swedish language courses for free. This marks the state-level engagement in the protection and promotion of cultural identities. The trends of cultural concerns have intensified especially in Norway, Denmark and Sweden post-9/11. In the context of rapid flow of immigrants from Iraq, Afghanistan and even Pakistan, the Scandinavians have become more conscious of protecting their linguistic identity against, for instance, the aggressive Arabs as they are perceived locally, and passive Pakistanis — the latter are active in terms of population growth but sluggish where participation in various political and cultural activities is concerned. Ironically, the foregoing is termed ‘racial’ from our South Asian cultural perspective. However, what Pakistanis do, for example, to an Afghan at the local level or how a Behari is treated in Dhaka, if not Karachi, should not be ignored in the discourse on identity construction.

Quite sadly, where the (north) Europeans have established centres of excellence to study the culture and religion of, for example, South and Southeast Asian regions, we Pakistanis are still struggling to understand our own culture. Related to this, the recent Sindh Culture Festival is a timely effort on the part of the Sindh government. However, there are serious conceptual issues that need to be addressed in the future. First, such festivals should not be determined and controlled by the forces of globalisation in terms of projection of the culture from an elitist perspective. Local populations, such as the Hindus, should be visited and their culture should be highlighted so as to show the way they preserve and practice it. Secondly, such events should not be commercialised and concentrated in elite locations, which are inaccessible by a labourer or a peasant — after all, it is their culture, which is being expressed and profited on without their involvement. Thirdly, existing government departments that deal with archaeology, arts and history should be facilitated in terms of serious researchers who can provide pre-event historical and conceptual input to the organisers. Whether Basant is a Punjab-specific phenomenon or otherwise could be debated and general consensus generated if efficient institutions are already in place.

Last but not least, non-western societies need to learn from the European experiences of culturisation of politics, economy, literature, arts and almost everything else. Until this is realised, issues of disharmony, dislocation and disenchantment with society and the state shall continue to dominate our lives. A better understanding of each other’s identities leads to better policies which, in turn, may lead to better development in politics, economy, etc. Hence, Pakistan also needs to meaningfully explore its cultural variance since concerns on extremism and terrorism may not properly be seen through de-cultured lenses.

The writer is a DAAD fellow. He holds a PhD in Political Science and works as assistant professor at IQRA University, Islamabad. He tweets @ ejazbhatty