UNESCO: Master Class Against Racism and Discrimination: Philosophical Perspectives

 

UNESCO Master Class Against Racism and Discrimination:

Philosophical Perspectives

On the occasion of World Philosophy Day, the UNESCO Master Classes organize a special edition. It is held on Thursday 19 Nov 2020 at 1:15 pm to 3:45 pm (CET). This Master Class tackle global issue through collectively exercising reasoned and informed thinking to build a more respectful and tolerant society. The webinar is moderated by Ms. Arleen Pimentel. The interpretation is available in English and French.

The Master Class program is introduced by Ms. Anna Maria Majlof, chief a.i. Inclusion and Rights Section of UNESCO. The topic of Master Class are among others: inclusion, gender bias, discrimination, and disability. Philosophy as the topic for this webinar with the hope that  we come to commitment to combat discrimination.

1. Prof. Carole Reynaud-Paligot, HIstorian, Sociologist, University of Pantheon-Sorbonne

We must understand why people today can have racist feeling. We must stand up against at racism. Human nature is not way of understanding racism. Socio history look at specific context why the racism occurs and how to identify it. For example in history we have slavery in north America, apartheid, segregation, colonialism, etc.

In history we can see the domination of high racist to low racist. 

All citizen must be concerned on this situation. 

There are 3 elements to be defended to racism:

1. Categorization, such as: Arabian people, Moslem, Jewish, etc.
2. Hierarchy, such as: if you think that other people have less value, people reject any other
3. Essential, such as: I accept the stigma

Madame Carole Reynauld suggests us to try to understand a different point and to have a proper balance in order to combat such prejudice and stereotype.

2. Prof. Rose Boswell, Executive Dean of Arts at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

There are three kinds of racism:

1. Histories, e,g. Slavery has existed for many centuries, as has stereotyping. 
2. Science and society, e.g Scientific Racism: idea of the Great Chain of Being, Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection and Social Darwinism’s theory of the survival of the fittest (the basis of racist thinking), Eugenics (science of race improvement), Craniometry (brain volume measurements), Prognathism and Recapitulation (theories of atavistic racial features and progression), racial profiling of behaviour (drapetomania). Social consequences: poverty, discrimination, poor health outcomes, lower life expectancy, violence, oppression, poor education levels, poor habitant, inequality racial discrimination has knock-on effect for other forms discrimination (gender, sexual orientation, ethic discrimination, genocide), global inequality and environmental degradation. In South Africa we look back that the racist happen when the Dutch conquered Africa.
3. ‘Systemic’ racism, because it’s ingrained in nearly every way people move through society in the policies and practices at institutions like banks, schools, companies, government agencies, and law enforcement.

According to Prof. Rose Boswell, racism is the global phenomena. The more inequality happen, the more discrimination happen.

3. Prof. Lazare Ki-Zerbo, Philosopher

Prof. Lazare Ki-Zerbo is very committed to fight the racism because racism happens everyday. We all must fight against racism. For example in USA there are two categories of people: white and black. He hopes that Colour vision will be corrected and abolished. He then later discovered that phenomenon of interaction with other people and society is very important.  It’s not a politician machine but sometimes it happen in small interaction.

Phenomenological philosophers:

• Edmund Husserl 
• Jean-Paul Sartre
• Frantz Fanon
• Alfred Schutz

Philosophy can help against discrimination. Philosophy and universality is something to be crucial. All of us must deconstruct the discrimination. International cooperation is a great thing because universality is something that we must build. When you need to fight racism, you need to look in different way. He encourages young people to keep mobilize through film, music, sport that overcome the practice of racism. 

4. Mr. Arnaud Demanche, Comedian

He decides to be anti racist activist because he wants to deconstruct and destroy racism. Anti racist movement can be carried out through art (literature, music, sport, etc.). As a comedian, he must be aware of his performance because million people watch them. Don’t even mock someone.

The conclusion of the webinar is that we can do something to combat racism.

Musical interlude by Paloma Fayet ends the event.