The American dream of exploring new lands and gaining new freedoms has long been overshadowed by the destruction of Native American populations during the conquest of the West and the enslavement of African Americans during the settlement of the South. Yet for immigrants from Asia, Europe, and Latin America, who were forced to suffer from both unjust legislation and the whims of the job market, the right to reside in the United States for centuries served as confirmation that they had achieved something in life. The 'green card' (actually pale pink) often turns out to be the ticket to the global village, whose headquarters, many believe, is located precisely in the United States.
Undoubtedly, the end of the Cold War and the elimination of frozen ideological and geographical barriers between East and West gave rise to a new cosmopolitan thinking. In fact, the language of cultural pluralism and demographic diversity is a symbol of the multiculturalism celebrated everywhere, first proclaimed by a country that now prides itself on its indisputable status as a world power. But in moments of triumph, US citizens do not flock into one crowd under their flag: minorities and cultural communities demand recognition of their 'otherness'. Cultural 'assimilation' – once symbolized by both the 'melting pot' and the 'salad bowl' – is no longer suitable as the dish of the day ('plat du jour'). As migrants, political and economic refugees, diaspora representatives, asylum seekers, etc. crossed cultural and geographical boundaries, the authority of the sovereign nation-state declined.
Interstate associations, supranational corporate legal entities, and global conglomerates not only extend far beyond the country's borders but also weaken the economic autonomy and social territoriality of the state. Thus, the general concept of 'American' has been supplemented with such components as 'African American', 'Asian American', 'Chicano', 'Latino', 'Nuyorican', 'Black Nation', 'Queer Nation', etc. The hybridization of various cultures has become a significant cultural-political feature of everyday life: as they say in the US, Americans are a 'hyphenated nation'. This definitional expansion, as well as the numerous 'nicknames' that groups give themselves, allows for the recognition and expression of the diverse forms of existence of today's Americans.
According to some, the ongoing fragmentation exposes the limits of 'identity politics', which represents a purely particular worldview – both from a subjective standpoint and from the standpoint of the corresponding identity group – and at the same time overlooks structural aspects concerning the population as a whole, namely poverty, homelessness, social stratification, lack of medical care. Others rather side with the opinion formulated by the Chicano performance artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña. In group identity and hybridization he sees an emerging 'new internationalism' that is changing the political and cultural values of American life. 'The new world (b)order – a new world order and a new world perspective,' writes Gómez-Peña, 'replaces the melting pot with menudo soup, in which the main ingredients fuse together, but there remain a few stubborn chunks, and they are simply doomed to swell.'
Even if we admire this nouvelle cuisine, we must not forget that in many respects minorities belong to the groups that are the most economically deprived and ethnically discriminated among US citizens. Of course, life between two cultures is interesting if you are lucky and belong to the upper stratum of society. However, the ability to constantly 'cross the border' in a physical and material sense presupposes the possession of social capital – a passport, visa, education, recognized social status. And although 15% of US radio stations are 'ethnic' (predominantly African American and Spanish-language), the proclaimed multiculturalism is of little use if we remember that blacks (13.6% of the total population) and persons of Hispanic origin (11%) have an average annual family income of 50% of the average annual income of whites ($26,500).
This statistic leads to a sad conclusion: a country that has proclaimed citizen rights as the highest value to the whole world has still not been able to realize the great idea of human emancipation on its own territory. And yet, the best that is in the American pioneer spirit, despite failures and obstacles, demonstrates amazing resilience. Recognition of the rights and ideas of immigrants and minorities will be a great achievement of the new millennium.
Homi K. Bhabha.