Fake celebrations
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Sunera Thobani’s critique of multiculturalism as a tool for maintaining white supremacy is sharp, but what stood out most to me was her focus on how multiculturalism redefines racialised Others as cultural beings. This idea—that race is rebranded as culture—reminds me of how corporate diversity initiatives often flatten identity into something symbolic. Think: those glossy brochures and ads showcasing smiling employees from 'all backgrounds' while the boardroom remains homogeneously white. Diversity, in these many cases, becomes merely aesthetic—a way to signal progress without shifting actual power.
Thobani’s analysis pushes this further. She argues that multiculturalism doesn’t just fail to dismantle systemic inequality—it actively reproduces it by treating cultural difference as a resource for national enrichment. It’s a dynamic we see outside of policy too. Take the popularity of 'ethnic' foods: they're celebrated for their flavours, but stripped of the histories behind them. These cuisines are embraced only when they’re convenient, palpable, sellable—always firmly detached from the labour, migration, and marginalisation that make them possible.
This makes me wonder: can we ever engage with difference without commodifying it? Thobani doesn’t suggest easy answers, but her work challenges the assumption that celebrating culture is inherently good. It might feel good, sure—but maybe that’s the point: to feel good, without needing to do good.