i don't want to be visible

[elyes_bouhouche]

Imagining cultural communities as fixed and "neatly distinguishable" is problematic because it simplifies a more complex reality. This essentialist view presents cultures as homogeneous and fixed in time, thus ignoring their vast diversity and capacity to evolve. Cultures are fluid and are influenced by many interacting variables, all linked to social, economic and political contexts. Communities comprise individuals with different experiences and points of view that express different relationships to traditions. Homogenising them erases these important nuances. On the other hand, reducing cultures to static entities means ignoring their natural adaptability to change. Cultures are constantly evolving and changing. This dynamic is evident in children from immigrant backgrounds, who are good examples of cultural hybridity. For example, young people of North African origin living in France may speak French and eat traditional French dishes while cultivating a strong link with their heritage through cultural food. Their identity is, therefore, the result of a complex mix of influences, which cannot be reduced to a single pure culture. It can also lead to exclusion and discrimination. When certain cultures are presented as incompatible, this becomes a pretext for excluding groups and seeing them as a threat to national identity or dominant values. Reducing cultures to fixed ideas only encourages division rather than understanding. The Canadian state has introduced the category of "visible minorities", and according to Thobani, this reinforces racial distinctions based on skin colour. This categorisation contributes to the erasure of anti-racist discourse and the marginalisation of racialised people. By identifying ten "non-white" groups as visible minorities, this classification institutionalises racial differences by focusing on physical appearance. This then reinforces stereotypes and inequalities. By concentrating on the cultural differences of "visible minorities", the real issue of racism, whether institutional or personal, is often overlooked. This thus hides the systemic disadvantages that people of colour have in society, which restrict their ability to paticipate in social, economic, and political life. Furthermore, by reducing people of colour to a uniform picture defined only by their culture of origin ignores the diversity of these groups and the various aspects that contribute to their identities. Thus, the term ‘visible minority’, according to Thobani, obscures white privilege and continues to marginalise people of colour.