FUTURE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND DWINDLING WESTERN FORTUNES

Mukesh Devrari 

The debate initiated by William Westerman, Adjunct Professor at City University of New York, after giving a very brief introduction of his paper ‘Critical Edge of Cultural Work’ was enlightening and gave insights into the European worries as the economic fortunes of the western world is dwindling.  

Here is basic information for the readers to understand the context. Center for Tribal Folklore, Language and Literature of the Central University of Jharkhand is organizing a seminar on ‘Tradition, Creativity and Indigenous Knowledge: Winter School of International Folkloristic and Indigenous Culture’. It is open to all students and faculty. Not many turned up but that is a different story.  

The first day of the seminar was emblematic of the geopolitical realities of the 21^st century. China was confident. The US was worried, funds are drying up. What will be the future of arts and social sciences in the western world is a paramount question?  The same worry was shared Europeans, there was a representative from Denmark Uwe Skoda, Associate Professor at AARHUS Univesity, who expressed uneasiness that government is reducing funds to support languages and cultures. He opined that users of certain languages are not many if the government reduces the funding in the long term these languages might die.

Then there were representatives of the Eastern European nation of Estonia. It was part of Soviet Russia. Nowadays, Estonians find it offensive if you call them Russians. They were nowhere or perhaps they were invisible in the debate which was contemplating future global changes in the world of languages and cultures and society, as they always remain absent from the public discourse on global issues. European Union perhaps says what they think as was happening in the debate. Earlier it was Soviets.    

Then there was this country India. It can be aptly described as a self-declared shameless superpower, perhaps proud of its millions of hungry and naked people. It was not present at all in the debate or when tried to remain present it was so boring that nobody had an interest in it. Similar is the geopolitical situation. No one on earth cares what Indians think about global issues like Iran, North Korea, Palestine conflict and so on.

Long ago one of my former editors said, ‘Indian team is not doing well because we have very weak Prime Minister in the office named as Manmohan Singh’ So perhaps this author could not argue properly in the debate because Manmohan Singh is still a Prime Minister.  

At least the author can argue in his blog what he could not say there properly. As the economic fortunes of western world dwindle, particularly in Europe, homogenization in language use will become inevitable. European Union might claim it is not on its way to create a nation state, but they are moving towards creating a nation state or a demon, which will have the maximum qualities of the nation-state.

It means Europeans will then be required to visit other nations more frequently. Then they perhaps require a common language to work. Not all Europeans will accept German as their popular language. Then English may creep in to destroy indigenous languages. It might look a far-fetched possibility. But one can recall easily how Troy was destroyed, the first wooden horse was given as a gift, soldiers were hidden inside that wooden structure. No point in further narrating the story, everyone knows what happens next. It is a worn out story. Languages function just like that only. At least Slavoj Zizek claims that.

The author is not aware of any research which might have been conducted to map and measure the increase in the usage of the second language after the creation of the European Union. Perhaps only after empirical evidences, it will be accepted that the use of the second language has increased in all European nations. However, recent BBC reports boast the increasing use of English in European countries and in their parliament as well in Brussels. It is a signal of trouble for the theorists of culture and folklore.   

In the debate lesson for members of the third world, countries are that the practitioners of cultural studies and arts, in general, are looking for state support to exist and thrive. They know that western hegemony in academics and particularly in arts and social sciences may not last without state support. US administration intends to cut the budget for the education sector, but it is more brutally targeting funding for arts and social sciences.    

It will be unfair not to mention a few of the things mentioned by Dr Westerman in his presentation. He started his discussion on the future of applied folklore. He came up with the idea of the fourth world. He claims that the fourth world is represented by the cultural minorities in the first, second and third world. Cultural genocide is taking place, languages of most of the cultural minorities are dying and their resources are being exploited by the power elite.

(Article is fully based on memory.)

end.