Lost in Internationalism
The roadmap for progress in all countries today, is based on
universal systems for education, economy, health and cultural expression.
The structures of museums, art
galleries, art curricula,
publishing, marketing, food production, export and import rules,
security forces, transportation, right down to red, amber and green lights to
control traffic, are universal.
This internationalism that has enveloped the world, has a
relatively recent history. It was initially a panic response to the horrors of World War I – the League of
Nations was established to prevent such wars in the future by creating a
platform for addressing the grievances of nations through dialogue and
negotiation. Since it could not prevent WWII, it was deemed a failure, and
replaced by the United Nations Organization, a more structured enterprise,
aimed at creating One World – a world that would have shared values, seen as
the essential precursor to lasting peace.
Wendell Willkie’s 1943 best seller, ‘One World’, laid down
the manifesto that inspired the One World movement. He believed USA, perceived
as the hero of WWII, was the only western nation that could “unify the peoples
of the earth in the human quest for freedom and justice”
One of the first institutions established by the UN in 1945
was UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization. There was a need to rebuild schools and museums destroyed during
the war. However, with the vison of Julian Huxley, its first Director General
of UNESCO, it very quickly developed a global ambition: if one could create a
model educational system, develop textbooks, and train teachers to spread the
values and systems that Europe had successfully evolved , not only would
communication across nations and conduct of business became easier, but wars,
seen to be the result of nationalism, would be contained.
Psychologists and sociologists were engaged to advise on
modifying aggressive behavior. Mass communication experts explored the role
radio, film, and the press can play in achieving the aims of One World. Lists
were created of suitable films, music, and art to be promoted, the design and
content of museums. There was even an
International commission for Folk Arts and Folklore to examine what was in
conformity with UNESCO recommendations.
The problem was that Huxley was rooted in colonial thinking,
a believer in Darwin’s theories of evolution and a eugenicist. He believed non-
white peoples and the poor were inferior, and only the West could lift them out
of their darkness. Harry S Truman echoed
this in his inaugural speech in 1949, reaffirming that Europe and America had
“a rightful place in the forefront of civilization”. And so began the
enterprise of internationalism – as Captain Kirk of the TV series, Star Trek,
said they “boldly go where no man has gone before”.
French sociologist, Alain Touraine, writes “the idea of
progress has been shattered and supplanted by that of economic growth”.
Nations find themselves lost in this dizzying pressure to
conform to requirements of UN, IMF , ILO, WTO. Internally divided into those
keeping pace and those practicing traditional local systems. While local
cultural expressions tenaciously survived and even flourished, many nations
remain unrepresented in ‘World” history books, their art relegated to craft,
their literature to folklore. The natural cultural symbiosis along trade routes
like the Silk Route, has been replaced by anonymous shipping containers and
soulless airports.
Internationalism is
an old concept. The Greek concept was expressed by Isocrates “we must give the
name of Greek to those who share our culture rather than to those who share our
origin”. This implies that civilization is not linked to race but can be
transmitted.
Internationalism was inherent to the Islam. There was no
concept of a nation state. The Dar ul
Harb or gate of conflict, was a temporary border. Unlike many other Empires, there was no
concept of bringing back wealth to Makkah. Each land where Islam spread, was
developed by inspiring the local communities to develop industry, institutions,
learning, arts and crafts, agriculture and city planning. It may have been started by Arabs, but was furthered by Persians,
Kurds, Turks and other communities. Knowledge was acquired from the Greeks, the
Chinese, the Hindus, and shared generously with all who wished to learn.
The Aga Khan Foundation established in 1967, has re-created
a more culture-sensitive internationalism that bridges heritage and locality,
with development and progress, and reintroduced Muslim contributions to world
history. However, most nations whose
traditional structures have been dismantled and cannot match the funds offered
by Western International development agencies, are left to mere words of
dissent.
Durriya Kazi
Karachi
August 27, 2022
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