@article{1472074,
      recid = {1472074},
      author = {Tan, Chee-Beng,},
      title = {Communalism and the pursuit of democracy : a reflection on  the eradication of racialism and promoting social harmony  /},
      pages = {1 online resource (xi, 87 pages) :},
      note = {Includes index.},
      abstract = {"Beyond the dichotomy of primordiality and  transactionalism in anthropological theory, Professor Tan  Chee-Beng adduces evolutionary psychology to illuminate the  phenomenon of ethnic/communal conflict in modern  democracies. He suggests that a combination of conviviality  and somewhat utopian sense of cosmopolitanism amongst  'ethnies' would be needed to combat ethnic nationalism by  civic or civil nationalism. The argument concerning ethnic  conundrum and its possible resolution is grounded in apt  illustrations from Malaysia, the U.S.A., and the People's  Republic of China among other parts of the world. It is an  original and provocative contribution to global studies  indeed. Ravindra Jain, Former Professor of Sociology and  Social Anthropology and Dean, School of Social Sciences,  Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi This Palgrave Pivot  examines why racialism is so persistent and the challenges  it poses to the functioning of democracy and the attainment  of national integration. It introduces an evolutionary  psychology framework, which explains human innate potential  to identify with and defend ones group, but argues that  racial dislike and conflicts are provoked by racial  ideologies and the politics of ethnicity. By comparing the  politics of race in a number of countries, including  Malaysia and the United States, this book argues that  attachment to ones ethnic and religious identities does not  hinder ethnic harmony. It is necessary to manage the issues  of race and religion as well as promoting conviviality and  cosmopolitanism for pursuing the ideal of common humanity  and for maintaining a stable and meaningful democracy. This  book concludes that democracy, as practiced, has some major  weaknesses; as an ideal, it is still the best form of  government to pursue. Chee-BengTan has taught at the  University of Singapore, University of Malaya, The Chinese  University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Sun Yat-sen University,  Guangzhou. He is currently Adjunct Professor, CUHK, and  Adjunct Professor, Tunku Abdul Rahman University. A  cultural anthropologist, he has done research in Malaysia  and China. .},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/1472074},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36239-2},
}