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| Joel Ben Thomas |
Though I haven’t had much “reflection time” since arriving in Shanghai, I have come to realize how culturally confused my mind and body are. American, Moroccan, and Chinese culture(s) have combined to make me feel confident in calling myself a “global citizen.” That is to say, my experiences in all three places have left varying imprints on me; I find myself adhering to cultural customs accordingly sometimes, but sometimes not. For example, whenever I first greet someone I extend my hand to greet him or her with a friendly handshake. Immediately after, I place the same hand over my heart in an endearing motion (this is norm in Morocco, though not so much in China). It’s these types of things that come to mind when I find myself trying to assimilate.
While I attempt to navigate this cultural confusion, I am becoming more and more intrigued with notions about Chinese culture—many purport it to have been, to currently be, and to become something intangibly foreign, frightening, and mysterious. Yesterday morning, I came across an article on Politico, “5 Myths About China (That I’m Sorry I Helped Spread)” by Evan Osnos. In the article, the author problematizes his own previous claims about Chinese cultures (one of them being that it is not a homogenous, uniform culture).
This article addressed many questions currently circulating in Western discourse about world order: when will China rise to become the next hegemony? This question evokes a wide range of responses: ones characterized as hostile, fear-driven retorts as apposed to calm, optimistic comments. As a student who feels he is a global citizen, no question should be of greater importance. How should global citizens feel about China? Should I interpret its economic prowess optimistically, or ominously? While I contemplate this further, I think the last paragraphs in the essay will speak profoundly to western audiences:
“The larger China looms in the American mind, the more we see it as a caricature, bound to fail or destined to dominate. Four years ago, when China’s GDP was growing at 10 percent per year, it was unfashionable to draw attention to its economic weakness. Today, with debt rising and growth falling, optimism is too often written off as naïve. (The calmest voices are betting that China will muddle through.)
The larger point is that we should retire the choice between absolutes. The story of China in the 21st century is often told as a contest between East and West, between state capitalism and the free market. But in the foreground there is a more immediate competition: the struggle to define the idea of China. Understanding China requires not only measuring the light and heat thrown off by its incandescent new power, but also examining the source of its energy—the men and women at the center of China’s becoming.”
Indeed, I think the future of China lies in-between the “absolutes.” Its people are the greatest indicator of our future. Understanding them will require more than a lifetime of study. Even still, I think I’m off to a decent start.
Joel Ben Thomas, of Cadiz, Ky., is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is studying anthropology and political science.