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February 13, 2006
Conservatives call for social cohesion, unity in culture, immigrants absorbing Australian values, when confronted by various ethnic differences. This is their version of solidarity, which is usually a lefty word meaning collective enterpise, co-operation, fellowship etc. Often it means a bonding, social or emotional. It comes into play for conservatives when society is seen to be atomised, fragmented or divided or a group is being attacked. But solidarity can also mean community.
With solidarity comes difference--it just goes with the territory. Often solidarity is seen as good---community--whilst differences are seen as bad. Though we can say that a multicultural Australia has its internal tensions and oppositions arising from the cultural differences of ethnic communities the emphasis is given to national unity a based on Australian values.
These tensions and oppostions in a national culture are nothing much to worry about. I would argue, with Hegel, that each historical culture suffers from internal strains and oppositions it needs to overcome. Characteristic examples in the Hegelian texts are the classical Greek culture with its internal strife between the individual and society, or between the culture of the family and the state, and the Enlightenment culture with its famous antithesis of reason and faith. In the Phenomeology of Spirit there is an entire section entitled " Self-Alienated Spirit: Culture". In this section Hegel describes a fragmented and incoherent culture suffering from universal perversion of meanings and values. Hegel's point is that any similar culture that glorifies the arbitrary whim of individual expression fails to afford its members with self-recognition. Consequently its members, like those of the decadent 18th century France, are bound to assimilate such an alienated environment and perpetuate its contradictions in their language and activities.
Hegel's argument here that any culture that procures confusion and inversion and thrives on fragmentation, it is an uncertain, disorientated and self-estranged culture. Notwithstanding this Hegel is at ease with differences or the "strife with the negative".
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