Multiculturalism—the belief that no culture is better or worse than any other; it is merely different—has come to dominate Western intellectual thought and to serve as a guide to domestic and foreign policy and development aid. But what if multiculturalism itself is flawed? What if some cultures are more prone to progress than others and more successful at creating the cultural capital that encourages democratic governance, social justice for all, and the elimination of poverty? In Jews, Confucians, and Protestants: Cultural Capital and the End of Multiculturalism, Lawrence E. Harrison takes the politically incorrect stand that all cultures are not created equal. Analyzing the performance of 117 countries, grouped by predominant religion, Harrison argues for the superiority of those cultures that emphasize Jewish, Confucian, and Protestant values. A concluding chapter outlines ways in which cultural change may substantially transform societies within a generation.
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Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Cultural Capital Defined Chapter 2: Why Jews, Confucians, and Protestants? Chapter 3: Jews Chapter 4: Confucians Chapter 5: Protestants Chapter 6: Other High Achievers I: Basques and Sikhs Chapter 7: Other High Achievers II: Mormons and Ismailis Chapter 8: Catholic Latin America Chapter 9: Latino Immigration into the United States Chapter 10: African Americans Chapter 11: What to Do
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Sailing into stiff headwinds, Harrison challenges the belief—foundational to multiculturalism—that all cultures are equally valuable. Some cultures, he argues, simply are better than others at fostering economic growth, democratic governance, and social justice. It is, he asserts, a culture of education, frugality, and intracommunity trust that makes Jews financial titans. Likewise, a culture of learning and personal moderation empowers Confucian entrepreneurs in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. And it is a culture of hard work coupled to personal responsibility that elevates Protestants to top positions in global business. Other cultures—tradition-bound Catholicism, fatalistic Islam, and irrational Voodoo—come in for censure as obstacles to progress. Likewise labeled as barriers to advancement are contemporary cultural patterns among African Americans and Latino immigrants. Clearly separating himself from conservatives, Harrison outlines a progressive agenda based on deliberate cultural engineering. Still, in trying to test this agenda, Harrison’s Cultural Change Institute has encountered considerable resistance. That resistance persists in sharp debates sure to bring readers, both partisans and critics, to this book.
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781442219632
Publisert
2012-12-13
Utgiver
Vendor
Rowman & Littlefield
Vekt
485 gr
Høyde
236 mm
Bredde
163 mm
Dybde
23 mm
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
230

Biographical note

Lawrence E. Harrison is the author of Undervelopment is a State of Mind (Madison Books), The Central Liberal Truth: How Politics Can Change a Culture and Save It from Itself (Oxford), and coeditor, with Samuel P. Huntington of Culture Matters—How Values Shape Human Progress (Perseus).