In all these, culture was ignored and relegated to a postmodern chic ethic of relativism. It was also held to be a mere construct that would dissolve with the passage of time. But culture- in one sense, ‘a patterned way of life, and the artefact of history, ritual, religion and so on ‘ or in another parlance the superstructure of society, would not go away. On the contrary, it, in the United States, made a vociferous and vigorous comeback. The white superstructure of the country rebelled against what it saw as cultural encroachment on its turf- a condition deftly recognized by Donald Trump and responded to in the idiom of populism.

The slogan ‘ Make America Great Again(MAGA)’ was code for making America white again. While many saw this colour coded slogan in racial terms (which it was to some extent) , but its gravamen was cultural. Validated by demographic change in the United States, the white superstructure of the country perceived itself under siege and on the cusp of being a minority, and thereby the United States losing its ‘essential’ character.

While all the explanations referred to in this essay have merit, but this is not proportional. In the final analysis, it was and is a culture that trumped policy and politics, even as each contributed to the clamour for its revival. Delineating this vital aspect is well and fine, but what lessons can be drawn from it?

The answer, at the risk of being tautological is, ‘ culture matters’.

These must-have policy implications. Conventionally and typically, policy formulation and execution is focused on ideation, process and output(or outcome). These are both constants and variables that go into the craft of policymaking. But as the American experience suggests, when crafted in isolation and when culture and cultural issues are not considered, in the least, as important variables, policy(ies) can have perverse consequences.

Lest the world is unmoored and be caught in a maelstrom of policy and political ideas that are merely informed by reason and rationality, it then is in the nature of an imperative to consider culture as a vital component in policymaking, in its own right. The United States illustrates this all too vividly. Let the world take note.

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URL : http://apadanamedia.org/

Blog ID : 264718

Category : News

Date Added : 23-4-2021

Tags : vigorous | superstructure

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